The world of self-publishing, like baby equipment and politician’s sexcapades, has become a lot more complicated in recent years. In the case of self-publishing, this is a good thing. Self-publishing used to be called “vanity press.” Pay a sum of money, have a bunch of books printed, sock them away somewhere and then give them to unsuspecting relatives for Christmas. Voila, you are an author.
Print-on-demand opened up a whole new way of self-publishing. Print-on-demand is just that, the ability of a printing house to print only what is ordered. No more need to have a supply of books in a warehouse. The upside is that an author no longer needs to have a thousand books printed at the expense of his children’s college education, fill his garage with books and then schlep books around with him in the trunk of his car.
A print-on-demand author can order books in advance and sell them directly. Or he can sell them online via a personal website or on Amazon, etc. Or he can do a combination of the two.
Here are some tips for writers considering self-publication:
1. Look at self-publishing houses the same way you would look at a potential relationship. Don’t fall for hype. Look at the exact services the print-on-demand company will provide, not the “possibilities.” Read the fine print. Know the difference between what they will give you and what they might give you.
2. Be prepared to market the hell out of your book. If you are self-published, unless you market the hell out of yourself, no one will ever find you. The Big Secret: The same holds true for conventionally published books. Unless you are famous or infamous, it’s going to be up to you to market your book. Period.
2. Know that almost all chain bookstores won’t carry your book (Read “Barnes & Noble”). Most small bookstores won’t carry your book either. The reason: Bookstores have relationships with publishing houses. And, unlike a conventionally published book, most print-on-demand can’t be returned to the publisher if it doesn’t sell. Find a print-on-demand company that will allow books to be returned. This is critical.
3. If a store won’t carry your book, suggest they take it on consignment. Many small bookstores will consider this. It’s a lot more work for you (keeping track and schlepping books when they run out) but you can sell a lot of books that way.
4. Consider placing your books in non-book stores. Aside from novels, many books can be appropriate for specialty stores, places wherethe reader of your kind of book would shop.
5. Consider non-store sources. Again, depending on the type of book you have, consider volunteering to speak at conferences and organizations, book clubs, etc. Contact local TV and radio shows. They are always looking for interesting people to interview. If you aren’t interesting, become interesting. Get hypnosis or something. The more engaging you are in the media,the more books you will sell.
6. Submit to contests. Each win adds to your credibility. There are a lot of contests out there.
7. Use Facebook, Twitter, any other social media outlets to market your book. If you do so and you are successful, tell me how you did it. Because I don’t know anything about that stuff.
(Renee is the author of several print-on-demand books. She didn’t follow the rules for the first one. She did for the next two. They won awards and sold thousands of copies. None have made money, but she gets to act really important sometimes, which is almost as good.)
Elly Lou
June 10, 2011
I keep toying with trying this route. It sounds easier than rewriting the book. But just barely.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
You are a dynamite writer. What is your book about? Are you considering rewriting because an agent or editor suggested it? It can be tough when a publisher dangles a carrot in exchange for a rewrite. We made some major changes and the publisher didn’t take us anyway. But the changes were good, after all.
georgettesullins
June 10, 2011
Thank you for this. I don’t have a novel, I don’t have a self help book a documentary, biography or textbook…just family memories and stories that I want passed down in an organized collection.
Congratulations on navigating this path! I admire what you do; I admire your humor. “Get hypnosis” or something…you’re funny.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
Thanks, Georgette. And good for you. My co-authors and I have developed a workshop called “Write Your Life,” to inspire women to start memoirs and to give them the tools to get started. It’s so important.
Tom G.
June 10, 2011
Thanks for the tips. Like most bloggers with delusions of grandeur, I’ve been considering self publishing. I haven’t found any print on demand places that will accept returned book though. Can you tell us who that might be?
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
Hay House, a conventional publisher of spiritual, motivational and self-help books, now has an association with Balboa Press. Balboa allows returns. There might be more. And my guess is that more will follow.
livelaughloveliquor
June 10, 2011
Renee, now you post links to where we can find your books!!! I have no idea you published anything, i love to read!
and you are so funny with “get hypnosis”!!!
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
You can get them on Amazon: King of the Gypsies (fiction), Invisible No More: the Secret Lives of Women Over 50, Saving the Best for Last: Creating Our Lives After 50 (This one incorporates Invisible No More, so no need to get both)
livelaughloveliquor
June 10, 2011
OK, I just added king of the gypsies to my cart, and it should ship by 6/14! cant wait to read it.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
Wow, let me know what you think. I did zero to market that book. All I wanted at the time was to see a real book, after all my efforts. I had no editor, which you’ll probably be able to tell!
pegoleg
June 10, 2011
Good advice, Renee. Especially the part about becoming interesting. That would make a great self-help book!
Tori Nelson
June 10, 2011
Thanks for the tips. I can’t decide how well a book made up entirely of poop-related short stories would sell. Maybe if I included cartoons?
pegoleg
June 10, 2011
You make poop look good. How about adding scratch & sniff?
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
Ditto to Peg’s comment. Doesn’t matter what you write about. The reader gets a free ride on the Torimobile. Cartoons, photos, Scratch n Sniff, all bonuses. But Tori, you should really write a book. About anything.
