So Now We Have a Book

 My first self-publishing venture didn't go nearly as smoothly as I had hoped.  

Additional costs  can nickel and dime you to death so beware and ask in advance what would be required beyond the initial service fees. 

The costs can also run up long after your book is actually available. You  can buy book reviews. My readers did a good job for me but they're not in the 100s, that's for sure.  There are all kinds of services out there which may or may not be worth the money.  Determining which is no easy task because like with most things hyped on social media, who do you believe?  I was lucky and had a niche market with dog lovers, especially the Saint Bernard community.

Another thing I was naive about was marketing.  It's all on you and I'm told that's true with traditional publishers too. Unless you have celebrity or work for a news channel where everyone and their pet dogs (ahem) are writing books and all the network programs cross promote them. It seems like every news anchor and contributor in the world always has a new book coming out.  When do they find the time or do they have ghost writers?

The delays were no doubt partially my fault because I had a vision in my head and expected it to be met.  Re-doing got to be frustrating.  I kept telling myself I was not the sole client, but I still got frustrated.

I had writers tell me not to do it if I expected to make money.  I wondered why would you go to all the effort required if you didn't want to get your story out there and have people actually read it.  That to me meant making money - a return on investment at least.

But they were right.  At least with self-publishing you start getting royalties immediately. Not so with traditional publishing. The royalties, however, are pennies on the dollar and the number of books you need to sell to break even can be astronomical. It's also possible you'll meet resistance from book stores and your local newspaper reviewers. I can't begin to tell you how often I was told they didn't review self-published books.  Their loss and the writer's frustration.

Be vigilant when choosing your service.  My people go through Ingram Spark for one reason and one reason only - their distribution. They get their lists of books to nearly all bookstores that have an online presence - like Barnes and Noble as well as Amazon and notable local stores like Powells in Portland or Aunties in Spokane. That means those stores can order them for you.  You won't find them on the bookshelves anywhere unless your local store is self-publisher friendly or you are willing to pay for the privilege - or your a "somebody" who for some obscure reason decided to self-publish.

Considering I claim to be a writer, this overview of self-publishing may seem a bit muddled to those reading it, but so is the process.

Would I do it again?  I did.  Twice, and now there is a fourth book underway.  Why? I so love and believe in my characters I just can't let them go.  And like anyone with a dream, I try to remind myself it will take time.  Be patient. We'll see.