How Effective Is Self-publishing?

[The Simpleton 2]

I'm one of those millions of aspiring authors around the world who hope to make it big someday. But since this number is so huge, the reputed publishers have tightened their screening process and it's becoming more and more difficult to get published today. Due to this, self-publishing is slowly gaining in popularity, more so on the internet, where authors sell their books digitally. All I want to know is, how effective is this process? And how much does it cost? Let's say someone wants to self-publish a book, with an initial run of 1000 copies. How much will it cost to achieve this, and how effective will it be?! I know these are some difficult questions to answer since it depends on a lot of factors (author's skill, publicity, etc), but can someone give me an approximate reply to these questions?

[mahesh2k 0]

Before i answer your question, some of my observation with self-publishing are as follows.Getting good deal from publisher is almost impossible in most cases. What i've seen so far by observing writers and blogger is they build safety net around them before proceeding to deal and screening. Most of the blogger and writers build good blog and community around themselves. More and more people starts to trust their advice. It becomes easier for them to get deal from publishers. Bloggers with successful blog definitely fetches some deal. And i've seen many bloggers and writers create some good content that they can distribute for free and get readers and visitors to blog and their articles. Creating ebooks and offering them for free initially helps to build a brand.

You can use self-publishing sites like lulu and many others which also help with promotion as well. Self-publishing helps those who are good at social media skills and have good contacts. For example, there are some writers in social media circle who sells books just from their contacts and promotion from their blog. I've even seen this with sitepoint authors. They didn't started from the tops to sell their ebooks. and their ebooks will hardly sell if they approach mcgrahill,oreilly. But on sitepoint promotion and from writing they got more readers and sales.

But self-publishing is not suitable for all types of writing. Especially, it is not good for fiction books.

All I want to know is, how effective is this process? And how much does it cost?

For lulu.com, have reasonable price for publication. Also depends upon how you choose graphics and some other format selection,number of copies etc. Price varies from publisher to publisher. Some companies that are worth to try other than lulu are booksurge,outskirtpress, author house. And cost varies for each publisher.

[The Simpleton 2]

I too have observed this trend of first building a community through blogs, websites and then trying to publish their books. It seems to have worked well for a lot of people...

 

Thanks for the comments mahesh, but actually I was thinking of "True self-publishing", which, according to Wikipedia, means that the author bears all expenses and keeps all the profits It's truly a risky venture but sounds exciting as well...

[akira550 0]

I don't think self publishing would be so easy.. because you will be the only one who will write and you need to have moneytime,efforts,skills and good writing skills but i have seen many victorious self publisher.. because they write a good book that people like...nad if you are writing a book you must write a book that is interesting.. if you want you can start writing booksand giving them for free.. it's better because you are building reputation and popularity.. when they saw that your bookswas nice and worth reading.. then the next book you will be selling will be worth to buy

[mahesh2k 0]

Thanks for the comments mahesh, but actually I was thinking of "True self-publishing", which, according to Wikipedia, means that the author bears all expenses and keeps all the profits biggrin.gif It's truly a risky venture but sounds exciting as well...

It is quite possible to have self-publishing the way you think. But some things you've to take in mind are volume of books, finance and graphics. When you've large volume of copies to print (in case of self-publishing you'll only print if it's in demand) you've to do some outsourcing part. If you want to do that stuff by outsourcing then lot of your work becomes easy. Also for graphics part, you've to find someone or if you can do that then no problem there. But it's better to outsource it if you are stuck with the design. I think doing all things by ourselves could make us exhaustive. But still you can do all things by yourself, but you'll end up doing too many things by yourself. And you've to look at how those stuff goes. If you complete atleast one project that way successfully, i think you'll be comfortable in next one. Writers weekly forum maybe help for you in case of self-publishing. Check them out.

[Nameless_ 1]

You can use self-publishing sites like lulu and many others which also help with promotion as well. Self-publishing helps those who are good at social media skills and have good contacts. For example, there are some writers in social media circle who sells books just from their contacts and promotion from their blog. I've even seen this with sitepoint authors. They didn't started from the tops to sell their ebooks. and their ebooks will hardly sell if they approach mcgrahill,oreilly. But on sitepoint promotion and from writing they got more readers and sales.

 

But self-publishing is not suitable for all types of writing. Especially, it is not good for fiction books.

 

For lulu.com, have reasonable price for publication. Also depends upon how you choose graphics and some other format selection,number of copies etc. Price varies from publisher to publisher. Some companies that are worth to try other than lulu are booksurge,outskirtpress, author house. And cost varies for each publisher.

I agree with everything you said, especially building a community around you first and all that. That's a very good idea. And then when you've got lots of traffic and lots of people visiting your site, and when you gain a very high and good reputation, you can announce to everyone that you have:

 

"Written a new hard copy book that they can purchase from <insert-the-name-of-the-publisher-here>!!!"

 

But what I'm rather confused about in your post is Lulu's price. I actually thought that Lulu do things for free. Because they only make a book when it is ordered, the price that you pay to Lulu is the base price that they set. They get the base price (with their profit, of course), and you get the rest of the money.

 

That is how I viewed it from their site. But then, if you think about it there has to be editors as well, so... I don't know... don't Lulu pay for them to help you? I really thought that everything was free... and that you only have to write your book, get it edited and reviewed and checked for any mistakes, name your price, and then wait for people to buy it!!!