Debbie
June 10, 2011
Interesting post, Renee — thanks for laying it on the line for us!
kim sisto robinson
June 10, 2011
~~I’m ready, girlfriend.
I have my book with no place to go. 🙂 xx thanks for the tips.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
You’re welcome. We’ve learned a lot in the last few years. I’m happy to share with anyone.
omawarisan
June 10, 2011
Thanks for that. I’ve got ideas and no way to figure out which way to run. I’ve got a lot to think about and act upon now
lifeintheboomerlane
June 10, 2011
You’re welcome. We’ve learned a lot the hard way. Even people who have conventional publishers have to market their books themselves nowadays. The publishing industry is tougher in some ways (general readership going down, less help from publishers, inclination of many publishers to look for a “sure thing” over quality) and easier in others (access to internet marketing, Kindle, growth of print-on-demand). We are minor players, but anything I can do to help others, I’m happy to do.
Lunar Euphoria
June 11, 2011
Thank you for sharing this information.
Kathryn McCullough
June 12, 2011
Great tips, Renee! I need to know these things–but that won’t get me much without a finished project. A memoir is a dauntng task–I’m beginning to think my story is really at least two–maybe more. I could write a book just about our year in Haiti!
Kathy
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 12, 2011
You have stories that need to be told. Yes, Haiti could definitely be a book unto itself. I keep thinking of a title like “A Year in Color.” Have you thought about submitting magazine articles first?
The Good Greatsby
June 13, 2011
Great advice. I assume you have to market yourself and do a lot of work no matter whether you are traditionally published or self-published.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 13, 2011
Unfortunately, that’s the bottom line. I’ve spoken with people who had huge credibility before writing their books. One is a prominent magazine journalist who immediately was interviewed on national TV after her book came out. They all experienced no sales without aggressively marketing their books on their own. You are incredibly talented. I hope you are considering writing a book, and I also hope that you would get picked up by a publisher. That’s when the real work begins!
Matthew
June 13, 2011
Thanks for sharing this. There is work in either route. I am a writer who has seen both traditional ( contract was pulled ) and self-publishing ( I work for one company ) sides of things, and both require effort. Book Return Insurance is a must for many of the stores out there so do find a company that offers it. We offer it in our company and it makes a huge difference for authors.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 13, 2011
Hey Matthew, thanks for visiting Life in the Boomer Lane and for your comments. I so appreciate this. Like many people, we thought finding an agent and getting published would be easy. We learned the hard way how difficult that is, and when we took the print-on-demand route, we saw that either way, the marketing never stops. Now, some conventionally published authors are suprprised we have sold so many books. I tell them we did it one book at a time. And yes, book returns are critical!
thesunnygirl
June 18, 2011
This was a fantastic post and just what I needed to read! I am self-publishing my first book called The Sunny Side Up, and it is a book about how we can increase and appreciate happiness for young adults. I have to admit, I did have some hesitation about self-publishing but I have decided to do so because as a young adult myself, I want to publish the book as soon as possible so that I can relate more with my audience. Your post quelled many of my fears and now I’m eager to get out there and market my book now! Thank you!
Keep shining,
The Sunny Girl, Lauren Cook
http://www.thesunnygirl.com
lifeintheboomerlane
June 18, 2011
Thanks for visiting Life in the Boomer lane, Lauren, and I’m glad my post could be of some help to you. Your book sounds like it will be very valuable for young people. Make use the print-on-demand company you choose has a return policy. That way, stores will be more willing to carry it. Best of luck!
Lisa (Woman Wielding Words)
June 22, 2011
Thanks for reminding me of this post. Can I e-mail you for more advice as I stumble my way blindly into this venture?
lifeintheboomerlane
June 22, 2011
Yes, please! I am happy to share everything we have learned. Question away. This is very important: When you explore print-on-demand publishers, look for ones that allow books to be returned.
Lisa (Woman Wielding Words)
June 22, 2011
The one that I am looking at allows for returns but reserves the right to decide what to do about them. Sometimes the books go back for resale (and you don’t get anymore money) sometimes they are destroyed–in which case I think you owe them money if they already paid you.Does that sound bad?
lifeintheboomerlane
June 22, 2011
I don’t like that second part of it, that you would owe them money. Do you mean you’d have to give the royalties back? If so, that’s OK. A print-on-demand should get any money from you, aside from what it costs to set the book up for production. After that, they give royalties like any other publisher. And, of course, if you order books from them for book events, you pay them at a reduced rate.
lifeintheboomerlane
June 22, 2011
One more thing: They should be able to give you references. Or you can see who they have published and contact the authors.
Karen
June 25, 2011
Thanks for sharing this information. I am going to pass this on to all of my writer friends. I’ve done a substantial amount of research on getting published. The problem I have on a philosophical level is that I mostly want to write and share …I am not interested in all of the stuff that goes into getting a book published. I already have a full time job that has a lot of detailed administrative components to it. I have the skills to do it but not the desire. I love writing. I’m fascinated with social media. Blogging has been the perfect solution for me!
lifeintheboomerlane
June 25, 2011
Thanks for visiting Life in the Boomer Lane, Karen, and for commenting. Blogging and other forms of online writing have given so many of us the creative outlets we craved. For those who do plan to publish, I’m happy to pass on whatever I’ve learned along the way.