Advice from Author, Yvonne Perry, on Self-Publishing
This week, we have special guest blogger, Yvonne Perry, sharing her thoughts with us on why she chose to self-publish her new book, “Whose Stuff Is This Anyway? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You.”
Yvonne’s guest post is part of a 28-day virtual book tour she has arranged with more than 20 bloggers and other media. We’re honoured to be part of that tour. Yvonne’s book offers empowering, proactive techniques to help empathic people manage energy and information overload coming from the collective unconsciousness of Earth. Here is Yvonne’s story:
Why I Chose to Self-Publish
by Yvonne Perry
by Yvonne Perry
There was a time when the only reputable way to publish a book was through one of the “big six publishing houses,” such as Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Group, Random House, or Simon & Schuster, or one of their imprints (subsidiaries). These houses were, and still are, very selective about whose work they will publish.
An off-set print run would usually be created, which meant someone—either the author or the publisher—had to store 5,000-10,000 copies of a title. If the book didn’t sell, its print cost and a lot of trees were wasted. In those days, the publisher obtained the ISBN, did the editing (many times severely and not to the author’s liking), cover design, interior layout, printing, and marketing for the author. They gave the author an up-front fee (advance) and paid royalties, netted after the publishing, printing, and marketing expenses were calculated. The publishing house owned the rights to the book and had control of the book’s future success, or lack thereof.
An off-set print run would usually be created, which meant someone—either the author or the publisher—had to store 5,000-10,000 copies of a title. If the book didn’t sell, its print cost and a lot of trees were wasted. In those days, the publisher obtained the ISBN, did the editing (many times severely and not to the author’s liking), cover design, interior layout, printing, and marketing for the author. They gave the author an up-front fee (advance) and paid royalties, netted after the publishing, printing, and marketing expenses were calculated. The publishing house owned the rights to the book and had control of the book’s future success, or lack thereof.
When print-on-demand (POD) technology came along, it offered publishers the ability to print one book at a time as it was purchased (demanded) by a reader. No more need for a warehouse. Books could be ordered and sold one at a time via Internet sites such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
Soon, we had independent publishers, not associated with the big six, cropping up and offering to publish books for any author who could put together a manuscript. These companies, known as publish-on-demand or vanity publishers, offered the same services as the major houses. But, instead of paying the author an advance, they actually charge the author a fee to defray the cost of designing the cover, laying out the interior, and printing the book. Some of these offer editing and marketing services at an additional cost.
These books were not traditionally published and they were not self-published since the vanity house held the ISBN and technically had ownership of the book. They filled a gap in between and made it possible for many new authors, who may have been rejected by the big six, to bring their manuscript to book form.
These books were not traditionally published and they were not self-published since the vanity house held the ISBN and technically had ownership of the book. They filled a gap in between and made it possible for many new authors, who may have been rejected by the big six, to bring their manuscript to book form.
However, the quality was unpredictable. Cookie-cutter templates made book covers boring, and since each publisher used their own printer (instead of Lightning Source, the printer the big six houses have used for eons), the books may have been printed on cheap paper, and assembled with glue that didn’t hold the pages together long term. I recently threw away about ten copies of a title I had stored for six years. Each time I opened a book, the spine would crack and the pages would pop out.
Vanity publishers further soiled their bad reputation and insulted the literary world by not being selective about the authors they chose to publish. Few, if any, required a manuscript to be edited. Even today, they print the book file exactly as the author submits it. For these reasons (very good ones at that), brick-and-mortar bookstores would not allow these books to take up valuable retail space on their shelves. Not to worry though. These books hardly saw the light of day. Since authors did not understand that they were responsible for their own marketing, nor did they know how to promote a book, very few were demanded by readers.
Within the past few years, Lightning Source (LS) began offering publishing services to individual authors. This meant writers not only became authors, they also became independent publishers. LS uses off-set printing to create bulk orders and print-on-demand technology to print one or a few books at a time. Their publishing fee places your book in Ingram’s distribution channels for one year.
