A few authors who publish their work independently are lucky the first time and produce a runaway hit. They increase their visibility, sell lots of books, and profit handsomely. But more often, knowing the ins and outs of successful self-publishing is required for success. It’s about everything from book fulfillment service to finding the best printer and publicist. Even if you are deeply committed to working as a DIYer, working with industry veterans on parts of your book project can elevate it. An editor and cover designer are essential, as are marketers, to help you promote.
Setting a budget for your project and having the funds to back it up also helps. Many self-publishers are business people and professionals looking to raise their visibility. Media suspicious of pure PR pitches will soften when you present yourself as an author with a book. It all depends on the usefulness of your content and the compelling nature of your story if you’re a novelist. But book open doors, and you’ll have an easier time promoting yourself when you have more to offer. Online exposure also helps, and everyone dreams of going viral. But for most writers, it is an incremental process with many steps.
One of the most significant decisions you’ll make when self-publishing your first book is whether to print it on demand. The promised advantage is absolving yourself of much responsibility and having an instant infrastructure to get your book printed. But it’s a template-driven system that swallows up many authors who are reduced to content creators in a much larger online system. If you dream of selling your book on the shelves of your local independent bookstore, it’s a non-starter with print-on-demand. You’ll also have many limitations on your book, including its size, the type of paper it’s printed on, etc.
When learning more about the most successful self-published authors, checking out their books and PR campaigns is informative. You may find some variation because the same thing won’t work for every author. But you will likely notice the things that did work for them and wonder whether they might work for you. Not everything will, but others can inspire you as you plan your book’s launch. How you print it and where you sell it factor in significantly if you want to sell it profitably—returning to on-demand versus independent publishing and book fulfillment to remain in complete control.
