I had an unusual experience this week. I think you know that I often get inquiries—questions about aspects of publishing, book promotion etc. Well, recently, I received an email from an author who mentioned he was self-publishing his book. Now normally, I ask if he means true self-publishing or if he is planning to sign with a pay-to-publish company. I’d say that 95 percent of these authors are talking about pay-to-publish companies. And I have this urge to educate them and teach them what self-publishing actually means.
However, a few days ago when I received a question about self-publishing, I sort of threw in the towel. I assumed the author was referring to pay-to-publish—that he was planning to sign up with a “self-publishing” company. And I responded with a warning that he do his homework and choose the right company, etc. etc.
Come to find out, he was not considering a pay-to-publish company at all. He was planning to self-publish—establish his own publishing company. Now that was a surprise. You just don’t come across many authors anymore who are willing to go to the trouble of doing it all themselves or who use the term, “self-publishing” accurately.
So what is the difference between a “self-publishing” (pay-to-publish) company and true self-publishing? When you self-publish, you set up your own company, get a fictitious business name, order the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) for your book, you hire a cover designer, you arrange for the printer and you put up all of the money. You are also responsible for promoting your book.
When you go with a pay-to-publish company, the general scenario is that all you have to do is present them with any manuscript and a chunk of money and they will present you with a book. You can pay extra for extra services, such as editing, a cover design and a marketing package. Most authors eventually admit that these add-on packages are not worth the money. These companies are usually run by printers and they don’t know much about professional editing and cover design and their marketing packages are generally generic and not worth the fees. It is always best that the author take control of the promotion of his/her book.
Most professionals recommend that the author maintain as much control and intimacy with their own books as possible. Hire your own professional book editor. Take charge of your cover design and always, always take responsibility for promoting your book.
So what are the advantages of self-publishing over going with a pay-to-publish company? Sometimes you can save a lot of money doing it yourself. You can produce a better quality product. You will have complete control and ownership if you do it yourself. And something I feel is very importance, if you self-publish, you will have a greater sense of intimacy with your project. You may not know how important this is until you begin the promotion process.
For MUCH more about book promotion, your options, how to create a marketing plan, which activities work best for which books, read my book Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.
If you plan to go out and give interviews, do public speaking, land radio gigs, do book festivals, present workshops at conferences, etc., order Talk Up Your Book as a companion to Promote Your Book.
If you need additional information about your publishing options and how to choose the right one for your particular project, read Publish Your Book.
Al by Patricia Fry. All available at Amazon in print, kindle and audio as well as most other online and downtown bookstores. Also purchase it here: http://www.matilijapress.com