By the way, color printing is much more expensive than black and white. Your book will be considered a color print job and charged thusly even if only one photo in your book is in color. The printing company will not run part of your pages in black and white and the rest in color then collate and combine the pages to create the book. It’s one or the other—color, or black and white. The color cover is run separately on heavier stock paper.
It is very important to have someone edit and proofread your text before submitting your file to LS (or any publish on demand service) because the printer will print exactly what you send without making any changes or revisions. No matter where you are in the writing of your book—idea, development, copy edit, or proofread stage— editors can help you take your book to the next level.
By the way, color printing is much more expensive than black and white. Your book will be considered a color print job and charged thusly even if only one photo in your book is in color. The printing company will not run part of your pages in black and white and the rest in color then collate and combine the pages to create the book. It’s one or the other—color, or black and white. The color cover is run separately on heavier stock paper.
It is very important to have someone edit and proofread your text before submitting your file to LS (or any publish on demand service) because the printer will print exactly what you send without making any changes or revisions. No matter where you are in the writing of your book—idea, development, copy edit, or proofread stage— editors can help you take your book to the next level.
If you sign up for an account with LS and become a publisher, there is a cost for set up and your royalties will be the net profit after the print cost is covered. You can provide your book’s interior layout and cover design yourself or you can hire someone to do the cover as I did for my book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You. If you publish your book in this manner, you will still have to market it.
So, I’ve said all this to let you know that I did not use LS to publish my book. I planned to, but when I found out about Createspace.com, I took a detour that led me to very pleasant results. I’ve written about that experience in another article on my tour. Come along on the tour with us. See the complete tour schedule at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathTour.
How about you? What has your publishing experience been? Good or bad? With a large or small publisher? Have you tried self-publishing? Share your experiences with us. We can all learn from one another.
How about you? What has your publishing experience been? Good or bad? With a large or small publisher? Have you tried self-publishing? Share your experiences with us. We can all learn from one another.
internet is a very good way to publish your data without the cost because if you have good data then there are many users comes to your website you will get good benefits
Great post, Yvonne & Doreen! My latest book, Dancing Through History: In Search of the Stories that Define Canada, has just come out from my company, Dancing Traveller Publishing. The best part about wearing the hat of both the publisher and the author (and everything in between) is the balance: after spending months to years writing a manuscript, alone, we then get to switch “hats” and become the business person. I’m in the latter phase right now and I’m loving the break from writing. Now it’s my job to be social and it’s a great balance after spending so much time inside my own head. 🙂 It definitely takes the right kind of personality to self publish, but those who love both aspects of the journey often do very well.
Thanks for your comment, Lori.
You’re handling things quite differently than I have been. I’ve been focusing on a social media presence all thru the research stage of my book. So I’ve been promoting as I’ve been researching and writing. That’s why I really do think the self-publising model will work for me. Yet … it’s a bit of a scary thing, as each of my previous books has been via the traditional publishing model. I’ll be watching and learning as you launch and promote your book. I’m certain it will be a real success.
Hello everyone: This has been such an engaging and ongoing discussion.
I wanted to post the link to the discussion on digital self-publishing that has been going on across the pond. You may find it interesting and insightful!
It's on David Gaughran's blog and can be found at:
http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/2011-the-self-publishing-year-in-review/.
Please note that this (my own writer's blog) will be migrating to doreenpendgracs.com effective January 9, 2012.
I hear you, Nellie, and am definitely coming around to your and Yvonne's way of thinking for my upcoming book. I had so very seriously thought that I'd be picked up by a big publisher and that everything would be wonderful. But as Nellie has said, the publishing world has definitely gone thru a tsunami, and you pretty much have to BE a celebrity or be writing about a celebrity in order to get a really good contract.
I'd like to have a conversation with you sometime soon, Nellie, and will look you up on the TWUC directory. Thanks so much for engaging in this discussion.
