Self-Publishing:
It Can Be A Good Thing
By Madonna Dries Christensen
Unless one is an established author, a celebrity with a kiss and tell memoir, the central figure in a high profile scandal, or an election year pundit, it’s nearly impossible to get noticed by a literary agent, a major publishing house, or even a small publishing house.
The good news is––most readers couldn’t care less where a book originates. Have you ever purchased a book because of who published it? I haven’t. Oddly enough, it’s often writers who look down their noses at self-publishing. I’ve heard: With print on demand available and affordable, anyone can publish a book, so there’s a glut of poorly-written material on the market. I want my manuscript accepted by a real publisher so I know it’s worthy.
I ask: Why should a select few publishers decide what’s worthy? We’ve all read books by noted houses that make us wonder why the manuscript was ever accepted.
Self-published doesn’t necessarily equal poorly-written; no more than a major publisher guarantees quality.
To use a cliché, the playing field has been leveled. Print on demand publishing puts the author in charge. Forget about spending months sending query letters, book proposals, chapters, a complete manuscript, and then waiting another six months for a response that reads, “Sorry, this isn’t right for us.” Then the process and the waiting game begin again. If the manuscript is finally accepted, another year might pass before you hold the book in your hands. Within a month after I electronically submitted a manuscript to iUniverse, my book was available for purchase online and by order through major bookstores.
Self-publishing is not as new as you might think. Self-published authors from yesteryear include: Beatrix Potter, Samuel Clemens, Alexander Dumas, Zane Grey, James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, D.H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, Henry David Thoreau, Virginia Woolf, Stephen Crane, Edgar Rice Burroughs, William Blake, and Carl Sandberg. More recent names: Tom Clancy, James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy), Margaret Atwood, and Wayne Dyer.
Author and writing teacher Charles Baxter says, “It’s wrong to believe that only professional writers can write something of value. I’m trying to convince these groups that all of the intentions they’ve had for writing are worthy; and I am here to give them permission to write––as if they need it––though often they do, and to convince them that writing leaves a trace, and there wouldn’t be a trace of what they thought or felt or knew about their families, or what they believe about God, about the kinds of stories they want to tell. There will be no trace of that unless they write it.”
If you decide to self-publish, research and compare the many companies offering POD service. Lower prices usually mean not as many choices and, sometimes, poor quality. Talk to others who’ve self-published. Read writer’s newsletters that offer warnings about scams within the publishing world. Learn about marketing. Some POD publishers will market for you, but it’s expensive.
Before submitting your manuscript, make sure it’s something you’ll be proud to have readers see. Don’t rush; nitpick meticulously, and then have others read it. One person will pick up errors that another missed. Your POD service will probably include one opportunity to proofread your galleys and correct errors before publication. Anything more than that and there’s additional expense.
Finally, don’t be shy about admitting you self-published your book. Or simply say, when asked who the publisher is, “iUniverse,” (or whoever). Many readers will not recognize the name and, as mentioned earlier, they don’t really care who published a book. They want something satisfying to read.
[*If you need a short-run of chapbooks or booklets (100 max), or have something you’d like to publish in e-book format, check out the services of E.P. Burke Publishing at www.epburkepublishing.com