Publishing as an Indie Author

Well, there was a time that self-published authors were looked down on. The sentiment was that if an author couldn't write well enough for a publisher to want to publish them, then it wasn't worth the time and money to buy and read their works. This is a very unfair thought process because, as mentioned earlier, publishers can't possibly publish everyone and just because someone has been rejected doesn't mean that they are not worthy of authorship.

Another important factor is that some people would rather self-publish because they want to keep control over their works and distribution. There is far more author say-so in the indie side of the industry than there is with hired publishers. The indie authors and publishers work for themselves and their fans and no one else.

There is very little overhead involved in self-publishing as well. Thanks especially to the internet, print on demand sites are growing in number and this makes the idea of publishing much easier to consider. The financial cost would formerly keep people from being able to publish independently because they would have to buy books up front. However, with print on demand sites and the inevitable birth of the ebook, that is no longer an obstacle!

There are definite cons to it and they include, but are not limited to, paying for everything up front - art, editing, marketing tools. Plus publishing houses already have established distribution, particularly to the big chain stores. Authors for the most part just write and then let the publishing company do the rest.

This isn't the case with indie authors and publishers as they will have to work very hard to get noticed. The indie industry is loaded with self-publishing authors so one much work very hard to get noticed and be successful.

I did an article in the Mises Daily (link below) about self-publishing and I highly recommend it for anyone considering self publishing. It covers issues like acquiring an ISBN (see excerpt):

"One of the first things an author needs in order to self-publish is an International Standard Book Number, better known as an ISBN. It's not required in some cases with ebooks but to maximize your sales and get listed in large name distributors and retailers, an author really does need one. In order to get one, the author has to go to the only company allowed to sell them in the United States: Bowker.

"I suppose the idea is that it is easier to have one company managing the numbers, but a closer look reveals that, as usual, a monopoly creates a stifling environment that encourages price gouging and poor customer service. Self-publishing authors face expenses that can be very draining, especially with regard to getting one or more skilled editors. However, when the author goes to purchase an ISBN in preparation for publishing, they discover that one single number is $125.00!

"And to add to that, if the author intends to sell in print and in ebook forms, then they will need two separate numbers for the same title. Granted, the more numbers one can buy at once, the lower the cost of each number, but if someone has a hard time coming up with the money for a single number then the idea of buying in bulk becomes daunting.

"In the world of self-publishing, one can get ISBNs relatively inexpensively from others who buy in bulk, such as the aforementioned printing and ebook companies online, but they usually restrict how and where you can sell since they are, in a sense, the 'publisher'. It is possible to find others in the field of self-publishing who have been able to get large numbers of ISBNs in bulk, and they are willing to sell at a much reduced rate as well. However, they may or may not have the distributing restrictions that the other companies do. There is a chance that anyone providing ISBNs would be held liable for something printed, so they have the option to, essentially, censor what they choose to allow."

There are also other things to decide on like copyright - not everyone uses it (it's explained in the article linked below) and opt for other options like Creative Commons, Copyheart, Copyleft or Anti-Copyright. All of this should be decided on before submitting to a printer or ebook distributor as chances can be hard to make after it's been published.

Pricing is a tough topic to tackle. Authors shouldn't undersell themselves but breaking into this market is tough. It might be worth considering having really low prices (easier to do with ebooks than print/print on demand books) to start with, maybe even a free giveaway to get some people to give you reviews of your work. This will help getting your rank up, particularly if you are doing ebook on Amazon. Once established you can get a better feel for what price would be a good goal for you to maintain.

Marketing is a constant. This is another thing that self-publishers have to work at, whereas someone going with a publishing company wouldn't have so much to worry about. You have got to market yourself. Join groups on Facebook with the genres that you write, join Twitter, join Goodreads... you really need to be personable and make yourself available.

The most important thing in self-publishing is believing in yourself. If you really want it, you can and will make it happen!