Doreen.
The decision to self-publish was not an easy one. However, the publishing world is undergoing a tsunami, in my opinion. And as you discuss here, the tools needed at every stage are so widely available online. The number of books (many badly written and poorly designed) in the market has increased, there's lots of competition, and authors are willing to sell their work for pennies. You have to be a creative entrepreneur as well as a creative. Social networking easily spreads the word around the world, however, the challenge is to "pound the pavement" and actually sell your books. I've been writing about that as well.
In addition to publishing your book as an e-book, another consideration is to make it available as an audio book. I just released the MP3 version of Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Detrimental Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You this week. It is selling quite well. See http://whosestuffisthis.blogspot.com/2011/12/whose-stuff-is-this-is-now-audio-book.html for details.
It does, indeed, Yvonne.
In the old days, authors who self-published were looked down upon. In today's world, many savvy authors are choosing self-publishing as it really does seem to be a smarter way to go in many situations.
Arthur Slade, a colleague of mine in the Writers Union of Canada has found that publishing his own e-books is slowly turning out to be a cost-effective way to go. You may want to check out his blog at: http://arthurslade.blogspot.com/2011/11/ye-old-ebook-sales-october-report.html.
Cheers,
Doreen.
Interesting to note that Nellie Jacobs chose self-publishing for her second book even though she was published by one of the Big Six the first time. That says a lot about the industry.
Nellie: Thanks so much for visiting the blog & sharing your comments.
I've read the post on your blog and have now tweeted the link to the world as you share some wonderful insights.
It's wonderful when we can learn from the experiences of our friends and colleagues.
Great post! Great blog! Read about it in your recent TWUC posting. Thanks, Doreen!
On this topic, I was a best-selling author published by Penguin Books, yet this time chose to self-publish a series of self-help inspirational books. I've been chronicling the good, bad, and ugly of this incredibly challenging journey, starting with "The Why of It":
http://nelliejacobs.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/my-journey-to-self-publishing-the-why-of-it/
I'll have to use grok in my Words with Friends games. I'm writersinthesky if anyone wants to play a game with me.
Oh, and speaking of games, I created a hangman game about empaths: http://bit.ly/kBcVLg
Just learned something new from the folks at "Word of the Day" that relates directly to empaths, so am posting it here as it is the subject of Yvonne's book:
My Word of the Day for SATURDAY MAY 21, 2011
"GROK" – a verb meaning to understand something intuitively, empathetically or in a profound way.
Hi, Linda. Thanks for the comment. I study the Chicago Manual of Style and listen to Grammar Girl Podcast to keep my editing skills fresh. One of the editors on my team is Grammatika certified. Another is a former high-school teacher whom I've trained to know the book industry. Another is a college writing instructor, and another editor is also a literary agent. Due to this vast amount of knowledge in our collective editing pool, we are able to offer authors a great education along with improving their manuscript. http://writersinthesky.com
Hi Linda: Thanks for dropping into the blog.
I see you're in Idaho. I imagine you have an Editors Assn in your neck of the woods, but for general editing information, I can refer you to the fabulous site of the Editors Assn of Canada, where there is a wealth of resources.
See: http://www.editors.ca/resources/eac_publications/pes/index.html.
Best regards, and do come back again.
Doreen.
Wow, there is so much in this post AND in the comments that I will be coming back to explore more in the days to come.
Yvonne's explanation about the various publishing options is fascinating. I've heard of each of these, but not heard them described so completely.
I am particularly interested in the editing process. I recently helped a fellow writer with the "pre-editing" process before she sends her manuscript to the "real editor." I am fairly confident in my editing capabilities, but without publishing experience, I wonder what advice, strategies, and perspectives I may be missing. I am dying to find out what the "real editor" contributes that I might not have considered.
What, in your opinion, is required of an editor besides getting the words right and advocating for the reader? Are there web sites or courses that you would recommend for a budding editor?
