So, You Want to Indie Publish! (Part 1)
The topic of Self or Independent Publishing has been coming up frequently for me lately. In fact, I’m sitting on a panel for Toronto’s East End Writers Group on May 26. They’re celebrating their 20th Anniversary and invited me to participate as an Indie author, something I consider quite an honour. That invite got me thinking about my own journey.
I’ve been publishing my books independently since 2010, although not seriously until 2016. I’ve learned everything by trial and error and hope to share some of that with you.
Let me start by saying two things. One, I’m a Canadian author and this post will reflect that. I don’t know how things work in other parts of the world for Indie authors. Two, I don’t like the term “self published” because there is still a stigma attached to it. Some people assume your work can’t be good because you can’t find someone to publish it. This might be true, but it’s not always the case. Often, editing is an issue. If you can’t afford a good editor at least use a software program like Pro-Writing Aid to flag your errors. I hire a developmental editor but do the final line edits myself using Moira, my Irish text-speech woman. As I listen to Moira read out loud, I read along and make corrections. Then, I create a mobi file and read the whole book on my Kindle stopping to note errors in longhand. If you continually read the same draft on your computer, your brain just glosses over the error time and time again. Please do not publish a book with grammatical and typing errors. This is how self-publishing got a bad name to begin with. Having said that, I read many traditionally published books which have been through editors and still have small errors. So don’t feel bad if you miss something here or there. If you’re self-publishing you can go back and fix those errors.
Though I’m using both terms in this post, I prefer the term Indie publish as it has more panache and a tad more clout. Here are a few pluses and minuses to Indie publishing:
-Some awards and contests are only open to traditionally published authors which feels discriminatory to me. “We’re all the same but we’re different?” +There are separate awards now for Independent Publishers such as Whistler Independent Book Awards and Independent Publisher Book Awards. You, as the author/publisher, will pay fees to enter but I think it’s worthwhile, especially if you win.
-Most grants are inaccessible to Indie authors. For example, Canada Council Art grants are only awarded to publishers who pay royalties and publish four trade books per year. Canada Book Fund grants go to publishers who are financially viable. So if you’re looking to make a living as a self-published author you might need to expand your thinking and your business. +If you join the Writers Union of Canada, you may be able to apply for provincial grants and find other ways to boost your income.
-I hear from many authors that they HATE marketing. Know this: if you publish with a traditional publisher you are expected to market your book, but as an Indie publisher you MUST market your book all on your own. Creative brain, Editing/Formatting Brain, and Marketing Brain all work differently. To be a successful Indie author you need to be an administrator and entrepreneur as well as an artist.
The bottom line: if you have a good book and you want to get it out in print, sell to family, friends, and the occasional stranger, self-publishing is an easy enough process and can be quite rewarding. Book publishing is a gamble no matter what you do and who knows? Your book might be THE ONE that suddenly takes off!
I embarked on my Indie publishing journey with an Irish-Canadian urban fantasy novel looking as green as a shamrock. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that might help you get started.
Getting Started
When writing fiction, there are a couple of ways to decide WHAT to write. One, target specific agents and publishers and write what THEY want so you can query them later and try to sell them your finished work, knowing that what you wrote is on their wish list. Two, write what YOU want and look for a home for your finished book later. As an intuitive writer, rather than a logical thinking writer, I chose the second route. Well, I didn’t really choose it. I was teaching full time and just wanted to escape and play with my characters. I never thought I’d write a series or become serious about being an author, although once I embarked on this journey, I did want to see my book in print.
During the initial stages of drafting, I presented to a New York agent at the Surrey International Writers Conference (SiWC) — which is by far the best writing conference around — and she said my idea was too predictable.
Tip: Go to conferences. Learn the craft. Sit down with agents and publishers. Ask questions. Practice and pitch and listen to what they have to say. Don’t get defensive or disregard. They’re not always right but often are as they know what’s selling. Mull their advice, and then do what feels right for you.
I went home, created a Wicca coven to cloak my too-predictable killer and interwove the two stories. I obviously did it well because I often hear in my reviews that readers couldn’t decide who the killer was. I called the book To Charm a Killer and when it was finished, I sent it to a few publishers. I had interest from one but then he disappeared — people seem to move around in the publishing world — and I got a handful of rejections. Since I write cross-genre (urban fantasy/murder mystery/thriller) this is not surprising. Agents and editors want something they can fit neatly into their marketing schemes so it will sell. Agencies even have drop-down menus where you only get to tick one genre!
Tip: A handful of agents and publishers is not enough to query. You need to be rejected by tens and hundreds to join the Rejected Authors Club. You’ll be in good company there along with Madeline L’Engle, J.K. Rowling, Richard Adams, Alex Haley, James Patterson, Agatha Christie, and William Golding to name a few rejected greats.
To make matters worse, I was writing under an unpronounceable pen name — Charra Rede — because I was still teaching high school and didn’t want my students or their parents to know their English teacher wrote sexy books.
“I’m writing a book.”
“Oh yeah. What’s it called?”
“I can’t tell you.”
This is not a good marketing strategy. Still, I was excited and dying to get that book into print—even though I was only telling trusted friends. I decided to publish it myself.
Tip: When you publish be ready to hold up that book and smile for the cameras! So much work goes into writing a book you want to be proud of it and ready to “come out” fully as an author. Pen names are fine. Just be willing to go out and market your work under that name.
Print-On-Demand (POD)
Some people are happy to self-publish their ebook and upload to the major sites. Personally, I like reading print books so I also create and sell them. There are platforms who will produce your print book for a price: Lulu Press, BookBaby, Amazon’s KDP Print, and Draft2Digital Print are the main print-on-demand (POD) players. You send them your completed manuscript, front and back matter, and cover art. They manufacture your book and you buy POD copies from them which you can sign and sell. Some also offer distribution.
Tip: Do your research. Read what each one offers and demands in compensation. Compare prices and percentages. Read reviews.
In 2010, I published To Charm a Killer by Charra Rede via lulu.com. An artist friend created the cover art which is quite striking. I did the writing and editing myself. Lulu did everything else. It cost me $600-$700 and I sold a few copies to friends. You’ll still see this cover on Goodreads and Amazon because they refuse to take down old books. There are even some great reviews! This route might work well for you.
I just costed out this same book on Lulu’s print rates for paperback and it’s around $7.65/copy US which is about par. If they’re doing all the preliminary set-up you’re going to pay fees on top of that. Be mindful, not to get taken advantage of by what we call “vanity presses” who charge several thousand dollars. Here is a great article that explains the difference between companies who help you publish and vanity presses.
In part two of his post, I’ll talk about other roads to Indie Publishing and what I do now. Please add your questions to the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.