 

Isn't that the case?

 

Hmm.... Oh well... :-/

I might be wrong (like I always am.)

[mahesh2k 0]

But what I'm rather confused about in your post is Lulu's price. I actually thought that Lulu do things for free.

So what's the confusion ? Where in lulu.com's site they mentioned that they do things for free ? and where did i mentioned their prices & editors which makes such confusion? and you didn't mentioned what is your confusion.You just made big post explaining something else other than your confusion. Please be specific with your posts instead of stretching it un-necessarily.

[Nameless_ 1]

So what's the confusion ? Where in lulu.com's site they mentioned that they do things for free ? and where did i mentioned their prices & editors which makes such confusion? and you didn't mentioned what is your confusion.You just made big post explaining something else other than your confusion. Please be specific with your posts instead of stretching it un-necessarily.

OK, sorry mahesh2k. The confusion is this: I thought that lulu.com does things for free apart from the base price in which they take away from you from the price that you set in your book. I thought that lulu.com doesn't require you to pay any extra fees for the editor's work.

But you said in your previous post (this is my interpretation) that lulu.com does require you to pay a fee that is NOT the base price. Maybe for the editors or something else, but you still have to pay out of your pocket.

Now, which is right? Does lulu.com take their fee out from the base price that they set or do you have to pay the initial price?

[mahesh2k 0]

The confusion is this: I thought that lulu.com does things for free apart from the base price in which they take away from you from the price that you set in your book.

Yes. They do provide multiple service and there is nothing free unless you pay for any package. Also some features are available for higher cost packages only. For example, editor analysis and premium cover etc. You can check some more here.

I thought that lulu.com doesn't require you to pay any extra fees for the editor's work.

One have to pay additional costs for lulu.com editor's analysis. For that check here.

But you said in your previous post (this is my interpretation) that lulu.com does require you to pay a fee that is NOT the base price. Maybe for the editors or something else, but you still have to pay out of your pocket.

Where did i mentioned that ? I just cleared things in this post. Also lulu.com is not a free service. They don't start publishing ebook and hardcover book publishing without any payment. You've to pay for their base packages to begin with. Rest of the other add-ons services(free or non-free) comes later.

Now, which is right? Does lulu.com take their fee out from the base price that they set or do you have to pay the initial price?

Already answered above. You're asking for the same thing with these two questions, and making things look confusing which are not at first place. I don't get it why you stretch post un-necessarily with such off-topic/un-related points. At the end, answer for your both question is : You've to pay for base packages initially (how they get their money out of the packages is their problem).

[networker 0]

Self publishing is one thing, but there is so much that it involves.If you published 1000 copies then I'd assume that you're distribution network would be small. You would have to approachcertain outlets to carry and sell your book.Hopefully the big chains would carry it. There would also be marketing of the book to consider.Advertising in newspapers and magazines would be expensive. You could try giving interviews to radio stations.It sounds like a lot of work. Good luck!

[fermin25 3]

Self-Publishing my friend is a difficult way but very reduitable if you use it properly. By example it is very difficult to promote a "normal" book in the internet. The only way that I can guarantee maybe it is Amazon.com or Ebay.com and you can make the publicity in a local T.V. chanel or Radio Station or pay some publicity in the internet like the Google Adwords campagnies. But it is more difficult to be "rich" with this method. I recommend you that focus the themes of your books in a niche. A niche is a group of themes with relation between them. If you chose a niche and write books about all the themes in the niche you can sell a book to a person and if this person liked your book he will be very interested in buy you another book because in his mind you will look like an expert to this niche or group of themes.But if you aren?t interested in this type of marketing called "The Ebook Marketing", I only can recommend you start since the start of the career, that means writing in a local newspaper or something like that for example and one time you get experience the oportunities will fall to your feet, if you are good of course. The success in all the fields of work have two possible ways:1. The fast way: The Ebook Marketing posibility when you start to sell your books in a little amount of time. But the social recognize are not big because your public is in all the world.2. The secure way: You start since the principle and scalating obstacles you will can make your success in the time. The social recognize is manifest because everybody around you will recognize you.For example make a comparison between Anderson Cooper that works in National TV with Howard Sterns that works in Satelital Radio. The money maybe is more for Sterns but the recognization is with Cooper.So you can chooose your destiny. You only have to think about it.I hope to help you.Bye.

[contactskn 2]

I'm one of those millions of aspiring authors around the world who hope to make it big someday. But since this number is so huge, the reputed publishers have tightened their screening process and it's becoming more and more difficult to get published today. Due to this, self-publishing is slowly gaining in popularity, more so on the internet, where authors sell their books digitally.
All I want to know is, how effective is this process? And how much does it cost? Let's say someone wants to self-publish a book, with an initial run of 1000 copies. How much will it cost to achieve this, and how effective will it be?! I know these are some difficult questions to answer since it depends on a lot of factors (author's skill, publicity, etc), but can someone give me an approximate reply to these questions?

Self publishing is not a bad idea my dear friend and I know only one site for self publishing and that is lulu. There might be many site for the same but I don't know anything about them. So why don't you try lulu to publish your creative work.