true, but one thing remains constant... which is that self-marketing doesn't work well for fiction...
Work behind a desk during the day. and in the 24 hour gas station at nights. Write whenever you get the chance and release for free. I believe this kind of entertainment shouldn't require a fee. I love writing, i dont want anyone to ever pay for my work. I wrote for my own enjoyment and hope others do to. I make my living by working a day and night job.
I agree, and that's a perfect example of why the decision really comes down to the writer deciding what their needs are.
Self publishing is great for some sort of books. Like small independent roleplaying games, and LARP cookbooks, and I guess a lot of other book in small hobbys. Or if you got an already succsesful web comic and want to make a printed edition. You will get your book out to other that share you passion, and reach brake-even point or go beyond that and earn some pocket money in some cases. But other cases than that... I wouldn't self publish.
I would only self-publish for a kick, that's all. Only if I'm sure I can't get it published, or if I don't want to publish it. At least that way I'd be able to see it in print, even if I ultimately make a loss...
Seems there are still some myths about the self-publishing industry. 1/ You will earn money by self-publishing, it doesn't cost you money. You don't have to pay to get published. It's true that some companies ask for money before even 1 piece of your book is ordered, but I would avoid this kind of companies and go for a free self publishing website. A big advantage of self publishing is that you are able to determine your royalty percentage yourself so you can earn more money/sale than when you would go the traditional way. 2/ Self-publishing is not only for inferior books. There might be some self-published books that lack in quality, but this is a minority. Unfortunately this minority of bad self published books, like 'recipes of my grand mother' or 'Autobiography of a 10 year old girl' destroy the image of the self-published books while there are many books that are worth a read.
...nothing is totally free!... you may not have to pay anything up front with what bill themselves as 'free' publishers, but you will have to pay a ridiculously inflated price for substandard books, in order to sell them, as few will be sold otherwise, despite being one of the millions listed on amazon... this makes no sense at all... how do you determine a royalty percentage yourself, when the company printing your book sets it?... if you meant 'profit margin' when paying a printer to turn your ms into a book, instead of going with a vanity publisher, or pod outfit, that's not the same as a 'royalty'... i have to doubt you've looked into this carefully, since the vast majority of self-published books are poorly written, to just plain awful... certainly, there are exceptions and some are worth reading, but they're rarities among the chaff...
In the spirit of full disclosure, Michanist is not a disinterestd party. He is the Online Marketing Specialist for a self-publishing company.
When I first started writing, it was not to create a novel, it was something I just had to do. But, as it went on, it started to take the form of a book, and so the search began for a traditional publisher - knowing full well that complete strangers would not care for all the hard work I had put into it. Rejection is a hard thing to take, but a fact of life, and you have to get used to it. However, with all the countless rejections I got, I did get a couple of positive ones back, including a very lengthy personal rejection (which is very unusual), that explained that as good as my book was (he quite enjoyed it), it was highly unlikely that anyone would pick it up, because of the subject matter (a comedy with a sci-fi setting), and essentially publishers were just looking for the next Rowling or McDermid. My family pushed me to go the self-publishing route, because not only did they believe in me, but in the book itself. Trouble is, now that it is out (just released), you discover that your work has only just begun; writing it is only half the battle. I have a website, Twitter a/c's, Youtube and I am on several writers sites (although this is my only writer's forum). Additionally, friends and family are spreading the word, as I contact newspapers and the like with offers to send my book in for review (that will scare me to death, knowing they could murder it!). It has only just begun, but it is starting to sell, and eventually all the little things I am doing to promote it will pick up pace and start rolling, gathering momentum. Never give up, never stop believing, and one day you'll get there.
i just self published my first childrens chapter book and i dont mind the self publishing route. I'm advertising locally, so that's how i am going to start out. i know it will take awhile to get my book out there, but i'll just keep writing. My book is going to be a series I just love to write about my main character in my book that i invented 20 years ago So it just takes time. Self publishers, don't give up!
