Before You Self-Publish
Not every book can be traditionally published.
This is the unfortunate reality.
Often, an aspiring author has been trying to land a book contract for years.
He’s written a book proposal, one he thinks is strong and will capture the attention of an agent or editor.
He’s sent queries to dozens of literary agents and editors, pitching his book.
He’s revised, sharpened, and re-sent.
He’s attended writer’s conferences and taken online workshops.
He’s joined an author’s group, maybe even hired someone to help him with his writing.
And nothing has happened.
Finally, the author reaches a point where he’s wondering, maybe I should just self-publish? Maybe it won’t happen for me in the traditional way?
Let’s be clear. This doesn’t mean failure. It’s very hard to get a publishing contract. Many would argue it is harder than ever. And that means, now’s the time to pivot.
Before you decide to go down the path of self-publishing, these are a few things you should consider.
- Do I have credibility to write and speak on this subject? Credibility doesn’t necessarily look like academic degrees or awards. It can also stem from your personal or professional experience. But if you are not credible and believable, your book and it’s message will fall short with any audience, whether traditionally or self-published.
- Do I have the money to invest into my book on the front end? This is what you are doing when you self-publish. You are paying for a self-publishing company to publish your book which you will then turn around and sell. The up front cost varies from $500-$10,000, depending on what kind of services you decide to purchase. It might take you some time to recoup your investment. Are you okay with that?
- Am I willing to do all of the work to market and sell my book? The reality is, just putting your book up on Amazon does not mean consumers will find it. The online book retail space is saturated with more books than ever before. Discoverability is a massive problem. Are you willing to invest additional dollars to market your book? Are you ready to invest hours into making sure people know about it? You will need a launch strategy and a marketing strategy that is comprehensive and assertive. Have you spent the time developing a strategy to help announce your book to the world, and convince people to buy it?
- Do I have an established platform and a way to reach my audience? What is my plan for how I am going to reach my readers? It doesn’t matter whether you are traditionally published or self-published, you most likely did not write a book only to have it sit invisible on a shelf and never receive any notice from anyone. You need a plan. Have you taken the time to brainstorm, develop, and prepare for how you will get your book into the hands of your audience?
- Are you ready to expose your message and book to the world, to be vulnerable and put yourself out there to both praise and criticism? We often advise aspiring authors to join a writer’s group or start a blog before they write a book because, let’s face it, when you put your words out into the world, you are going to experience love and hate, affirmation and critique. This comes whether you are traditionally or self-published. Either way, it’s a part of the writing adventure.
The important thing to remember, whether you choose self-publishing or traditional publishing, you are putting yourself out into the world, your art and ideas, your message and content, and you want to make sure you are doing it well. Because of the informality of self-publishing, it can feel like a small and minimal thing to be putting your self-published book into the world. Does anyone care? Will anyone notice?
Nobody will ever care about your book as much as you do. Not your traditional publisher. Not your self-publisher. There is no better marketer, no better communicator of your message than you. There is no one more invested, more engaged, more concerned and passionate about your book than you are. It has simmered in your soul for months, maybe years. This is your time. Don’t waste it.
Still not sure if you should self-publish? We’ve written a white paper on the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self-publishing. Click here for your free download.
