Tag Archives: self-publishing

The Disadvantages of self publishing

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Self-publishing brings many benefits not least of which is the ability to get one’s work published quickly (indeed for many aspiring authors self-publishing is the only option given that most established publishing houses will not “risk” publishing unknown authors). The purpose of this post is however to deal with some of the downsides associated with self-publishing.

I self-published my collection of short stories, The First Time, using the services of a company which specialises in the field of self-publishing. The company offers a variety of packages ranging from an ebook only option through to the publication of both an ebook and a printed version (Print on Demand or POD). They also offer editorial services, book cover design and a press release service. I plumped for the ebook only option and paid for book cover design as an optional add-on.

One of the advantages of utilising the services of a self-publishing company is that they will arrange for the formatting and distribution of your work. In the case of authorsonline.co.uk (the company I used) they distribute titles to approximately 200 outlets including Amazon and Google Books. As of today (12 January) my book, The First Time is available from around 10 ebook retailers. While it gives me a sense of achievement to Google The First Time and see it displayed on a number of sites the speed at which publishers are adding the title is frustrating. In particular my book has still not yet appeared in Apple’s Ibook Store.

Another disadvantage associated with self-publishing is that you, the author must put a great deal of time and effort into promoting your book. This can (and often is) fun, however it entails a good deal of hard work the benefits of which are not always obvious (I.E. blogging about your book will not, necessarily lead to a take off in sales). One must be patient and keep plugging away.

Many bloggers specialising in the area of writing and publishing will recommend that authors use a variety of sources to promote their work (for example WordPress, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads). While I’d endorse this advice I’d also caution against spreading oneself to thinly. If one has the time to regularly update multiple social media then all power to your elbow. If, however one has a fulltime job or other commitments the regular updating of several platforms may not be possible. In such instances I’d recommend concentrating on one (maybe two) platforms as it is better to produce quality posts on a limited number of social media than risk imperilling the quality of your writing by attempting to post on a wide variety of platforms.

I’ve often heard it said that one should attempt to post every day in order to keep your blog’s (and your writing’s) profile high up in the ranking of search engines. While this is good advice there may well be occasions when one simply has nothing to say or you are so exhausted that anything which you do post will not show off your writing at it’s best. In such circumstances it is best not to post. In such situations have an early night and your writing will be all the better for it on the following day.

In conclusion self-publishing has much to recommend it, however it does require a great deal of time and effort by you the author.

The Joys of Technology

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As I sit at my desk, typing away on my laptop I give thanks to the great god of technology. I love the way in which one’s brain is stretched by the necessity of remembering countless passwords without which one can not access e-mails, bank accounts etc. Forgetting passwords is such fun and helps to enhance one’s physical atributes. For example the way in which I shake my fist menacingly at my poor defenseless laptop provides me with much needed exercise and has helped to strengthen my arm muscles no end!
This evening the joy of guessing passwords was brought home to me with a vengence. I have now received the proof of the manuscript for my collection of short stories, “The First Time” in epub format. In order to access the document I downloaded software from Adobe’s website which installed like a dream. Great I thought as I clicked on the epub file containing the proof of “The First Time”, soon I will be able to read over the proof of my manuscript. Alas woe is me, the great god of technology requested that I enter a password in order to open the file – oops my publisher has neglected to inform me of the password so no book have I read! Oh well tomorrow is, as they say another day and with a bit of luck I’ll be able to give the proof the once over then after I receive the elusive password!

Living in Wonderland

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I have written previously regarding the pitfalls of self-publishing using the services of a self-publishing company (see https://newauthoronline.wordpress.com/2012/11/23/eureka/). I contrasted the eas with which I published my first collection of short stories, “The Girl At The Bus Stop And Other Erotic Short Stories”, without having to pay a penny using Amazon, with the difficulties I am experiencing in attempting to publish “The First Time” employing the facilities of a self-publishing company.

I feel like Alice In Wonderland. Yesterday I received an e-mail from the Submissions Manager of the company who are self-publishing “The First Time” asking that I return the signed contract. The lady in question had some 4 weeks prior to sending her e-mail confirmed receipt of the contract and taken my credit card payment. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or throw my toys out of the pram. I chose to do none of these things and responded politely reminding the company that I had returned the contract and made payment. I’ve received an apology and been informed that the proof of my book should be with me by the end of the week (I’ve heard that before unfortunately so I am to put it mildly a wee bit sceptical.

Prior to using the company in question I took the precaution of Googling them with the result that no negative feedback reared it’s ugly head. It just goes to show that one can research matters until you are blue in the face and still find that you have been sold a pup. I am now at the point of thinking that if I don’t receive the proof of my manuscript by Friday that I will request the return of my money and publish “The First Time” on Amazon.

 

(For details of my book “The Girl At The Bus Stop And Other Erotic Short Stories” please see https://newauthoronline.wordpress.com/my-books/).

The Perils of Self-Publishing

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As an author I entered the world of self publishing like a naïve young virgin with little (if any) idea of the big bad world. I self published my first book “The Girl At The Bus Stop” on Amazon with only very minor difficulties and, best of all it cost me £0 to do so! However I am still waiting for what should have been my first published book of short stories, “The First Time” to be published as an e-book. Unlike “The Girl At The Bus Stop” I chose to use the services of an outfit specialising in assisting authors who wish to self publish when publishing “The First Time”. Their website states that books should appear within 6-8 weeks and be sent to approximately 200 e-book publishers for distribution. It is now around 1 month since I signed up with this company and as of today (19 November) I am still waiting for the book cover which I paid extra for to be e-mailed to me for approval. I’m beginning to wish that I’d gone down the road of using Amazon’s self publishing feature for both books not just “The Girl At The Bus Stop”.

I paid just under £400 for the privilege of having my book cover designed, the book formatted in order to make it suitable for e-readers and for the file to be sent to around 200 e-book publishers. I am, as I say beginning to question whether this was money well spent.

I would be very interested to hear the views of others.