7 Myths of Independent Publishing
& How to Bust Them
Introduction
Thank you for attending one of my talks. Here is a quick overview of my writing life with a few useful links for your writing journey.
I’ve been self-publishing for a long time. When I started, they said eBooks would never catch on. Well, they’re still here, and so am I. When I started writing, what I wrote was Grimdark Fantasy. And yes, I tried to get this book series a traditional deal because at the time I believed it was the only option for a serious writer. I did the usual rounds of query letters. Sat with agents at literary festivals. Then one day, I took a step back and had a closer look at a small publisher I was hoping to sign with. I checked out the other fantasy authors on their books. All of them were male, in their 30s. There was no way they were going to take me seriously – a 40 something woman. After this realisation, I went the indie route. When I started learning how to self-publish, readily available knowledge was scarce. Print on demand, POD, was not a thing. eBooks were looked upon with suspicion, and it was a struggle. But the point is. I did it. I got my words into the hands of readers. And although these books did not make me either rich or famous, I got a kick out of it. That was then, and this is now. Since I began, independent publishing has become serious business. So serious, in fact, that we are often the innovators in a crowded market. Indie authors became professionals. We are a force to be reckoned with. The joy of self-publishing is that we can go where the muse or the market takes us. We have complete control over our creative pursuits. I now have three pen names. The main one is DJ Bowman-Smith. Here I write humorous witchy fiction for midlife ladies much like myself. I write for children under the name Tiger Molly and romantic, spicy vampire romance as Georgina Gold. I also write for magazines. But enough about me. Let’s bust some myths about self-publishing.
Myth No 1: The Elephant in the Room
Many of you will have the opinion that publishing yourself is a second choice. You believe people will think that you self-publish because you are vain, deluded, and not good enough to be chosen by a traditional publisher. You’re wrong. But I can sympathise with this point of view, because I too thought that a traditional publishing deal was the only way forward. Let’s have a quick look at some hard facts. Because there’s nothing more convincing than a cold, hard fact. 1)Independent authors earn more than traditionally published authors. 2)Compared to traditional publishing, women earn more than men. (In traditional publishing, men earn more) 3)Independent publishers have roughly 36-40% of the market globally. That’s a sizable chunk! So let’s just have a closer look. The average royalty for a trad published author is 10% For an indie author, a whopping 70% And I know some of you will think – ah yes, but if I get a trad deal, I will have a nice fat advance. Maybe. It’s been done. But here’s the truth of it. Assuming you’re just an everyday author like myself, then the advance for commercial fiction is likely to be in the region of £ 4,000 – £ 10,000. And remember, the book has to earn out the advance before you get any royalty payouts. There are a lot more facts about self-publishing on the Alliance of Independent Authors’ website. Check out the link below.
Myth No 2: If I publish myself, I’ll never be traditionally published
Let’s move on to the second myth of independent publishing. That if you go down the indie author road, any dreams you had of seeing your books in bookshops or a traditional publisher taking you on, go right out of the window. That used to be the case back in the day. But guess what? Indies have become mainstream – remember that fact – we are creeping up to owning half the global market. The truth is, if you are successful, then it’s likely a traditional publishing house will want you. So let’s talk about hybrid authors. Typically, a hybrid author will sell some of their IP to a traditional publisher and keep the parts they can successfully market and sell themselves – usually the digital and POD aspects of their business. Your IP is your Intellectual Property and your writing has many IP points. A book is a lot like a pizza – it can be sliced into many sections. Here are a few examples. The eBook and the paperback are the most obvious. But there are also hardback, special editions, large print, box sets, translations, audiobooks, scripts, magazine serialisation, translations,(There are more). What often happens is that successful indie authors sell paperback rights to the trad houses. Just that. My point is this. Publishing is in the author’s hands as never before. You can stick to the indie model. You can branch out and do a bit of both. And here’s the thing. If you make a go of indie publishing, you will be in a good position to negotiate a good deal with the trads if you believe selling some of your IP is the way forward. It’s actually a win-win situation.
Myth No 3: Indie Authors have no Gatekeepers
Yes, yes. We’ve all met people who say, 'The trouble with indie authors is they have no gatekeepers.' Yeah. Isn’t it awful? No one is stopping us from publishing now. But haven’t we all read books (both trad published and indie) that we disliked? Some were even inferior. Spelling and formatting errors. Poor storyline. Needed editing. That’s just books for you. In both camps, you’re going to find the great and the not so great. The brilliant and the downright awful. An independent author can publish without asking permission. But all books and all authors must face the biggest gatekeepers of all. The readers. Believe me, they will tell you if they like it. Or not. If they found a mistake, however small, they will let you know. They will also discuss you on social media. Leave reviews where they purchased your book and on book review sites such as Goodreads. Your reader is your gatekeeper every time. If they like your writing, you will be inspired to continue. If they hate it, you may need to review your process and gain more knowledge about your writing craft. In today’s digital age, the reader has a voice as never before.
