Self publishing

[Littledidino 10]

Peacock Lady's blog (which I've only just discovered) is extremely useful and very sensibly put together.

 

The key points about self-publishing are that someone has to pay for production costs (printing, binding etc), an ISBN, distribution and marketing. Print on-demand services, like lulu.com, generally separate these charges out so you can decide which ones you want to pay for, and which ones you hope the readers will pay directly for. For example, having a book on lulu means you're expecting the reader to do the searching which stands in place of a publisher distributing it, and the reader also to pay for printing. Other self-publishing systems transfer many of these costs directly to the writer (which is usually seen as vanity publishing).

[Ron Blanco 10]

Hi Keith Rich,

 

Is your book written from the first person viewpoint?

 

If so, you may have no choice but to self-publish. I went to the Winchester Writers' Conference at the weekend and a message I heard repeated by authors and agents was that publishers no longer want first person novels.

 

Clearly fashions amongst publishers are now seriously restricting choice for readers. I sense a rebellion brewing.

Edited July 6, 2009 by Ron Blanco
I corrected my punctuation. I'd missed a damned apostrophe.

[coyleys 10]

To write in the first or third person makes no odds to me, there must be some reason behind this madness. Unless you misheard, as in; first person novels or persons first novel.

P.S.

Last edited by Ron Blanco; Today at 11:01. Reason: I corrected my punctuation. I'd missed a damned apostrophe.

 

Welcome to the real world, Ron.

[Ron Blanco 10]

(Coyleys) "Unless you misheard, as in; first person novels or persons first novel."

 

Hi Coyleys.

 

Well my hearing is pretty bad but the general message was loud and clear. Publishers and Agents are getting carried away with their own importance and starting to dictate what writers write and what readers read.

 

I think there will be increasing pressure to reunite readers with writers by cutting out the money-making goons in the middle.

Edited July 6, 2009 by Ron Blanco
I misspelt Coyleys. Apologies for any distress caused, Mr C.

[Karis 11]

I think there will be increasing pressure to reunite readers with writers by cutting out the money-making goons in the middle.

 

Well, I don't think that will ever happen - at least no time soon - as the whole agent / writer thing is getting so exclusive.

 

It's not a good time to be a new and unpublished writer - even if you're brilliant

[Ron Blanco 10]

Well, I don't think that will ever happen - at least no time soon - as the whole agent / writer thing is getting so exclusive.

 

It could happen, Karis, in the same way that my local independent cinema is enjoying a resurgence.

 

If writers remain true to themselves and refuse to become little robots then it could happen.

 

Isn't there some arts council-funded organisation, like "The Independent Authors Association"? If not, there should be. They could provide reviews of books by independent authors and gain recognition with retailers. Maybe The IAA is the way forward?

[Peacock Lady 10]

Thank you for your kind words about my blog.

 

Novels written in the first person will continue to be bought and published, so long as they're well-written. If they're not convincing then they won't be published: it's as simple as that.

 

I think there will be increasing pressure to reunite readers with writers by cutting out the money-making goons in the middle.

 

Without those "money-making goons" to pay for editing, design, proof-reading, printing, marketing, promotion, sales and distribution, how is this going to happen? You can't have one without the other. Unless you're happy for the author to pay for all of that on spec? If that's so, do bear in mind that the cost of publishing just one title properly, in the way that those "money-making goons" do, runs to £30,000 or more. If you don't spend a decent amount of money on your book, then it won't be good enough nor will it get into bookshops and so in front of readers.

 

Well, I don't think that will ever happen - at least no time soon - as the whole agent / writer thing is getting so exclusive.

 

It's easy for any writer to find an agent. So long as the writer is talented, hard-working, and has written a great book. I know it's hard for writers who haven't yet found representation, especially if all you're getting is blank rejections; but if that's the case, it's likely your work isn't close enough yet and you need to polish your work and refine your craft more before you submit again.

 

Isn't there some arts council-funded organisation, like "The Independent Authors Association"? If not, there should be. They could provide reviews of books by independent authors and gain recognition with retailers. Maybe The IAA is the way forward?

 

I review self-published books on another blog I have (there is a link to it on my main blog if you'd like to take a look). Most are truly dreadful. Booksellers often won't even consider stocking self-published books because of this. If the good books had been filtered out somehow, by people who knew what was wanted by the readers, and who knew how to polish those books and get them as good as they could be, perhaps those booksellers would consider taking them. Only aren't we now back to mainstream publishers or "money-making goons" again?

