by Jessica Park, @JessicaPark24
I am an unapologetic fan of self-publishing. Massive, foam finger-waving fan. But, for the record, I realize that it’s not for everyone. Big publishers have obvious distribution and marketing power that authors don’t have. They edit your books, provide covers, and more. Well, sometimes more.
But there are huge downsides: advances are minimal these days, royalty rates are crummy, and we wait a year or more after a book as been accepted to see that book go up for sale.
The money, let’s face it, is often completely crummy. Terrible. Pitifully small amounts dolled out over time and delivered alongside truly incomprehensible royalty statements.
Did I try to sell FLAT-OUT LOVE to a publisher? Yep. For me, there was still something to be said for having a big publishing house stand behind your work, so I thought it was worth seeing what kind of offers I could get. I wanted that New York validation. I wanted to hear, “We want you.”
My agent loved this book and was confident that she could sell it. Editors loved this book, too. But what I heard over and over from publishers were two things: 1. The heroine is eighteen years old and categorically too old for a young adult book, and 2. (I’m not making this up.) There are no vampires. “Realistic fiction” has taken a dive in the market and nobody cares about real people.
Okay, I’m paraphrasing that second one, but that’s the gist of it. Look, I enjoy a good vampire story, too, but that doesn’t mean that… Oh, whatever. Then I had editors from adult divisions saying that, while there was so much to love about the book, and it really “resonated” with them, the heroine is too young for mainstream fiction, and they didn’t know what they could possibly do with my little book. (I had a few ideas about what they could do with the book, but I’ll keep those to myself.)
This all seemed silly to me. Am I the only person to have written a book about a college freshman? It’s such a pivotal time in life. Why is this age so shunned in the publishing industry? Flat-Out Love is a unique story, but very often publishers don’t want unique. They don’t want to take on what they consider to be a “risk.” They want as close to a “guaranteed” bestseller as possible.
So I was annoyed. And really angry. I hate, absolutely HATE having to tout my own book, but the truth was that I knew I had written a very strong book, and I knew that it deserved to be published. The feedback I got from publishers about my book confirmed for me how totally out of touch they were with readers because I knew, absolutely knew, that there would be an audience for my story.
Before I had heard back from more publishers (a girl can only take “I’m head-over-heels for this book but we won’t buy it” so many times), I decided to self-publish. The rejections I’d amassed from pubs were, in almost every way, an enormous relief. I’d felt an obligation, almost, to try for a big New York deal. That was dumb. It was solely an ego thing. I realized that I’d been dreading getting into a relationship with a publisher, and I cared about this book too much to give it away for a next-to-nothing advance and then be forced to wait however long to get it on shelves, where it would then likely be hideously overpriced. I love my agent, and it was a little tough to tell her what I was doing, but I knew that I had to make a business decision. As much as I love her, I couldn’t leave the book with her just because she’s such an awesome person. That would’ve been crazy.
Self-publishing gives you massive control over your own work, which I find incredibly appealing. I get to choose my price and cover, and I can make changes to those and to the text at any point. I’m in charge of everything. I get paid monthly, whereas large publishers pay you (theoretically) every six months, and only after you’ve earned out your advance.
The book has been out for a year now, and I’ve sold over 75,000 copies. I have made more money on this book than I made writing five books for a large publishing house. A lot more. I obviously can’t guarantee these numbers for every self-published book, but even if you sell a fraction of this, you can still earn good money.
I’ve put up one other full-length novel, RELATIVELY FAMOUS, and three e-shorts, and I have zero regrets. Like anything, self-publishing is a learning process, but once you get the hang of it, it’s plenty of fun.
The three most important things to focus on if you go this route are: 1. Get a strong cover. If your book isn’t selling, change it. And then change it again if you want. 2) Price your book smartly. I wouldn’t do anything over $3.99—maybe, maybe $4.99–for an ebook. 3) Pay for a good editor. Or more than one good editor. Don’t put up a totally sloppy book. Even professionally copyedited books have errors, and we’ve all read books published by a huge house that have mistakes. It happens. But you run a much greater risk of errors trying to proofread your own work. I cannot tell you how many times I have read my own book and missed blatant mistakes. You need to get as many people as possible to read you work, including non-professionals (who are great at catching missing words!), because it’s impossible to see typos and such in your own work. I’m sure I still have some. But it’s not a frightful mess.
