I recently read a blogpost on the Novel Rocket site that tweaked my interest because it’s about indie publishing. It’s written by Michelle Griep, an amazing Christian author who, incidentally, has a great sense of humor. I’ve read a number of her books (Gallimore, A Heart Deceived, Brentwood’s Ward) and loved them. When I asked Michelle if I could repost her article here, she said, “You betcha.” So here is Michelle’s experience with independent publishing, so far…
You know those TV shows that feature some daredevil lighting his underwear on fire as he hops on a motorcycle and jumps over five semi-trucks and a baby, all while some scrolling type at the bottom of the screen warns you not to attempt this at home? Yeah. I feel like there should be some kind of warning to those considering self publishing because it’s really not as easy as it looks. Leastwise not if you want to put out a quality book.
So here is my attempt at enlightening those who think they’ll just slap up some type on Createspace and rake in a million bucks.
**pretend the following is scrolling across the screen . . . I’m not technologically savvy enough to do that and there’s no teenager around for me to collar**
- Covers are a pain in the patootie. Who knew there’d be so many decision to make? Color. Style. Artwork. Wording. Layout. Font. Sizing. Transparency. Bleed. And that’s just in the first consultation.
- No matter how many times you go through a manuscript, you can always find something else to change.
- A good editor is worth her weight in chai. I didn’t actually have the money up front to pay for a manuscript edit so I bartered for a lifetime supply of chai. So far it’s worked out pretty good. Of course, if she lives to be one hundred, I may be in trouble. Nah. I’ll be dead first. Hahahaha! Joke’s on her. . . wait a minute. Maybe not.
- If you put your book up for pre-order on Amazon, they give you a deadline set in stone to upload your final copy. If you’re late, oops! Your name is written on the Amazon naughty list and you don’t get to put up any more pre-orders for over a year.
- There’s way more that goes into producing a book than simply good writing, though that is a must. There’s book size, paper color, paper weight, ISBN nonsense, Library of Congress shtuff, a bajillion different kind of ebook conversions, yada, yada. Seriously, I had no idea.
It was an adventure putting out my self-pubbed book, Writer Off the Leash, but one that’s been a good education. Would I do it again? Probably. Will I leave the realm of traditional publishing behind? Nope. Each venue has their pros and cons.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
An entertaining but important read. Thanks for sharing this, Janice.
A great post for anyone considering self-publishing. It’s much more than just getting a box of books.
That’s for sure, Carolyn. I knew it would be tough, but I thought if others could do it, so could I.
Hoping to be a CreateSpace user myself someday, I really appreciate this article. Experience does prove that nothing is ever as simple as it sounds.
By all means, keep on putting out more books, Michelle. It would be a shame to waste all the valuable lessons you’ve learned. 🙂
Keep at it, Chris. You have a real gift and a great imagination. If you haven’t read any of Michelle’s books, I recommend them. As I said, the humour is a fun part of her writing.
Self-publishing is definitely challenging. Just when you get one skill learned, it seems like there are 5 more you need. She didn’t even touch on the marketing, which presents even more challenges for most self-published authors. But, I still enjoy self-publishing and am glad for the skills I’m learning 🙂
I’ve been watching your marketing efforts, Ruth, and trying to keep them in mind. You go to great lengths to get the word out, and that’s very commendable—and encouraging for me.