Comments on: How to Tell If You’re Self-Publishing Your Book for the Right Reasons

By: Colleen

Colleen — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 16:42:06 +0000

In reply to J R Tomlin. Thanks for your thoughts, JR! Sounds like your writing is going well.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 01:28:31 +0000

In reply to Raymond Walker. Ha ha. Great story, Raymond! Yes, sometimes we just have to prove to ourselves we can do it. It's always easier the second time around. :O)

By: J R Tomlin

J R Tomlin — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 23:14:47 +0000

Mostly I totally agree.

I semi-disagree with needing a developmental editor. I had one for my first three novels, but since then, I have not used one and have not felt the lack. So, if this is someone’s first novel, probably. Otherwise, possibly not. Copy editing and proofreading are another story. The writer who does not need those is rare indeed.

You are right that the self-published author who gets rich is rare. On the other hand, there are quite a few who make a living at it, but even that is neither easy nor quick.

By: Raymond Walker

Raymond Walker — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 18:08:31 +0000

Good post, thanks. Everything you say is correct. There is one other reason for self-publishing that you do not mention and as it was the reason I first self-published, I thought to mention it. At the time I was a magazine editor and had many short stories published in both my own cadre of mags and in others, comics, periodicals, newspapers, anthologies and the like but I had never written a novel. My wife told me that my attention span was not long enough and that, even though I was a good writer, I was limited.
I set out to prove her wrong. At around the same time one of my friends started to write a novel never expecting it to be good nor for it to be published. It was simply to see if they could do it. I did not wish my completed novel to interfere with my day job and my reputation as an excellent short story writer, I was not even convinced that my novel was good. My friend completed his novel a few months later (it was pretty bad). I had looked into self-publishing, a new thing just after the turn of the century and even vanity publishing. Using a pseudonym for me and my friend self-publishing under his own name, one drunken Friday night we self-published on lulu using generically created covers.
Anyway, this was a long story to say a small thing, “Sometimes it is just to prove we can do it”.
Oh, and my book sold all of twenty eight copies (my mother and wife accounted for the majority of those) my friends sold two copies. He still has both of them.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:02:19 +0000

In reply to MINDY ALYSE WEISS. Thanks, Mindy!

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:01:50 +0000

In reply to BECCA PUGLISI. Ha ha. Me too, Becca!

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:01:28 +0000

In reply to ANGELA ACKERMAN. Great points, Angela! And I agree--can't think of anyone who benefited from racing to publish.

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:53:40 +0000

Love this. Probably one of the things I say more than anything else to writers is that publishing isn’t a race. Too many writers have the mindset that they have to keep up with everyone else, and so they try to force a book along. No one is great at writing a story out the gate, and those skills take time to build. Finding an agent, a publisher, etc. also takes time, if that’s a person’s path. Self-publishing takes time too, if a person wants to do it well.

I can’t think of anyone who has benefited from rushing their book to market before it was ready. Taking your time also allows a person to get into the proper mindset and make decisions for the right reasons, and that leads to a happier career.

By: BECCA PUGLISI

BECCA PUGLISI — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 11:57:50 +0000

I love the pile of cash on the image for this post, lol. Thanks for dispelling some of the myths surrounding self-publishing so writers can make better decisions for their books.

By: MINDY ALYSE WEISS

MINDY ALYSE WEISS — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 11:32:37 +0000

Thanks for this helpful post, Colleen. 🙂