You’ll be doing your own marketing. Frankly, you’d be doing this anyway (unless, that is, you’re already such a huge success that you can just sit back and watch your sales numbers skyrocket). Bloggers are the powerhouse of reviews these days. I thought that writers were a generous bunch, but even that incredible group is getting a run for their money because book bloggers routinely offer to do whatever they can to promote your book. It’s really amazing. As the population as a whole is learning so much about the book industry (note: See six million articles about Amanda Hocking and Barry Eisler), bloggers and readers are becoming much more open to reviewing and buying self-published ebooks. More often than not, if you ask, bloggers will help and readers will buy.
The market for self-published books is growing, and more and more readers are finding that self-published books are not junk books that were haphazardly uploaded because they weren’t good enough to be traditionally published. Talented, skilled authors are choosing this route and intentionally bypassing the exhausting, often miserable, experience of working for a publisher.
Do I have plans to seek out a New York publisher again? No. Of course, after everything I’ve posted online about them, I can’t imagine that they’d want me anyway. That’s fine. I like working for myself. I have no deadlines, no one to answer to, no nodding and smiling at tragic covers, no wincing when my ebook is priced at $9.99…. None of that.
I am free, I am empowered.
There are some truly wonderful, talented, supportive people who work in publishing. Some authors have great experiences with houses. I can’t, offhand, think of any (Kidding! Kidding! Sort of….) but I’m sure there are some. What I unfortunately hear most often are the ways in which authors are struggling with their publishers, and I have friends who have nearly stopped writing because of what they’ve suffered at the hands of publishers. This is not an exaggeration; it is a painful reality for many authors.
When you sell your book to a publisher, that book is gone. These days, you are unlikely to ever get the rights back, and you will have no control over what they do with it. You may be okay with that, and you may prefer to have someone else in charge of your book. Now that I know what self-publishing can do for me, I’m not vaguely okay with that. I’m happy… ecstatic, actually… to be in such creative control of my work.
I’m writing another novel now, and I realized the other day that had I been contracted for a few books through a publisher, I could not write the story that I’m working on now. This book has stronger language and sexual content that puts it into a different category from Flat-Out Love. I know my readers, I know my audience, I know my market. I know what’s selling. I have a story that I want to tell, and I do not want to be controlled by the constraints of a publisher who in all likelihood would never allow me to stray this far from Flat-Out Love. I’m also working with a small app group and we are building an incredibly innovative enhanced edition of the book that will be loaded with multimedia and interactive and immersive elements. I also couldn’t have done that if I’d been contracted to a publisher.
It’s my book, it’s all mine. And I love that.
Jessica Park is the author of the young adult novel RELATIVELY FAMOUS, five Gourmet Girl mysteries (written as Jessica Conant-Park) , FLAT-OUT LOVE, and the e-shorts FACEBOOKING RICK SPRINGFIELD and WHAT THE KID SAYS (Parts 1 & 2).
I wholeheartedly agree, Jessica. I’ve had much the same experience and am now happily self publishing.
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting Jessica.
Jessica – You’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you for that. And I’m glad you’ve had so much success with Flat-Out Love.
Jessica, I know so many successful writers going the self-pub route. You know what I like about this? Writers now have options. Thanks for your post.
Elizabeth, thanks for hosting her.
Teresa
I’ve a question for Jessica, if she’s reading the comments and taking them. You had five books published by big publishing houses before you made this successful self-pub. How much of that success would you say came from your already established audience?
This is a fabulous blog, so glad you posted this. I noticed Relatively Famous is available on Kindle now,but the print version from CreateSpace is no longer available. Will there be a new print version of the book? Just wondered.
