That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune of traditional publishing… *waves hand* Oh, you get the idea.
Back in 2012 when I had finished the eighth or ninth draft of a dystopian novel, I was looking at my potential paths to publication, and I chose traditional publishing. I am no longer certain whether the reasons why I made that selection still stand, and whether that is still my best path forward. In recent years, I’ve been more generous with my maybes and I’ve said things like “every book has a different path to publication.” But to be completely honest, I’ve not applied that idea to my books. Only to other peoples’ books.
I’ve come to the page to write this post today as a way of noodling through that decision for myself and my work. I’m revisiting the choices and reasons I made a dozen years ago, because circumstances change. The publishing world has changed a lot in that time, too.
My Choices a Dozen Years Ago
In 2012, the nascent world of self-publishing meant poorly-edited works with unprofessional finish. Moreover, it meant that your book was print-on-demand from Amazon, or you shelled out cash for a vanity press to fill your garage with stock. It had a stigma to it that was – at the time – pretty well earned. Though there were some fantastic books that had been self-published – many by friends of mine – there were far more stinkers.
In 2012, my definition of success – the moment where I would feel like I’d DONE THE THING – was to see my book in the wild. By spotting my book in a bookstore, or an airport, or even a library, I would feel like I’d truly done what I’d set out to do. In 2012, the only path to get into bookstores and airports was traditional publishing. Sure, Hugh Howey had created a marketing juggernaut and gotten Wool into stores. But he had done a huge amount of work to get there. In 2012, I was working for WebMD, and I knew the difference between ranking in the search results with a mom and pop brand versus a venerated giant of an internet brand. I wanted that trad pub brand weight behind me.
Back then, small presses existed, but were very rare. Dealing directly with distributors like Ingram as a self-published author was nearly unheard of. I needed an agent and a big five deal, and that was that.
I queried hundreds of agents, had a few full requests, got some great feedback, and ultimately trunked that novel because it was depressing. It was promising but it was sad. And I didn’t want to live in it anymore. I decided, in the meantime, to focus on short fiction, working on my “clips” and publication credits that weren’t novel-length. I didn’t even start writing another novel until 2015. I’ve got a lot of publication credits to show for that effort. But it doesn’t help me with book-length work.
The Books I’m Thinking About Self-Publishing
I have a bunch of different books in various stages of creation, and each of them is eligible for a different path to print. I want to consider each book separately – because I haven’t been lying when I have said that each book has its own way forward. My North Star goal, though, is and remains to see one of my books in the wild. Right now, I also have several other books that I’d like to get out into the world that aren’t that North Star. So do I self-publish? Or Not?
(Done right, self-publishing can be a little expensive. Consider that if I decide to self-publish, even on the cheap, I’m looking at anywhere from $1,000-$3,000 per book, not including marketing. Yes, it can be done with less money, but that means that a distributor, like Amazon, would own and control my ISBN, etc.)
The Burnout Book – This is the one I’m currently on the fence about the most. I keep revisiting my goals for the book, for myself with this book, and how much time and effort I want to pour into it. I have sent proposals and samples and manuscripts to about fifty traditional and small press publishers. I have four more that I am waiting to hear from or not. By the end of September, I will know for certain whether anyone is willing to publish this with me, or whether it’s time to reconsider its path forward. I want the book to be available for people to use. It’s valuable stuff. I’m not super worried about it being a best-seller. I just want it to be a companion offer with the courses I’ve created, and to exist. I think, if no one bites by 9/30, I might try to format it as a workbook, and self-publish it. Maybe with a companion ebook. Do I think I’d sell enough copies to recoup the total cost? No. Probably not. Do I think I can find 10-20 people to read it? Sure.
Knowing that I may pull the trigger on one self-publishing project does help with the idea of others. Because I only have to buy the formatting software once, and can use multiple titles to help recoup that cost. I can get a package of 10 ISBNs for a discounted rate, so if I’m already using 2 for burnout, why not grab the rest, and do it that way?
The Collection of Fairy Tale Retellings – This collection is also currently out on submission with a small press. I’ve also been on the fence about it, and whether to self-publish it. Like the burnout book, I’ve nearly finished running through the list of potential publishers who print this sort of work. Like the burnout book, I’ll know by 9/30 if that’s the case. However, unlike the burnout book, these stories could potentially still be used “for parts.” Many of these are reprints of my stories from other peoples’ anthologies, but several of these are original stories. If I were to publish them, it means I can no longer submit them to other anthologies, collections, or magazines. I think if I choose to self-publish this collection, I may have to remove a few of the stories I’d originally included. It weakens the collection, but helps me overall. My goal for this one has never been to see it in the wild. It’s actually intended to serve as backlist. To have something on my Amazon author page with my name on the spine, where I get the royalties if people buy it (instead of all the other editors of anthologies). If someone likes what I’ve written, then it’s there. If I’m already buying software and ISBNs for the burnout book, why not? I will take out the stories I think will sell elsewhere, maybe replace them with something else. And I’ll sell that book that way. I only anticipate selling about 200 copies of this book in its whole lifespan (collections aren’t big sellers), but I do think they are worthy of putting out there. (Just not breaking the bank to publish or market, y’know?)
Novellas – I’ve written a rather odd collection of novellas lately. One of them is on sub with a small press right now (again, I’ll know 9/30), another in edits, a third waiting in the wings. Trad pub / small press markets for novellas is pretty soft. No one really knows what to do with them. So, it’s a pretty short list of publishers who will even consider the format. However, if we’re talking backlist. If we’re talking a 10-pack of ISBNs. If we’re talking about just shipping things out into the world where other people can read and access them? Then maybe novellas are also self-publish possibilities.
I need to establish a great working relationship with a cover artist.
Books I’m not Self-Publishing
While I’m seriously considering the self-publishing route for a number of my works – especially the works that I’ve completed and can’t find a home for – there are a few things that I’m absolutely not considering doing that way.
First, the most obvious one is Advanced Unicorn Theory, because it already has a publisher! That one is getting traditionally published next year, and will be utterly capable of being a North Star “seeing my book in the wild” book in a lot of ways. Especially at libraries.
Second, that novel that I started writing in 2015? I got it professionally edited, and I need to start revising it ASAP. That’s going to be up for another round of agent queries and trying for trad pub. I think it has potential to be a North Star “book in the wild.” (Honestly, even the related novella that ties to this story may be held back until I see what happens with it.)
Third, I’ve got a non-fiction book that I’m creating based on the findings and research from my dissertation. I’ve been working on the proposal. As soon as I finish the sample chapters, I’ll be querying that out to agents. This is the book I want to give my TED talk about. This is the book I want to pour myself into.
These books have far more potential, and far larger audiences than the ones I’m considering self-publishing. I’ve learned that when I do my own marketing, without a partnership or other engine for expanding reach or voice, that I only reach about 12 people at a time. That’s all well and good, but I can’t plan on making money back with that kind of sales projection. At least, if I plan to spread out the cost over a number of different books and different kinds of books, then it’s possible that I’ll be able to spread out that ROI across the titles.
What do you think? Any opinions you want to share on the matter? Feel free to comment, I’m open to suggestions!