Independent Publishing

Yesterday I was not able to make it to church. I was in a lot of pain and on pain medication, really no one needs to see me in that state of mind. Anyway, I was surfing the tv channels when I happened on some Sunday Morning Show where they were talking about self-publishing. That perked me right up.

The interviewer was telling about some famous authors who had self-published. Some of them I read myself, like John Grisham. I had no idea he has self-published. Then they interviewed a NY editor with one of the large printing houses. I don't remember which one, but she had some timely advice.

This editor said more people were self-publishing. One of her reasons was because they had a book that other publishing houses would not publish. (I can identify with that.) Another reason was time. A self-published author can get their book out in a fraction of the time that a published author would have. In 24 hours, your book can be on Amazon in a ebook edition. In 48-72 hours, it can be in a printed edition. That's fast.

If you publish with a publishing house, it can take months, if not years. That's a long time. From the time an author signs with a company until their book is published can be years. Now we are finding so many publishing houses have signed too many authors and they are having difficulty publishing the books.

With a small publishing company, or publishing your own book, you do not have that problem. You have money coming in faster, and your book is out to the public quicker. Even when your self-publish, your book can be sold at the major book stores. Be sure to sign up for that program when you publish your book.

One disclaimer I would like to mention is that not everyone who writes a book should have it published. I have found several self-published authors who either do not have a good story, or have not had the story edited. This is not good for the author. Each author should make sure they have a good book. One that has good content and is enjoyable to read. Ask friends to read it and give you an honest opinion. A real friend will tell you whether they like the book or not.

The downside about self-publishing is marketing. I find it is harder for me to market my book myself. I've heard about platform for years, and now I understand it. You have to have a following. Not someone who signs up for your blog, but only comes on a few times a year. You need someone who is reading your blog all the time. Someone who likes what they read and tells others. Someone who will be a reliable friend to help you market your book with blogs, interviews, and talking about your book.

I feel self-publishing and ebooks are the future. I may be wrong and I've heard others say ebooks will fall by the wayside. They won't. It's so easy to take 100 books with you on your Kindle or Nook. When I travel, I take my Kindle. I have my Bible downloaded plus fiction and non-fiction books that I want to read. I don't have to fill my suitcase with several copies of books and hope I don't read them before I get home.