The Hi Susan letters are stacking up so I thought I’d tackle one this week.
This one arrived from Peter who asked…
I think I might have jumped on the self-publishing bandwagon a little too late. After doing some research, it looks like just about everyone is a self publisher these days. Should I forget it and try and go with a traditional publisher?
That’s a great question.
It’s true that the number of self published titles has exploded over the last couple of years and that does always make things more competitive. However, competition should never put you off doing something, especially if your heart’s set on it.
The good news is that a lot of people who entered self publishing…mostly non-fiction writers, did so because they heard it was the new get rich quick thing. Lots of people did make money because of the way the original payout systems were set out on sites like KDP Select. That was back in the early days, payout systems have been tweaked and many of these…I’ll call them entrepreneurs rather than authors, have gone.
Fiction is a different beast, and while some people are still following the money and nothing else, I think a lot of people are self publishing to realize their dream of being an author.
Now more than ever, you’ve got to take your work and your marketing efforts up to the next level.
You need to produce a story that’s as good (if not better), than those published by traditional publishers, and you have to find ways to get it before the eyes of the masses.
I say go for it but accept that these days, to be a self publisher, you have to wear many hats. Those being storyteller, publisher, and also publicist.
(A little shameless self promotion of my own here, I’m adding a promotion boot camp to next year’s line up of classes).