Insights from a self-published author on self-publishing as an option for your book
Almost anyone who’s toyed with the idea of writing a book has asked themselves at one time or another: is self-publishing my book a good idea? This concern is often based on the attitudes of other people to self-published books (you might even share this attitude). It is difficult to find information that isn’t biased in one way or another. I went through the whole to-and-fro about which method I should choose for my own work, Keyflame.
So here are some of the facts about self-publishing that I’ve learned along the way.
Why self-publishing is bad (sometimes)
Most criticism regarding self-publishing stems from a lack of gatekeepers like editors or agents. There are many aspirant writers who believe that the first draft they have ever written is definitely, absolutely, good enough. Since self-publishing is so easy, there are a lot of these lazy/egotistical books out there.
As a result, discoverability becomes an issue. Good books are buried under piles of bad books and AI slop. It also means that some readers become skeptical of self-published books after reading a few stinkers.
The second problem with self-publishing is that while pressing “publish” is super easy, getting people to find your book (let alone buy it and read it) is incredibly hard.
Getting your (self-published) book out there and noticed
The evolution of Amazon’s self-publishing services to authors over the past two decades means that there’s competition in the market, and you need to consider effective advertising strategies to get your book out there and seen by potential readers.
In some cases, you will find that book stores, reviewers and even friends turn up their noses at self-publishing. The reason for this is understandable: because anyone can upload anything to Amazon (or any other self-published book platform), that doesn’t make it a Good Read.
Thankfully, this attitude is changing as independent book publishing becomes a more refined and acceptable type of business, and the quality of self-published works rises.
There is a viable network of individuals, platforms, organizations and companies to support the journey of a self-published author in getting their book out there and noticed:
- You can hire a distributor to get your books into bookstores.
- There are online self-publishing companies that cater directly to libraries, and bookstores can also order books from them. Have a look at the My Writing Matters list of Publishing and Distribution platforms on the resources page.
- Schools and libraries don’t tend to care how you’re published, they just want to be able to say that they managed to get an author to come speak to readers and students.
- Bookstores will let you do a signing as long as they think you can draw a crowd.
- Traditional media can be a viable (free) advertising option: South African self-published authors covered in the media include Dudu Busani-Dube (The Hlomu Series) and Lebohang Masango (Mpumi’s magic beads).
Once you have enough positive reviews, books and sales, people stop caring about your self-publishing journey and just acknowledge that you are a successful author. And in your way you help to build up the positive image of the self-publishing industry, one good book at a time.
Can you make money from self-publishing?
Here’s the deal: traditional publishers will pay you an advance up front and then you’ll get some royalties from sales. With self-publishing, you get much bigger royalties from sales, but you don’t get anything up front. If you don’t sell, you make nothing. If you don’t sell when you’re traditionally published you still have your advance (but possibly not another one as they might see you as a bad investment).
Is it possible to make a living from self-publishing?
Yes, but it depends on genre and, again, working hard. You have to write a lot of books that audiences want to read to earn enough to support a family. It can be done: there are people doing it. But the truth is that most authors (traditional and indie alike) have multiple streams of income. If you want to write for a living, think of other skills you can do from home that can give you writing time and work towards making those things happen sooner rather than later. This will also take the pressure off writing to earn.