Do-It-Yourself-Publishing: Would You? Should You?

This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers.

I am a self-published author: my book Knight Errant goes on sale today. Obviously I think DIY-publishing is a viable option. That doesn't mean it's the choice for everyone.

Some writers think of DIY-publishing as the "easy way." No gatekeepers, yeehaw! A couple clicks to get on Amazon, whoo! What they forget or never realized, is that the "gatekeepers" are a writer's allies.

Once a writer acquires an agent, they have a professional in their corner. A good agent is highly invested in their book, knows the business and what needs to be done when, and can guide the writer through every trap and mire.

Editors aren't in publishing because they like being poor--they love books, and they want to produce the best ones they can. A good editor will work with a writer step by step to make every aspect of the book better. As James A. Owen said at a panel I attended, "My editor makes me look good!"

If you want to have a chance at success in DIY-publishing, you've got to do all that they do and more, all by yourself. There's a bias to overcome, as well. If you're good enough to be published, the question goes, why are you self-publishing?

Why am I self-publishing? Because I wrote a book that needs it. Knight Errant is a space opera with a gay non-white main character. It is not Literature, and it is not an Issue book. There exists the belief (search "whitewashing covers" if you don't believe me) that a non-white or non-straight MC can sound the death knell on a book that isn't About the Issues. "Hard to sell" is what I get for writing an out-of-the-box book that's good, but not utterly brilliant. I tried the traditional publishing route. Though the responses were encouraging, Knight Errant couldn't get past the professionals' need to earn a living. I still think there's a readership for it, and ebooks can make it affordable all around. That's why I'm self-publishingBecause I want a career, I'm determined to do this as "right" as possible. With that standard in mind, I've found nothing easy about DIY-publishing. Even getting the files loaded on the various platforms has proven to be a pain in the backside. Would I rather go traditional? Six months ago I would have said "Yes!" and made grabby hands for the contract. Now I'm not so sure. Selling a book to a traditional publisher is no guarantee of a career, after all. Anyone who follows publishing has heard the horror stories. Smart agents take on books they can't sell all the time. I could get a great agent, get a fantastic advance, and get an awful cover my agent can't avert that kills my sales and my career. My book could land in all the big chains but never get unboxed because it came out the same week as Harry Potter VS Edward Cullen, and with no sales my career is gone. My book could sell just fine--but not quite enough to earn out my advance--and suddenly I'm worse than unknown.

I hate knowing that it all depends on me. It's terrifying. And I love that my book and my career depend on me. It's exhilarating.

If you're considering following the path I've chosen, you need to know what you're getting into. Have you studied publishing? Do you have a plan? Colleen Lindsay, Janet Reid, Nathan Bransford, and many others know publishing. Find their blogs and learn. J.A. Konrath and Michael Stackpole are two well-known authors agitating for the ebook revolution. See what they have to say. Learn what's out there, what's happening, and how to be realistic. You won't have an agent at your side to keep your feet on the ground; you'll have to do that yourself. And you don't get to skip the hard work. Any of it.

Editing is still an absolute requirement, and doing it yourself means doing it a lot, over a period of time, because each time you let it lie, when you come back you see something else you didn't realize was in there. A good cover is a necessity, not a luxury. Self-promotion is dang hard.

Going around the query process doesn't absolve you from learning to write hooks and synopses. You'll need to provide that back-cover copy yourself. You need to make it good, too, unless your name is Stephen King or Dan Brown.

You still have to get the spelling and grammar right. One of the huge advantages the ebook market gives unknown writers is the customer's ability to preview before buying. Not all readers "know" that self-published books are awful. They'll risk a few minutes to read your preview if you catch their interest. Make sure that preview--and the rest of the book--is as polished as possible.

Yes, you can price it however you want. It's better to price it low unless, again, your name is Stephen King or Dan Brown. Think like a drug dealer (sorry.) Your mark had a taste with the preview, and they like it, but they're just not sure. Come on, your low price says. Risk three lousy bucks. You know you're gonna like it...

I've listed only a few things you're going to need to know if you go this way, but I hope it's enough to show that self-publishing is not a guaranteed route to success any more than traditional publishing is. If you want to sell, you've got to do the work--and that time could be put towards writing instead. You, too, can "be a published author with just a few clicks of a button!"--but the publishing is the easy part. Choose wisely.