I’ll echo what Jessica said. I started publishing my back list (and thank goodness I had no trouble getting the rights back–that, as you say, is a totally different problem now that publishers are seeing there’s a market for e-books, even if they’re not going there yet.
When I got the tired old, “great story, but we can’t sell it” lines, I went indie with 2 original works.
And like you, I’m making more money now than I ever did from my publishers.
But there are no guarantees, and it’s not an overnight thing.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Great post but… argh! My main character is on her way out of college, and I’ve gotten similar advice comments. No vampires here either- just a couple of very bad people you might read in real life.
Thanks for being a trailblazer.
Jessica–Thanks so much for your post today and congratulations on the amazing success of “Flat-Out Love.” Your publication story is thought-provoking…I really appreciate your sharing it with us.
I am writing a story where the heroine is nineteen. I cannot fathom why publishers are not trying to market to the eighteen – twenty-two age bracket more. It seems ridiculous to me – SUCH a huge gaping hole in fiction! And no, no vampires or angels in my book, either (though it does involve magic!). Pretty much as soon as I committed to this story, I started looking at other options than mainstream publishing, because I knew I’d have no chance with them.
This is a fantastic post Jessica. I’m excited to learn more about what you’re writing now!
~ Jen @ A Book and a Latte
She certainly sold a lot of books. And she’s right about the marketing no matter what path you take.
Whoops, I don’t know what happened to my earlier comment… Thank you for all the posts here! Yes, I have no idea why big publishers are ignoring characters in this age group. I’ve seen plenty of other self-published authors take advantage of this gap, and they are selling very well.
Kathrine: Virtually zero. I had written a culinary mystery series before I switched to YA and so had to find an entirely new audience. What I’m learning is: Write a good book, market yourself well, and readers will find you.
Great story — and one that’s becoming all too common. I brought out my backlist (Regency romances), then brought out a book the NY publishers wouldn’t touch (same thing — loved the writing, but it was never quite right for any house). It’s nice to finally have some choices.
Mary: I took the paperback down simply because I was only selling about one every two months. :)
Terry: It’s a GREAT time to be a writer, isn’t it? All these sales avenues available to us!
Excellent post, Jessica.
I love your brutal honesty. :)
I just want to say that it is possible to be a success in the e-book world without a back list. I have never been traditionally published and I’m making a living through e-books. And I know many others who do.
It can be done. :)
I had no idea characters 18-22 years in age was a difficult sell. I’m really glad I decided to self-publish now (even though that particular book isn’t ready for publication yet).
Thank you so much for your encouraging words.
Jessica, Thank you for this wonderful and candid post. I’ve dabbled in independent publishing under a pen name and agree with everything you’ve said-especially about finding and using a good editor and other readers to get a clean book.
Something else you wrote really struck me as something I did not think of before. That is the ability and need to change the book’s cover as part of your marketing plan. Thanks to your post, I may try that.
Thanks Jessica, and thanks Elizabeth! I’ve got a foot in both worlds and I feel tugged every day. One thing’s for sure: publishing is a crazy business! Best wishes for continued success!
I’ve never regretted leaving NY behind. I make a “very nice deal” every month as an indie author with my own small press.
I also love the control. We just changed up covers on a book and saw a 100% increase in sales last week.
Jessica, this was an awesome post and so timely for me. I have two shorts up and they are doing really well. I have 5 other full length with my agent and it’s getting really hard not to put them up as well. Especially, when I get fan mail asking for the next book.
It’s an exciting time in publishing, but scary too. I love the control but still want the validation. I know that sales equal validation. It’s just so hard to let go of the “dream.”
One thing that I love. Writers are taking back publishing. :)
Elizabeth – Thank you for hosting Jessica!
Jessica – You know I’m a fan. :) Thank you so much for your keen insight and candidness–two of the many reasons that your writing sparkles. My very best wishes for your continued success. ~ Cleo
you said:
> You need to get
> as many people
> as possible
> to read you work,
classic. :+)
-bowerbird
Congratulations on doing so well. You are right that not everyone will do as well but frankly, most will do at least a little better than they did with traditional publishing.
