Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shawn Lamb on February 8, 2012 at 7:56am

In the years 2010 & 2011, published authors (self or traditional) only sell around 100 books a year - this is according to the Bureau of Census & Statistics in D.C. The advent of 'free e-book downloads' are skewing numbers and causing a great deal of confusion. This statistic is based upon reported paperback and hardback sales for royalties and retail figures.

Consider this - in 2010, almost 1 MILLION books were published, with around 300,000 being traditional and the remainder self or indie. That's a lot of competition for authors and a lot of choices for readers.

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Barbre on February 8, 2012 at 7:30pm

It's 200 over the life of the book according to my sources. My favorite website is "The Passive Voice" written by an attorney who reproduces knowledgeable blogs on his site (saving the need to sign up for a dozen other sites primarily focused on the ins and outs of self-publishing), then gives his dissective-mind  lawyer-take as to whether he agrees or disagrees and why. Or just google your questions and someone will have the answer, no matter what you ask, really. 

Permalink Reply by Nancy Hinchliff on March 20, 2012 at 9:29am

I wrote a short post on self publishing: http://amemorabletimeofmylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/self-publishing-...

I finally finished my memoir and am just starting the submission process. I'm going the traditional way first, then thought, if it doesn't work in a reasonable time, I'd try self publishing. Anyone have any thoughts on this plan?

Permalink Reply by Nancy MacMillan on April 4, 2012 at 8:17am

A glimpse into my most recent challenges and highlights on my journey into publishing my memoir, Diary of a Vet's Wife, Loving and Living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - “Self-Publishing / PTSD – A Passage of Passion.” 

Nancy MacMillan @  http://blogofavetswife.blogspot.com/

I submitted to agents the traditional way for a full year, then switched to self-publishing in November. I started my blog last April detailing this journey.  A self-imposed book release date has been set for July 4th, due to the subject matter.  Currently, I'm tackling audience recognition. I believe this point is critical, if an author has a story to share.  

I'll keep you posted, once I have an idea how my current marketing has affected sales, compared to the Bureau of Census & Statistics.  Self-publishing does give an author the opportunity to be exposed to publishers.  Her marketing skills can bring her work to their attention.  Each day I learn more about marketing . . . too bad the days are so short.