Sorry, if this topic has already been addressed in the comments. I skimmed them, but have not yet explored all the marvelous links and suggestions.
Thanks for your comments, and for joining the blog, Jane.
I hope we'll hear from you again soon. Cheers!
Self-publishing through POD is exciting, but so is the post-print world of epublishing. Tying the two together might be the way to go, but whatever we do quality standards must apply.
PS. Your blog is great, Doreen.
Barbara, I will share your information with my network of writers and authors.
My pleasure.
Thanks, Bobbi, (Barbara) for joining the blog and for sharing info about your workshop. Great to see you here!
And thanks, Yvonne, for posting your thoughts about Createspace here.
It's terrific that we are all sharing info freely and helping one another make better-informed decisions about our careers. Those decisions are so important as they ultimately affect our lives, our financial security and our happiness.
After checking out Createspace (CS) and publishing a book of poetry just to see how well the system worked, I chose to publish my latest book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You, through CS for the following reasons:
1 It costs nothing to publish with CS. That’s right. No up-front fee. They will even get the ISBN for you (or you can provide your own from R.R. Bowker as I did.
2 You can design your book cover on their Web site using their somewhat customizable template. Or, you can upload your own cover as I did, or pay to have them create one for you.
3 You can upload a standard PDF file of your book. I did not have to hire a graphic designer to do the interior layout for me. Lightning Source charges a publishing fee and you are required to upload camera-ready files to them—a task you may have to hire a professional to complete.
4 It was easy to obtain a printed copy for proofreading. Once I made changes to my digital master document, I sent these used printed copies to the people I was seeking endorsements from. This allowed me to get endorsements before my book was available to the public.
5 CS allows you to upload revised copies as many times as you need to insure you are satisfied with the final product. It took me three tries to get the file exactly as I wanted it to be printed.
6 Once I approved the final copy on Createspace, it automatically entered the distribution channels I selected. I chose to allow them to sell my book on their site as well as Amazon.com. They even set up the “Look Inside” feature for me.
7 The book was actively listed on Amazon the same week I approved the final copy.
As long as your files meet their layout requirements, CS and LS will print exactly what you send without making any changes or revisions. Therefore, the editing and proofreading is up to you. Writers in the Sky Creative Services can work with authors in this capacity and walk them through the publishing process. http://writersinthesky.com
As a publishing consultant, I am continually warning authors about these "pay-to-publish" companies, so agree with Yvonne's comments. I have a great deal of free information on publishing options on my website, at http://www.SimonTeakettle.com/bookpublish.htm
I'm giving a presentation on this subject for the Media Club of Ottawa on May 16. It's called, Publishing Options: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
After checking out Createspace (CS) and publishing a book of poetry just to see how well the system worked, I chose to publish my latest book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You, through CS for the following reasons:
1 It costs nothing to publish with CS. That’s right. No up-front fee. They will even get the ISBN for you (or you can provide your own from R.R. Bowker as I did.
2 You can design your book cover on their Web site using their somewhat customizable template. Or, you can upload your own cover as I did, or pay to have them create one for you.
3 You can upload a standard PDF file of your book. I did not have to hire a graphic designer to do the interior layout for me. Lightning Source charges a publishing fee and you are required to upload camera-ready files to them—a task you may have to hire a professional to complete.
4 It was easy to obtain a printed copy for proofreading. Once I made changes to my digital master document, I sent these used printed copies to the people I was seeking endorsements from. This allowed me to get endorsements before my book was available to the public.
5 CS allows you to upload revised copies as many times as you need to insure you are satisfied with the final product. It took me three tries to get the file exactly as I wanted it to be printed.
6 Once I approved the final copy on Createspace, it automatically entered the distribution channels I selected. I chose to allow them to sell my book on their site as well as Amazon.com. They even set up the “Look Inside” feature for me.
