Publishing your own first book – your experiences?

PocketCompass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141817#Comment_82141817

Amazon's self-publishing option is probably the most obvious one and was naturally one of the first I came across when I started looking into this 😊 I'm deliberately trying to keep an open mind at this stage though and find out what other routes are available before deciding on anything. I suppose each option comes with its own pros and cons in terms of costs, control, distribution and how much of the marketing you have to handle yourself. So I'd rather get a good overview first.

PocketCompass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141829#Comment_82141829

Six books is actually quite an achievement, especially if they continued selling for years! When did you do those? I'm curious because you mentioned it was before everyone was on gadgets, so I'm guessing it must have been quite a while ago 😅

Finding publishers that specifically work with the genre I'm writing in is definitely something I'll need to look into more closely. The idea of finding writing groups or forums is a good one too. Hearing from people who have actually gone through the process would probably be more useful than just reading about the different options.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by reading new books for editors though. Do you mean working as some sort of manuscript reader for publishers or editors? That sounds interesting, but I wouldn't have thought that was particularly easy to get into.

PocketCompass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141941#Comment_82141941

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have a look at his video 😁 That's actually something I've come across quite a bit while reading about self-publishing. If you've already built up an audience on social media or YouTube, or have contacts in the book industry, you're obviously in a much better position when it comes to getting your book noticed. Unfortunately I'm not much of a YouTube or social media person myself. I hardly use either and, at least for now, I can't really imagine myself regularly posting content to build an audience. That's one of the things that makes me a little hesitant about self-publishing, as the marketnig side seems to become such a big part of the job as well…

PocketCompass

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82142500#Comment_82142500

That's really interesting 🙂 especially that he found a publisher in the end. Do you know if he had the manuscript professionally edited, or used beta readers at all before approaching anyone? I'd also be curious how the book's done since it came out, if you don't mind me asking… does it sell fairly regularly or more just the odd copy now and then? What you said about self-promotion is starting to sound like it applies even with a traditional publisher.

redped

My wife has had several books published. The first was via a publisher, who did the proofreading, cover artwork, distribution, etc., and the other two smaller books via Amazon.

You need to decide how you want to sell your book. If it's via actual bookshops, then you'll almost definitely need a publisher - most bookshops don't want to sell self-published work (as they'll often get their books from a distributor on a sale-or-return basis). The publishing contract for new authors usually revolves around you paying several thousand pounds for them to do the work to get it into bookshops (where you'll get a small royalty for each book sold), and you can then buy extra copies yourself at large discount which you can sell yourself privately at craft fairs and other events.

However, if you want to use Amazon and print, say 200 copies to sell yourself, again via craft fairs and other events, then self-publishing is good. Once they've been sold, you can then buy another batch from Amazon. Bear in mind that you hear stories of people selling lots of their self-published books on Amazon, but you don't hear about the thousands of self-published tat on Amazon that has only sold 1 copy!

Either way, don't expect to make much money out of it, you need to be doing it for the love of writing.

twopenny

Yes manuscript reader is probably nearer the term. I don't think it's that difficult to get into. I've been offered it a couple of times.

You check for spelling, punctuation and general correctness so you need to pay attention. You also have to have the endurance of reading a lot so it really is work but different. A lady I know who does it has long train journeys between London and Cornwall so fits perfectly.

My little guided walks books took a lot of initial work, illustrated with maps but did get taken up by the national trust for a while but we fell out over the long time for payment. Between '96 and 2010. Then the info needed changing and I was too busy working. Ditto I had my work as ceramic painter featured in Country Living but again a lot of work and some outlay and the article wasn't paid for, it was publicity. So if self publishing keep your eye out for such things. You are spending long before you get the small reward.

I've known a couple of people locally who've self published but it was fact not fiction. They made their money back mostly through friends 😊 and small sales but I'm not familiar with fiction.

It was surprising how many people will give you the heads up once you start to get involved or letting it be known what you are doing.

lincroft1710

I would suggest you write a few chapters of your proposed novel, put them to one side for a few weeks, then get them out and read through very carefully. Does the story still hold interest? Do you honestly believe anyone else would want to read it?

shunsumaker

First, I’d consider what you want to do later on. After all, social media is pretty much out of the picture for you. At least then it’d be clear what you don’t want to take on top of everything else. Therefore, with a publisher or service provider, I’d mainly be interested in what would still be your responsibility after publication.

By the way, when I think of marketing, I don't necessarily think of Instagram or YouTube first. Readings, for example, would be a whole different ball game. The same goes for someone with contacts in bookshops who doesn't have to start from scratch. I’d look at stuff like that more closely than just the question of who ends up publishing the book.

For the first book, I’d quite like to have someone who knows the whole process along with me. However, I wouldn't want to hand it over completely. If important decisions are being made, I’d definitely want to be involved. However, I wouldn't necessarily have to organise every single step myself.

Savvy_Sue

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82143575#Comment_82143575

Well it was a long drawn-out process and I can't be sure I have the details straight. He did find a sort of agent, who wasn't particularly optimistic but did at least make some introductions. Thanks to them one publisher expressed interest, suggested a shedload of changes, then changed course and said no, they were no longer interested. A fancy-pants American publisher offered to take him on for £4k or so, and they'd want to charge £40 per copy. And so on.

At about the same time as the American publisher, a random connection from a friend led him to a German publisher who produces a small number of English titles, happy to cover costs and make a small profit, and making it clear that publicity would be down to DH.

Meanwhile many people read a draft copy, suggested amendments, queried things they didn't understand, challenged things they disagreed with, suggested other works he should consult.

And eventually something appeared in print via the German link. The good news is that you can order from Amazon in print and online, through a bookshop, in the UK or the USA.

I'd say DH knows most of the people who bought copies initially. It's spreading out a bit now through reviews on Amazon. He has a pile of paperbacks he can sell personally. We could try a 'book launch', but I'm guessing most of the people who would come have read it already … it is, as I said, a niche subject.

martindow

I have a few friends who have published their poetry books. However they have paid for this. In recent years printing technology allows small runs to be printed quite economically.

These people love poetry and love reading their poems. They go to local groups where they can do readings and offer their books for sale. Some have got local independent bookshops to stock them on a sale or return basis. It is certainly not a money-making scheme and they see it as part of their hobby.

It must be nice to see your name in print on the cover of a book - even if you've paid for it!