[Thewickerman 10]

Lulu.com is by far the best option. I've looked at this many times. Just never get the time to finish my project.

[Ron Blanco 10]

(Peacock Lady) Without those "money-making goons" to pay for editing, design, proof-reading, printing, marketing, promotion, sales and distribution, how is this going to happen?

 

Yes, i think you've highlighted a sticky problem, that publishers have become too powerful and controlling. They need to be taken down a peg or two. I am pleased also that you have latched onto my catchy phrase "money-making goons".

 

(Peacock Lady)I review self-published books on another blog I have

 

Excellent stuff. Very forward thinking of you Ms P. I think this is exactly the sort of thing that is needed. The only shortcoming I see is that you are an editor, and as a writer I would be mainly interested in reviews by a broader range of readers. Yes, yes, some of those books have punctuation errors, but do you have to go on about it so much? I noticed some errors in your own reviews incidentally (but I stopped after I got to 15).

 

I like the format that amazon uses for it's books, CDs etc. Customers add their own reviews and give a score and the books get a star-rating. Maybe you could add in something like that to your system, in addition to your own expert opinion. And as your system catches on, so readers and book sellers will be drawn to your site as the place to find interesting and varied new books written by honest independent writers who have something to say and are passionate about their writing. Yes, I'm sure there will be a lot of tripe, but readers' tastes are very broad, and I'm sure there would be some real gems uncovered. It would be an exciting place to look for books.

 

Yes, I'm now convinced, the PL classification system for self-published books is the way forward.

 

ps I presume you're not just developing your website to make money are you Peacock Lady?

[Peacock Lady 10]

That whizzing sound we can all now hear is the sound of Ron missing the point. Repeatedly. Although something tells me that he's doing it on purpose.

 

I'll not respond to most of his questions as I suspect that they're somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I will respond to one:

 

I presume you're not just developing your website to make money are you Peacock Lady?

 

Just to reassure you, in the 13 months or so since I've been blogging I've earned around £32 from the Amazon Associates program from books which have been bought via my blog. That's all the money I've made from blogging, which is a pretty poor return for the hours I've taken over it. However, I've made over a thousand times that much from the writing, editing and consultancy work that I've undertaken, which is partly what gives me the authority to make the comments that I do.

 

As for mainstream vs. self-publication: if anyone is still wondering which way to go, please bear in mind that (thanks mostly to those money-making goons who Ron objects to so much) most mainstream books sell upwards of 3,000 copies (and many sell 10,000 or more--at least in my experience); while few self-published books sell as many as 100 copies. Bearing in mind that sales equate to readers, and the whole point of getting published is being read, I know which sales statistics I find the most attractive.

[Ron Blanco 10]

(Peacock Lady) That whizzing sound we can all now hear is the sound of Ron missing the point.

 

Hey! Steady on PL.

 

 

(Peacock Lady) ... since I've been blogging I've earned around £32...

 

Well there you go. You're not doing it for money, and that's admirable. Nobody could accuse you of being a money-making goon. I think your site is promising and that you should persevere, because as it evolves it will help more writers who self publish. I really do believe this will become increasingly popular amongst writers who do not see their writing merely as a chore, or a way of paying the bills. As a reader of books, I certainly don't want to read books written by such people.

 

Somehow, though, you need to open it up to have a broader range of reviewers, and a quicker way of seeing what the overall rating is for each book, perhaps also having ratings split into categories. Maybe self-publishing authors should also offer 50 or so copies free to people who will be willing to review the book. Just a thought.

 

Why don't you put together a team of reviewers, maybe drawn from this forum?

[Keith Rich 10]

Hi Keith Rich,

 

Is your book written from the first person viewpoint?

 

If so, you may have no choice but to self-publish. I went to the Winchester Writers' Conference at the weekend and a message I heard repeated by authors and agents was that publishers no longer want first person novels.

 

Clearly fashions amongst publishers are now seriously restricting choice for readers. I sense a rebellion brewing.

 

The only thing publishers want is high profits, so it is very difficult for new authors to get published.

 

I am in fact just starting an epublishing online business which should be up and running next week. E Publishing Online (EPO) http://www.epublishingonline.co.uk