Reader Email: Self Publishing Options

One of my favorite things about this blog is having the opportunity to interact with readers, whether through email, or on my social media sites. The business of writing can be a scary thing and I like to hope I can help newer writers find the answers they are looking for.

So I thought it would be fun to respond to the occasional email publicly on the site as well, if I think the question being asked can be a benefit to the other readers. I’ll change enough of the question to keep it anonymous and general, and make this a semi-regular feature going forward.

Also, before we get on with it, you are always welcome to contact me from the Contact Page, or from any of the social media sites on the top right.

Here’s the Q:

Jason-I’m currently writing a novel and have been doing a little research on self publishing. The ocean of self publishing seems a little overwhelming. I checked in with (site) and I think to like them over the others. They offer two types of editing with ebook and physical books if I wanted to choose one of the other or both. Also the price seems reasonable.

Are there any key factors I should be looking for asking when it come to self publishing?

Published writer wannabe.

My response:

Thanks for checking out my blog and podcast. I’d like to ask, is the self-publishing route the only road to publication you are considering? That’s cool if it is, but I would still recommend considering the traditional route as well.

But since you asked about self-publishing, there are tons of good (and just as many bad) companies out there. It is a costly endeavor to pay for editing, cover design, market, etc., but to reach any level of success self-publishing, it seems like you have to put up a least a little cash upfront. I do, however, know a few successful self-published authors who did everything themselves and have sold more than my traditionally published book, so who knows.

I haven’t heard of (site) before, but they look pretty legit. I like that they are completely upfront about what they offer and what it costs. I would say if you’re going to go with them or a company like them it’s probably best to start with just ebook since the market for print is extremely tough for self-published (and small press) authors.

I do want to warn you that before you sign any contract with anyone, be sure to do some research and make sure they are not a scam. I like to recommend Writer Beware and AbsoluteWrite.com . There is also the BBB.

Finally, if you’re at all interested in pursuing a traditional publisher, I have a whole bunch of articles on my site about writing query letters and finding publishers. Give ‘em a look if you want: https://www.writegoodbooks.com/tag/traditional-publishing/

Hope this helps a little. Feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns.

Best of luck with your novel.

And that will do it for this post. Like I said earlier, you’re always welcome to contact me using the any of the forms above, and if I think your questions (and my answers) can help other writers, I’ll share them here as well.