Myth No 4: The Field of Dreams Mindset
Popular culture has perpetuated this myth. It is the idea that creation itself will be enough to provide an audience. The Field of Dreams is a film starring Kevin Costner. In this film, the main character is inspired by a voice to build a baseball pitch in his field. The voice says, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Hence the saying, ‘Field of dreams.’ Which is the belief that creation alone will perpetuate success. How delightful. Avid fans clamouring for our work just because we made it. But it is a myth. You see it so often in movies - too many to mention. A writer wrestling somewhat briefly with a manuscript – the publisher publishes. There is a charming launch party, and the book does incredibly well. Hooray. Enough story telling. Let’s get real. You can write this book of yours. Self-publish it. And I can promise you that ‘They will not come.’ Unless… You tell the world about it. First. Let me say that again. First. Tell the world about it first. Then publish, and you’ve guessed it. Keep on telling the world about it. How? Through your author platform. Like it or loathe it, for most people the main way to get your book ‘seen’ is through social media. Start talking about your book, writing life, and your author journey right now. Because it takes longer than you realise to build an audience for your work. Social media is the word-of-mouth connection in our modern book era. But here’s the good news. Even if what you are writing is niche. Obscure even. You will find your tribe. But it will not happen overnight or even over a month. Building your following organically will find you loyal readers. But it takes commitment and work. And it takes time. Whilst we’re on the subject, I’d like to interject another bit of nonsense that I often hear. Which is this. Do one social media platform and do it well. The trouble with this is that stuff changes all the time. Social media platforms get taken over by crazy billionaires, and things shift. What was your happy book space doesn’t work any more. So, have a presence on a few platforms. Think of it as a rainy-day fund. Trust me. It will rain. Since the onset of indie publishing, writers have been able to write and publish what they want and find their own niche. Now there is a greater diversity of reading material. Social media makes it possible to find your readers, whatever your niche, whatever subgenre you are writing. Readers know what they like, and if you tell them what your book contains, they will read you. Remember, in this digital age, you have a global platform. So get out there and tell the world what you’re writing, and they will come.
Myth No 5: Traditionally Published Authors can just get on with their Writing.
Okay. This is a fun one. You’re a bit put off with all this talk about social media and marketing. If you just hang on and get a traditional publishing deal, you won’t have to do any of that stuff because the publishing house will market your book. Won’t they? No. No, they won’t. I’m sorry to tell you that whichever way you publish. Marketing is your problem. It’s a harsh fact, and here’s another one. However you publish, you’re going to have to take a central role in selling your work. This is a fact of a modern author’s life now.
Myth No 6: Independent Publishing is Free
Yep. In theory, you can load up your book onto Amazon or Kobo (other platforms are available) for nothing. Write it. Get your mother to edit it. Make a cover yourself. Load it up and press publish. Yes, you can absolutely publish your writing for nothing. However. Professional independent authors don’t do that. Obviously, they don’t. Your book needs to hold its own against all the other books in its genre. Here are the non-negotiable costs in the self-publishing process. Have it professionally edited. Not your gran, who used to teach English. Or your best friend who reads a lot. What you need above everything else is a qualified editor. You may be a literary genius, with a degree in creative writing from Cambridge University. You might be a direct descendant of Shakespeare and haven’t misspelled a word since the hot summer of 1976. That’s great. Good for you. But here’s the bad news. You still need to get your words edited professionally. It’s expensive. Start saving up. Plan for it. Think about your book length – the longer the book, the more it costs. The next big cost is a book cover. You know that old saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ – forget it. People do. This varies a lot in price, and you can get some brilliant covers for reasonable money. A good cover designer will understand the right fit for your genre. Like it or not, most book sales happen online, so the cover needs impact when it is only one inch high. A good designer understands this. There are other expenses, of course. A website. Formatting software. Paid ads. Tools for creating social media. I have made a list of what I’m using at the moment below.
Myth No 7: I can’t Self-Publish Because I don’t know how
I’m an ordinary woman. If I can learn this stuff. You can too. And the great thing about this space is that independent authors are a welcoming and encouraging lot. On the list below are some useful links to start your author journey. So go for it. Get your words out into the world. You don’t need anyone’s permission. Don’t wait for approval. Choose yourself. You’ve got this.
Useful Author Tools and Websites with links
I am not affiliated with any of these. It’s just a useful list, in no particular order, of sites and tools that I can recommend from experience.
ProWritingAid - for editing. (But not in place of an actual human editor)
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Scrivener – for planning and writing.
www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener
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Vellum – book formatting software. Easy to use and gives your books a professional finish.
Vellum | Create Beautiful Books
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WIX – the website builder. Super simple drag and drop.
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Bookbrush – For creating social media content quickly.
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Bookfunnel – delivering ARC copies, email list giveaways and more.
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Email Octopus – email list provider. Easy to use.
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The Alliance of Independent Authors (Alli)
Lots of information here, including surveys of author earnings and books/blogs about publishing and marketing.
https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org
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Creative Penn
Check out the creative Penn podcast, which comes out every Monday. Joanna Penn has many books about writing and self publishing and there is a free author blueprint available on her website.
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Learn Self Publishing
Podcast every Friday. Courses on all aspects of self-publishing. Well worth the investment as you own the course for life and they are regularly updated.
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Reedsy
This is a comprehensive website where you can find everything from an editor, inspiration, and lessons on craft, free tools and more.
Ricardo Fayet is the founder of Reedsy. Check out his free eBook on Amazon: How to Market a Book