Did you, would you, Self Publish?

[joshuachrisstoff]

Here is the interesting question.
Why is Lily the only one to post new threads in here?

Now, onto the irrelevant bit.
Have you, or would you, possibly, Self Publish?

Is there something wrong with it? Is there something wrong with people who do this? Are you fed up completely with fighting to gain traction in the agent/publisher carp?
No fish were harmed in the making of this message! Ignore that guilty looking cat at the top of the page!!!

Do you know of anyone... % perhaps, who have self published or do you know of "plenty of people" who are talking about doing it?

Are some self publishers better than others, and why?

There is your homework for next year... I love New Year's humour!

[BlueLotus]

LOL Lily is not the only one to start new threads but she does start most of them for sure.

As for the self publication q... I know a few people who want to try it, a few who claim they have done it. And I also know tons who want nothing to do with it.

I guess it depends on what you want. Do you want a marketing team pushing your book? If so self pub is most likely not for you.
However if you just want to get it out to the people and have either failed, or don't wish to be bothered with agents, and big box pub houses than I suppose the self pub route is for you.

[Richard]

Dec 29, 2011 7:49:09 GMT -5 joshuachrisstoff said:

Here is the interesting question.
Why is Lily the only one to post new threads in here?

Now, onto the irrelevant bit.
Have you, or would you, possibly, Self Publish?

Is there something wrong with it? Is there something wrong with people who do this? Are you fed up completely with fighting to gain traction in the agent/publisher carp?
No fish were harmed in the making of this message! Ignore that guilty looking cat at the top of the page!!!

Do you know of anyone... % perhaps, who have self published or do you know of "plenty of people" who are talking about doing it?

Are some self publishers better than others, and why?

There is your homework for next year... I love New Year's humour!

Yeah Lily posts most of the threads, but you just started this one so that means anyone can

I am self published, and see nothing wrong with it. I would recommend professional editing and formatting though. That way, it would be much more appealing in the event an agent or traditional publisher showed interest in the project.

I think one of the reasons some people in the business are against self publishing is because it adds a lot of volume to the market, while not going through the traditional filters. In other words, there is a lot of low grade garbage out there.

But, there is also a lot of quality out there that just would not get out otherwise.

With this option, reviews are important since you may be an unknown, and advertising is completely up to you. You just become your own boss without having to deal with the establishment.

[Lily]

Post as many new threads as you like, Joshua. The more the merrier. ;)This forum only started in May, so it's still very new, and I'm trying to post anything of interest to flesh it out.

[BlueLotus]

And you are doing a wonderful job of it If i have to say so myself! Thank you Lily.

[Lily]

Thanks so much, BL.

[horseman]

I personaly, look forward to Lily posting notices and ads. I have found some very useful. Thanks Lily for your hard work!

[joshuachrisstoff]

Richard, you never indicted as to the quality or otherwise of the SP proposition.
Did it work for you? Who did you go with? What did it cost you? Would go with a better option if you knew then what you know now? Would you have utilised more or less of their features had you understood them properly?

I guess what I am interested, from you, is the satisfaction/regret balance. You must have an opinion about it.
What is your genre, does that go better or worse SP operations?

BlueLotus, of those who did and those who didn't and the tons who want to, what was you impression of their results? Good, bad, indifferent?

I am considering that route since the Q/Agent scares me.. what they reject on seems more to be about the technicals of the Q and not the impression of th book itself. Just my observation but with all the Q help sites, it does make me wonder.
The rejections I did get confused me cos it had nothing to do with the book. One agent even said he had 'the feeling I was writing, creating, instead of polishing and that was why he passed'. I was quite upset and got mad at him for that remark.
Bottom line was with the Q I never qualified anything of the author, I do have 168 hours a week to dedicate to writing if I choose. I am not employed and forced to work 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week with perhaps 1 hour per night and the odd Sunday to write.

I have retained his reply for months now and reread it occasionally. At least it was personal and included feelings so I have answered it reasonable politely twice but I don't see me getting a result there.

SP appears to me to be an option once you decide you can't or won't jump thru the hoops of the Q & S. Neither of thse seem to be my strong point. I don't think they ask those questions with SP but then again, should they?

[Lily]

Dec 30, 2011 9:45:11 GMT -5 horseman said:

I personaly, look forward to Lily posting notices and ads. I have found some very useful. Thanks Lily for your hard work!

Thanks so much, Horseman!

[BlueLotus]

Well I guess if I had to hazard a guess since I try not to get into peoples personal business about money and what have you, most of the people I know that DID self pub, found that the area is bombarded with thousands of titles written by both great people and people who really should never put pen to paper again.

By far it is overrun by the second of the group. Good titles need marketing, if you don't market you are not likely to find much success.

[Lily]

The out-of-contract novels that I self-pubbed have not done as well on Kindle, and Smashwords, as they did with the publishers. Of course, I have to admit I haven't been doing much promoting.

[BlueLotus]

Hey Lily Happy New Year dear

[Lily]

Thanks, BL, and a Very Happy New Year to you too!

[writing]

I've never self-published and I wouldn't in the current market, but if self-publshing becomes more prevalent, I probably would.

[john]

I have self-published four novels through CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing. I am making a lot more than 99% of midlist writers who have been writing for many years. It would take at least $100,000 in advance before I even considered a contract with an agent and publisher. I do not need them. They would also have to come off their demand for 75% of the ebook price. I’m getting 70% now and see no reason to give them money I am all ready receiving. I sell thousands of Kindle copies a month and hundreds of paperbacks. I do not promote at all. I am too busy writing and running my business to promote. Now, if they were to turn one of my books into a Pulitzer winner by giving me the services of their best editors for two or three years, like publishers did for Pulitzer winning authors of the past, I might be more inclined to consider the kinds of contracts most authors sign, but I would still want the big advance. Unfortunately, the days of publishers spending the money to have editors polish a story for years are over.

None of the above is to say I am some kind of a great writer, but it is fact I am doing well self-publishing. Most who self-publish do not do well, but then, most that are published out of New York do not do well either. There is a post on this board about a midlist writer working 360 days a year and making only $18,000.

Is there something wrong with self-publishing? I say no. What is wrong with earning an honest dollar? If you do not make any money at it, at least you have a hobby. Since most writers who are published out of New York are forced to keep a day job, their writing could be called a hobby also. I call it extra income.