I pulled out of traditional publishing before self-publishing became an option. It was just getting to feel more and more like selling your soul. There was just no way I could sign those contracts.
But self-publishing? That’s just plain fun.
Great post, Jessica. Thanks, Elizabeth, for hosting her. This is something I’ve been debating over as well. I agree with Jessica about the publisher thing too. It’s sad!
I have a creeping feeling that publishing houses are going to have their own “Stock Market” crash as well as economic crisis because of how they are with authors.
It’s sad that the industry is just not getting it. But your story is very inspiring because it means authors ARE getting it and realizing they have options. *high-five*
I’m loving all the comments! You guys are great!
Yes, this really is an amazing time in publishing, although it feels too good to be true, and I can’t help wondering what things will look like in five years. Will there still be big publishing houses? This may surprise you, but I hope so. They’ve done some incredible things before and I think they could again… if they would just learn how to play the game and damn smarten up! They absolutely got to adjust how they pay authors. It’s really unforgivable and just one example of how they have abused authors over the years. The horror stories I’ve heard from fellow authors are unacceptable. I want to see publishing houses making good, smart, fair decisions.
“Am I the only person to have written a book about a college freshman? It’s such a pivotal time in life. Why is this age so shunned in the publishing industry?”
Funny you should mention that, Jessica! I just launched a group blog with six others on the category. :) Best wishes for your continued success!
Thanks for hosting, Elizabeth!
Congratulations on making the switch! I love your energy and happy you found happiness with self-publishing. I’m passing this on to my writing group for those still on the fence. Thanks for hosting Jessica, Elizabeth!
I’ll type up a longer comment later, since my stupid iPhone keeps making me click on the wrong links and eating up my comments, but let me say that this post got me thinking about self-publishing.
I’ll put this into my weekly round-up when I have the chance. In fact, this is a candidate for Post of the Week.
This is totally fascinating to me. Thanks so much for sharing, and congratulations on your success!
Love this article! I feel the same way. I too am self pub, and I just sign a contract to have my book(Unlovable-YA novel) MADE INTO A MOVIE!!!!!
You go girl!!!’ TTFN. I have a “FLAT OUT” self pub book to buy!
Congratulations, Sherry! Wonderful! And thank you to all for the nice words.
For those who do decide to go with a publisher, I want to advise you to be very, very thorough when you go through your (lengthy and full of legalese) contract. Please understand exactly what you are giving away and what, if anything, you are not. I hate seeing authors stuck in a situation they were not prepared for. It can be the right choice for many people, but you need a keen awareness of what you are getting into.
Very sane, balanced post. as I finish my novel, All of this is grist for the mill.
Thanks for posting this article. I shall send it to our GIP Group, (Gutsy Indie Publishers) on Facebook and would love you to join as we’re a bunch of authors and editors, proof readers, PR people, helping one another. Thanks.
Loved your blog today! Selling 75,000 books is an inspiration. I’d love to have you at Book ‘Em (www.bookemnc.org) to tell your story and how you succeeded when so many others have failed or fallen short. You obviously know what you’re doing and have a great product. Congratulations!
Great perspective (but really…just about everything Jessica writes has a solid POV). I’ve gone down this same path and experienced the same aggravation with traditional publishers and agents. I wrote a YA book with college age characters facing real life issues, and although I got great responses from agents, the book was universally turned down by publishers because it wasn’t marketable to a large enough market (Really? Guess that audience of 17 to 25 year olds has diminished in size since the last time I checked) …probably needed more vampires and teenaged werewolves to be successful. I went the indie route and haven’t looked back since.
One of the most important aspects of going indie: never under-estimate the power or influence of book bloggers (“powerhouse of reviews”). Book bloggers have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t work in YA fiction than most of the marketing departments of traditional publishers, and their readers comprise a huge segment of the market. I have found a world of reviewers who have been wonderful in reading, reviewing, and commenting on LOST EXIT – one even used the term “New Adult” to categorize that market of fiction aimed at older teens and that has opened up new paths for my marketing.
