Comment

Comment by Regina Y. Swint on June 21, 2012 at 5:54pm

That's great news about your friend, Tyra.  That's really encouraging for the rest of us out here.  :)

Comment by Petrea Burchard on June 20, 2012 at 9:43pm

Nor did I take your comments that way, Tyra. I understood you to mean that your friend had a positive experience.

Comment by Tyra Brumfield on June 20, 2012 at 8:27pm

You are correct: self-publishing is not for everyone and it is an individual choice. And certainly, publishers aren't immune to publishing crap. This is not the direction I was going with my comments. I was merely thinking aloud about self-publishing, which is what I assumed this forum was about--writers exploring this other option.

Self-publishing worked for my friend and I was surprised by that outcome. In my own experience in 2009 and 2010, it did not. Maybe times are a-changing for the better and that is all I meant by my comments. I did not mean to imply anything else. 

Comment by Petrea Burchard on June 20, 2012 at 7:36pm

Hi Regina! You're welcome. More fuel for the discussion, if nothing else!

Comment by Regina Y. Swint on June 20, 2012 at 7:03pm

Thanks, Petrea! I love reading different perspectives about self-publishing and traditional publishing options. It's all very enlightening and encouraging. :)

Comment by Petrea Burchard on June 20, 2012 at 5:41pm

Surely it's a very individual choice, Tyra. Self-publishing is likely not for everyone.

It doesn't seem to be an issue of quality, either. I've seen some awful stuff come out of the publishing industry lately--things that bore me by the end of the first page, stuff that insults my intelligence so I can't make it through a chapter.

It used to be the cr@p had to be self-published because those authors couldn't get representation. Not true anymore. Now some of the gatekeepers are looking for what will sell, not necessarily what's good.

Excellent works are still coming out of the publishing industry, but now you can say the same of self-publishing, too.

Comment by Tyra Brumfield on June 20, 2012 at 3:49pm

Thanks for the article, Petrea. I looked up Flat-Out Love on Goodreads to see if Jessica was as good a writer as she claimed. The GR reviewers loved it, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Like many, I am beginning to rethink the self-publishing route mostly b/c of a friend of mine. She self-pubbed a book of poetry and never gave trad. pub. a first look. She was careful about who published her book, did her part on having it edited, and put great thought into the title and cover (she did not create the cover herself with software, but let the publisher take the lead). Anyway, her book has done very well here. She had a book signing that the publisher arranged for her, I think, and did very well there too. She got her book on the shelves of a new independent bookstore here, who favors local authors, and one of her poems was featured (full-page with her picture) in a splashy art magazine here. Some of her work will be featured in a coming anthology. 

Does this lady have a huge following? Not to my knowledge. I'm not even sure she has a blog. She is very quiet and unassuming. She does have connections in town, however, due to her profession, but I doubt that that puts her over the top in sales. She took careful steps with her first-published work and it worked for her. Maybe it can for the rest of us too.

Comment by Petrea Burchard on June 20, 2012 at 1:38pm

Great comment, Kate.

I think it's clear that regardless of which way you publish (traditional or self-publishing), the author will be doing all the publicity legwork. We must create our own following, create our own opportunities, pay for our own publicist, book tour, whatever. This is true regardless of who your publisher is, unless you're famous.

Start now. I've been blogging daily for nearly years and have created a following. I also have a following from anime work I've done, and I stay in touch with the fans. Social networking may take time out from writing but it can and will be sales in the future, so I nurture it carefully. These people have been very good to me.

Comment by Jackie Bouchard on June 20, 2012 at 1:28pm

Darn, I'm bummed that I missed the chat today since I tried to go the traditional route a few years back and ended up self-pubbing in March.

Was the chat well-attended? Any chance of moving it to 1.30 instead of 1?
Thanks,
Jackie

Comment by Kate McGuinness on June 20, 2012 at 1:26pm

The article Petra posted is overly optimistic. The author had previously had 5 books traditionally published. I infer from that she has a following and has enjoyed very good sales for her self-pubbed book.

One topic not addressed in the article is how much work self-publishing is. I self-pubbed a legal thriller (Terminal Ambition) in late March. The Create Space arm of Amazon makes the printing & "Kindlizing" easy. BUT, if you want a quality product , your book will need to be professionally proofread several times. (Not cheap, but worthwhile given reviewers are quick to note typos) Also, you'll probably want your own cover designer and website. 

These tasks are relatively easy compared to promoting your book. Be realistic about exactly how you will do that if you've never been published. Fortunately, I have a hook. I'm a former partner at a big law firm writing about sexual harassment & discrimination at a fictional big law firm. This combination gives me credibility to blog at independent web sites (Forbes, Jezebel, etc.) about women's issues. Also, I send out 8 to 12 tweets a day about women's issues. 

While all that is time consuming, I'm lucky to have a topic to which to tie my PR. I have a friend who writes fantasy/sci-fi. It's much harder for her to promote her work.

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