7 The book was actively listed on Amazon the same week I approved the final copy.
As long as your files meet their layout requirements, CS and LS will print exactly what you send without making any changes or revisions. Therefore, the editing and proofreading is up to you. Writers in the Sky Creative Services can work with authors in this capacity and walk them through the publishing process. http://writersinthesky.com
You're so right, Paul. So many writers/authors think their job is done when the book has been written. But it's even more work to find new and continuing ways to promote one's work. Joining Toastmasters was the best thing I ever did for my writing career (next to joining PWAC.) TM has given me the confidence and the speaking abilities to conduct workshops and give keynote talks based on the subject of my board book. And speaking engagements (for the most part) are much more lucrative than writing.
Yvonne, it would be great if you'd give the URL where you speak about Createspace. I couldn't find it when perusing your book tour line-up.
Great advice, Paul. I set up a blog every time I begin to write a book.
Even if you do not self-publish, i.e., you have a publisher, you will be primarily responsible for marketing your book. If it gets a number of solid reviews and starts to sell, your publisher will jump on the bandwagon, but most you will be responsible for generating buzz and marketing your book. In fact, some publishers want to know, as part of your book proposal, what you plan on doing to market the book. So whether you get published or self-publish, be prepared to set up a website and/or blog, to set up a Facebook page, to tweet, to speak in public and to write and issue media releases…
Thanks, Kim and Larry for your input on self-publishing. Education and research are very important and often overlooked aspects of being an author. Larry has it right: being an author is being in business for yourself. If you do nothing to promote your book/business, it will not prosper. With the Internet, there are endless possibilities for free exposure and book promotion.
Fascinating, Marg! Thanks for sending the URL to the Writer's Collective site and explanation of their publishing program. I'd not heard they were into that.
Would be curious to hear from any author's who may have been thru their program, and to hear from anyone who has time to fully digest this. I'm way behind in my work right now and don't have time to spend dissecting each point.
Hi, Doreen, Just checked the Writers' Collective to see if they were having a workshop to mention on my blog
http://winnipegisbetterthanchocolate.blogspot.com/
Seems they've gone into publishing
http://www.writerscollective.org/faq.htm
Any thoughts?
Hi Larry. Yes, Joel and I have now connected on Twitter. He's @JFbookman & I recommend others follow him as well. I'd been hoping he'd drop by and share his thoughts on our discussion, but haven't heard from him yet.
Thanks again for joining the discussion. There's room in the tribal tent. Join us!
I would like to add that my recent article was first graciously published by Joel Friedlander on his site, The Book Designer.
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011/03/8-keys-to-self-publishing-success/
As long as we are shamelessly self-promoting, I'd like to promote Joel's work and daily blog which has so much to offer the self-publisher.
Thanks so much for joining us on the blog, Larry.
I loved the post you wrote on your blog about self-publishing. Thanks for putting the link here, and to Ian Douglas, who posted it on the PWAC-Books listserv. You've given some terrific advice. The point I was most intrigued by is the "pay by performance" concept of PR for book publishing. I'd never heard of that approach before.
Thanks, also, for alerting us to your book. It sounds intriguing!
I'm so glad to see this discussion about self-publishing. While there are several options from POD to starting your own company like I did (Buoy Press), I want to bring up a different aspect of the discussion.
If you self publish, you have to remember that you are going beyond being an author; you are going into business. You will be in the business of choosing layout, cover, publishing direction, editor, proofer, and then you will be in charge of marketing and sales for your book. As an entrepreneur, this was natural for me, but for others, it may be overwhelming, especially if you just want to write. So, this may bring up the topic of why print at all? Why not just go Kindle, etc.?
So much to talk about! A recent blog of mine may be of interest to all readers: 8 Keys to Self-Publishing Success. Do we get to shamelessly self-promote here? LOL My new book, The Boy Behind the Gate is a hit and inspiring many readers! http://larryjacobson.com
Happy to help others–my book project took me three years and I learned a few things along the way!
