Raven’s Range
Blather around a virtual range

This post is part of a series about publishing and self-publishing. Part 1 (the index) is here.

I distinguish self-publishing from the vanity-publishing techniques of POD companies because in self-publishing, there are no middlemen. You hire services like a printer, and you might hire a publicist, an editor, a designer–professionals, but there is nobody between you and the printer.

When you self-publish, you join a long tradition of people who thought that they could do better on their own, including the creators of the Chicken Soup series, Virginia Woolf, Deepak Chopra, John Grisham, Thomas Hardy, Mark Twain, and Louis L’Amour.

You might recognize a few of these names. ;)

What is self-publishing?

Self-publishing is the act of producing a book yourself, setting up your own publishing company, sourcing out your own printer, designer, etc. and getting your own ISBNs.

I made a very specific, considered choice to self-publish A Little Twist of Texas. This was not a compromise: it was my first choice. While I’m well aware that there’s always room for improvement, I was confident enough in my ability as a writer to make that choice.

I had already used a POD company in the past, and knew that I was beyond that; I never even considered going to a conventional publisher because the book is in a funky little niche (motorcycling/personal growth) and would benefit more from my personal touch than it would from any exterior publisher.

I also knew that my target market (motorcyclists and those who enjoy an adventure story) was small, and could be fairly easily reached online. For me, the choice was both financial and pragmatic: I didn’t want to make only $1 a book (as I do, incidentally, when someone buys it from Amazon.com). Self-publishing allowed me to produce cheaply and make a tidy profit on each book.

Advantages of self-publishing:

1. Cost: Because you print many copies, you print at a low per-book rate (my cost per book including the amortized costs of production, shipping etc. are well under $5, let’s just put it that way). Because you may not necessarily bother with distribution to bookstores, instead targeting your market directly, you can keep the price more competitive.

2. Quality: For anyone printing more than 1000 copies, you have the option of using offset printing which is higher quality than POD. With offset, you can print pictures inside your book and not be embarrassed about their quality.

3. Choices: If you do want to print fewer than 1000 copies, you can go directly to the POD printer. These are the printers that the POD companies use to print their books. In other words you cut out the middlemen.

4. Control: To self-publish, you typically set up your own publishing company. (Some just operate under their own name–this is okay too.) This company can then buy a block of ISBNs. The ISBNs belong to a company that is not known as a POD printer and gives you a shot at the big reviews in publications such as Library Journal, should you choose to go that route.

5. You are absolutely emotionally and financially invested in the success of your own book. You can’t sit back on your laurels and blame others for it failing. This might sound like a disadvantage, but it really isn’t. Instead, it is a very powerful motivation. ;)

6. Chances are you will be publishing a niche (non-mainstream) book of some kind. Because you are already plugged into your niche, you can build on existing relationships there to sell your book. You can also go viral, as long as you stick to the rules of social media sites and forums.

7. You have absolute control over the appearance and quality of your book. You pick your professionals and because you are hiring them they are required to produce something that works for you. You don’t have to put up with squatting hyaenas. (See part 1.)
   

Disadvantages