Great post!
Thank you so very much for writing this. I have gone through the gamut on, ‘I’m only self-publishing because nobody wanted me book’ to ‘If I gave my book to a publisher and they totally rewrote it, I’d hate that’ to ‘Wouldn’t it just be nice to have a proper house that could give me royalties on this book and actually get it to sell?’ So, thanks for making me feel better about self-pubbing. Can’t wait to make some decent sales. :)
Huge thanks to Elizabeth for the space on her blog and to Jessica for her really great, over-the-top article on the advantages of self-publishing over going the traditional route. Is there anyone left out there who would recommend the traditional route, especially after reading this? I’ll soon be deciding on the publishing route for myself, and at this point I think I would need to be committed if I were to sign on with a traditional house…I can’t see even one advantage to doing that.
I’m in the Gutsy Indie Publishers group on FB that Sonia mentioned–that’s where I found the link to this blog. Hope you both, Elizabeth and Jessica, will join.
Jessica “I’m head-over-heels for this book but we won’t buy it” would drive me insane. Make some money for yourself.
– Maurice Mitchell
The Geek Twins | Film Sketchr
@thegeektwins | @mauricem1972
Jessica, what a great article. Thank you. I have the same feeling about my book, The Boy Behind the Gate. I started my own publishing company, Buoy Press and am loving the attention I can garner for my own product. Just won two awards in the eLit awards; Gold in Travel, and Silver in Memoirs. I’m excited! I have a blog post on the same subject that your readers may like: http://www.larryjacobson.com/2011/03/8-keys-to-self-publishing-success/
Best to you on your next project!
Larry Jacobson
http://larryjacobson.com
What an informative post. I’m contracted with a small press for my first novel, out in November, and will probably query the second one. My issue is funding and the learning curve. I need to experience publishing for a while, and frankly, being a stay at home mom focusing on her writing career, I don’t have the extra cash. I’m hoping that by the time I’m ready to publish the series I’m plotting, I’ll be able to self-publish. The impatient side of me wants to jump in NOW and self-publish, but I wonder how long it would take me to make back my investment. And how much should a new author expect to spend self-publishing? Those are the questions that stop me.
Thanks!
Excellent post! My MC is 21 and I was told by several editors and publishers that I should make her a teen. I always hated in college having to either read about teens or post college late 20s. Books with 18 to 22 year old are seriously lacking. I can’t understand it since I find it such an interesting time in a person’s life.
Hi Elizabeth and Jessica – hasn’t the world changed – and what an excellent post, full of interesting information. A great read ..
Many thanks – cheers Hilary
This is an excellent post and it’s making me realize that just maybe I can self pub my next book. I’m getting a lot of “it’s interesting and well written, but I don’t know if I can sell it.” comments and well, maybe I can sell it myself. Thank you so much!
Stacey, my advice would be to avoid a publisher. The upfront costs are minimal, and I can virtually guarantee you that you will make more money self-publishing. The payout schedule with publishers is idiotic. Offensive. You’re looking at, most likely, 2/3 of a tiny advance that you won’t see for four months or more after signing the contract and giving them the approved MS, then you won’t see any more money until you get that last third upon publication. Most likely a year later. Then it will be months and months after that to earn out your small advance, at which point you’ll be struck trusting the sales numbers your publisher gives you.
Really. You will make more money yourself.
One thing you’ve overlooked is that you already had an established audience. As a first-time author, the struggle to attract eyes is extremely difficult. The explosion of epublishing has paradoxically diminished the number of bloggers and reviewers willing to look at self published works.
I have some of the issues you mentioned – a 22-year-old protagonist coming of age, and although it’s paranormal, there aren’t any vampires or shape shifters. An entirely new concept and being between YA and adult seems to be a double whammy.
That said, the reviews are good and I think eventually the books will catch the attention of a wider audience.