Self-publishing (#1)

I love lists. They’re awesome. I could write a list of the ways in which lists are great. But I won’t. Instead, over the next few weeks & months  I’ll be sharing my views on self-publishing and, be warned: there will be lists.

1: The Decision
 
So, let’s assume that you’ve written a book, and it’s the best book you could have written. It’s beautiful, it’s perfect; you love it like your own child.
 
You’ve done everything you need to in order to get it to where it is. You’ve given it to trusted friends to read and critique. You’ve made some changes. You’ve had a professional edit and made some more changes. You’ve left it for a while, done something else to clear your head and come back and made even more changes. You’ve had it proof-read again by a professional. 
 
You’re good to go.
 
At this stage you might, like me, have carefully chosen a few (possibly ten – that seems like a good, round number to start with) literary agents and submitted to them, having looked at the guidelines on their websites. You might have had a few agents ask for the full manuscript and you might not have. Either way, if you’ve waited for about three months after submission and no agent has called you, begging, desperate, loving your book as much if not more than you do, then you find yourself at a crossroads and you need to make a decision.
 
You could try submitting to more agents. Go ahead – why not – you never know. It’s a very subjective business and it might be the eleventh, or the twenty-first, or the one-hundred-and-first agent who loves your book. You have nothing to lose but time.
 
You could abandon this novel, think of it as a practice novel, and start writing a new one. Also OK – think of it as honing your craft. Your first novel will always have a special place in your heart, but it might be your second novel that’s the belter. And you can always come back to it later and make it better.
 
You could self-publish your novel.
 
I would recommend this to anyone who:

1. has tried traditional publishing and it’s not for them, either because their submissions have been rejected (horrible word) or they’ve had a bad experience with traditional publishers or agents (you do hear horror stories, I haven’t had any myself but it all sounds a bit depressing).
2. feels that traditionally-published authors don’t receive a big enough royalty per book.  
3. wants to be able to retain control of how their final book looks, feels and is marketed and distributed. 
4. has some up-front money for pre-publication and printing costs or can raise the money through e.g. crowd-funding.  
5. has some creative ideas about how to market the book, through social media or events, and knows who their market is.
6. has some time to dedicate to the process – with a full-time job, or young children, or another novel waiting to be written, you won’t be able to spare the time to self-publish properly (i.e. sell it to people who aren’t your friends and family).   

In summary:
 
Ask yourself the question: is self-publishing right for me? 

• Has my MS been rejected by literary agents and/or publishers? 
• Have I had a bad experience with a literary agent or a publisher?
• Would I like to sell my book without having to give away a large chunk of my profits to an agent?
• Would I like to retain control of my book, its cover and all the other things associated with publishing a book (marketing, prices, distribution etc)?

• Do I have a bit of money upfront to pay for the preparation & print costs?
• Do I have some time set aside to dedicate to this process?

 
Some useful links:
 
Jericho Writers
This is a company that will help you at almost every step of the way, from writing and editing courses to professional edits and proof-reading to an agency database.
I did the ‘Edit Your Novel’ course and it was amazing. I learnt so much and made some friends with who, I’m still in touch all these years later.
 
How to Write by Harry Bingham
Jericho Writers is owned by Harry Bingham, who is also a successful author. This book was invaluable and gave me loads of ideas about how to take my MS forward after the first few drafts and a professional edit. 
 
Next blog: #2 More Decisions – How?