I’m all about self-publishing. I started in traditional publishing and briefly returned to it with the Red trilogy. And it’s possible that with the right book I might roll the dice and try it again. But overall I’m happier to be self-publishing, handling my own books, and taking a much bigger cut of the list price.

But do I advise other traditionally published writers to take this route? Not necessarily. Everyone’s situation is different, and (assuming the choice exists) everyone needs to make up their own mind.

Not long ago, a friend asked for my thoughts on whether to self-publish a novella or accept a smallish advance. I sketched out what it would take to self-pub, and we both realized that self-publishing works best as a system. After discussing it, the odds of a one-shot venture being worth the necessary investment of time & money seemed pretty low.

To publish even a single work, you’d have to set up an account at Amazon, and at other vendors if you want to “go wide.” You’d need to hire a cover artist and maybe an editor and/or copyeditor. You would need to convert the manuscript into an ebook, and logically, into a print edition — both of which can be done with software if you’re not too fussy, though the software costs a couple hundred dollars (I think). And you’d still have to do all the promotion a traditional publisher would ask you to do. Beyond this minimal investment, you’d eventually need to set up a business and/or a business account, and acquire your own ISBNs.

That’s a lot to pull together for a one-off experiment — and maybe not worth it when measured against the offer of an okay advance?

On the other hand, if the experiment is a first run at a possible career path, then it would be worthwhile to consider upping the bet by writing two or three novels or novellas in a series, and then publishing them in quick succession with lots of publicity. At least I keep hearing that’s the way to make a splash!

Conclusion: There is no best path in the fiction business, but keep in mind that your best option today may not be the best option for your next project.

Posted on: Saturday, December 12th, 2020 at 5:15 am
Categories: Publishing.