Cheers!
Terrific advice, Kim.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you say that each writer must look at the various options and decide what's best for them for each specific project.
My last book was published with a small Canadian publisher and that was fine for that project. My next book will be very different and requires an entirely different publishing approach. One with a much broader reach.
Thank goodness there are so many options for us to consider.
This was a great post Yvonne. I think you covered all the major points regarding the complex world of self-publishing. My advice and to quote Maya Angelou for anyone thinking about publishing their manuscript is this: 'When you know better, you do better.' Educate, research, investigate the options that will work best for you. There are pros and cons to all, but before making that final decision, do your homework so that you are making the best informed decision for your work.
Happy Birthday Sam Botta imdb, congratulations on "Live Fearless with Sam Botta" Produced by Movie Tech Studios Hollywood
Wow! I just checked the link Amanda had given for the EAC conference on May 14th. The Keynote speaker is no other than Mary-Ann Kirkby, an author who self-published and sold hundreds of thousands of copies of her book, I am Hutterite. I'm really going to try and rearrange my schedule and be there. Thanks for the heads-up, Amanda, and for anyone who missed it, you can find out more abut the EAC Winnipeg conference at: http://www.manitobaeditors.ca/publishing.htm.
And thank YOU, Yvonne, for being so well organized. The tour went off without a glitch. And there's nothing worse than having a guest blogger who doesn't participate at all in the discussion after having made the initial post. Your continued participation here was most welcome. Good luck with the rest of your tour.
Thank you, Cherie and all for stopping by Doreen's blog today. I appreciate your participation on my blog tour.
Amanda and all, I have a blog that I post information for writers. If you want to submit items, see the guidelines at http://www.writersinthesky.com/.
Paul, send me your announcement for POD primer and I'll steer my readers to your blog to learn more. You’ll find me at http://www.writersinthesky.com/.
Love print on demand. Been using it for about four years now. While others have sold more books than I have using POD, I'm proud of the 3,000+ books that I've sold. I have a POD primer on my blog – http://paullima.com/blog/?p=563, and I will be conducting a POD seminar in Kitchener on April 9 – http://paullima.com/blog/?p=1475
Thanks for your comment, Cheri. I was going to look up Createspace.com, but I think I'll just wait for Yvonne's followup post tomorrow on the Skyline Coaching blog. This virtual book tour is a fabulous idea!
This was a fascinating read, Yvonne; thanks so much for sharing. I'm involved with the MEA's publishing conference and am fascinated that I learn something new about the industry every time I turn around. I'm now going to look up Print on Demand…
Thanks for allowing me to share on your blog today, Doreen. It's good to share our publishing experiences and help others avoid some of the pitfalls that await authors who are unaware of the process and the book industry.
Thanks so much for the info about the MEA and May conference, Amanda. I, too, have edited an author's manuscript and found the process to be rewarding and interesting. Yvonne is right! Editors are a most important part of the publishing process and one that unfortunately too often, self-published authors overlook.
Oops – I should have also said that writers in Manitoba can find editors through the Manitoba Editors' Association (MEA) "Hire an Editor" page (http://www.manitobaeditors.ca/hire_an_editor.htm), and also through the Editors Association of Canada (EAC) "Hire an Editor" page (http://www.editors.ca/hire/index.html).
Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess to being the president & membership chair of the MEA.
What an interesting post – and a great idea to guest publish and do a tour of blogs. I love the possibilities on the Internet!
As for self-publishing, independent publishing and traditional publishing, it's certainly a complicated field, and one about which there is much to learn. To that end, the Manitoba Editors' Association is hosting a one-day conference on May 14th in Winnipeg on the publishing process. Check out the poster and registration info on our website at http://www.manitobaeditors.ca/publishing.htm
I haven't published my own writing, but I've edited several manuscripts that have been self-published by the author. It's a fascinating and rewarding process to be part of.