With the publishing industry ailing, more writers wonder if they should self publish than ever before. Proponents of self publishing claim that this is now a more respectable option because 1) print-on-demand (POD) books can be superior to books published by vanity presses and 2) more authors are having to self publish as mainstream publishers are less able to take chances on first-time novelists. So editors supposedly look differently upon self-published books than in the past. But the answer is more complicated than it might first appear and depends largely on how you answer the questions below.
1. Do You Write Nonfiction?
If you're thinking of your book as a marketing tool, then by all means self publish. In From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur, Stephanie Chandler reports that nonfiction books can positively impact a business and pay for themselves: "Nonfiction books are always in demand. People crave information, and the best books stay in print for many years." The folks at Writers Beware agree: "Writers who can exploit 'back of the room' situations may also do well with a POD service -- someone who lectures or conducts workshops, for instance, and can sell books at these occasions, or a restaurateur who wants to make a cookbook available to his or her customers."2. Do You Have a Message?
If you're mostly intent on getting your story out, whether it's fiction or nonfiction, then self publishing is one way to do that. You may not care whether or not it gets into the bookstores: your main goal is to communicate with others -- to share the strategies that helped you survive cancer or abuse, or report on how your your time at an ashram changed your life, for instance. This belief in the importance of your story and in helping others will propel you to market your work in a way that a creative writer might not, helping the book to be a success.3. Are You Willing to Promote Yourself?
The average self-published book sells under 500 copies; those that sell more do so because the authors were very good at self-promotion. Self-published author Joanne Mitchell sold her first 500 copies within six months, printed a second edition, and released a second book in the series. She shares her secret: "You can succeed at self-publishing if you're willing to put in the hours to self promote, which I do each weekend. I'm out book signing at major book retailers in and around Brisbane all the time. It works, but it's hard going and you have to be disciplined. If you're not, forget it."4. Are You Interested in a Literary Career?
To quote Writers Beware again, "It's unlikely that a book published by a POD service will be considered a professional publishing credit, or that, as many authors hope, it will provide a stepping stone to commercial publication (according to a 2004 article in the New York Times, out of the 10,000 or so titles published to that time by POD service Xlibris, only 20 had been picked up by commercial publishers)."
There are exceptions, of course, and the stigma against self-published books may have lessened, but it still exists. If you want a literary career and you've tried the big presses, consider the many reputable indie presses first. You'll get paid a little something, and you'll be establishing a reputation.
