Becoming a successful self-published author is a lot of work, and it helps if you are able to network. I met Ben Galley at a publishing event and found out he had got his beautifully designed books into Waterstones, the biggest book chain in the UK. Impressive work.
Ben continues to teach me a lot and I am delighted to have him on the blog to talk about how self-publishing has presented writers with new ways to find their own success, as well as introducing his new site Shelf Help.
Success
Success is not a straight road. Often, it’s barely a road at all, more of a dirt track or a winding river to be forded. But hey, it’s a route after all, and as Self-Publishing authors, we’re all on it to some degree.
As a proactive author who does regular signings and lectures, I say this to a lot of people and it gets a whole range of reactions. Some nod and grin like I did when I first came to the conclusion. Others hum and shrug, temporarily unconvinced, while others laugh and shake their heads, almost in a pitying way. This has become the way of the book industry.
Self-Publishing, or Indie Publishing, or DIY publishing, call it what you will, is seen in a number of lights in this industry. Undeniably, we Indie authors have caused quite a ruckus for both the consumer and the publishing house. This has caused a huge division of opinion, and can often cause quite a lot of animosity. Nevertheless, thanks to the internet, we have turned the publishing model on its head.
Where are we?
This fact cannot be denied. For the first time in history, we are seeing more published books per month and per year than ever before.
This isn’t due to the expansion of publishing houses, no, this is down to the individuals using new technology and digital footholds to forge their own little empires. For the first time in the book industry, Self-Publishing, done right, is now a viable profession.
Gone are the days of simple Vanity presses. We are seeing Indie titles being snapped up for 6 and 7-figure deals. We are seeing Indie authors in best seller lists. We are seeing communities of DIY writers flourish and grow. Some of us have already walked down the road of success and made it. I don’t know about you, but this excites me.
It hasn’t been an easy transition
Due to the new ease of Self-Publishing, namely ePublishing, we have seen a huge influx of poor quality and cheap eBooks hit the market, effectively flooding some retailers. This in turn has given some of us a bad name and angered some consumers. Amazon, having an open-door policy to its KDP platform, has been accused of becoming the new slush pile. It’s not all sunshine and green grass out there.
But there is one over-arching fact that makes me grin like nothing else. If this digital and Indie revolution has done one thing and one thing only for us, it is this:
It has given us options.
Options
Options, you ask? What options?!
Well, before Self-Publishing there were only two routes. One was the traditional route, one involving literary agents and the mystic book deal.
The other was vanity publishing, aptly named and very limited. Like the traditional route, it was achieved by a precious few.
Then came along the internet, like a bull through a gate, and suddenly we have eReaders, eBooks, Print On Demand, Social Media, and suddenly more and more options appeared on the horizon. Authors now had choice, and above all, the ability to make a viable living outside of these traditional routes.
Same goal, different route.
This is what Self-Publishing has given us: another road to the very same goal.
For the first time in history, authors can choose to publish themselves via a host of different companies and avenues. We now have access to crowd-sourcing and ePublishing. We can reach a global audience from nothing more than a laptop, thanks to the internet and eReaders.
We have the chance to rub shoulders with the finest of them on the bestseller lists. We can control our own revenue at incredible royalty rates.
We have become editors, graphic designers, marketing gurus, social media wizards, web designers, and more. We can stand out to publishers and bypass the usual channels, building fan-bases of our own and proving ourselves in the process.
We have options! It’s an untested but exciting time, and packed with opportunity.
So it may not be a straight road for some of us, but it’s a road nonetheless, and one that we didn’t have a decade ago. We just have to know what steps to take, and do that we can to follow in those of the ones who have already made it to the finish. Perhaps some of us will carve an entirely new road. This industry is still changing, after all.
Success may not be a straight road, but we have more of a shot at it than we’ve ever had.
ABOUT BEN:
At 24, Ben is one of the youngest Self-Published authors in the UK. He is the author of the fast-paced fantasy Emaneska Series, a trilogy he likens to the mysterious love-child of Lord of The Rings and Sin City.
Ben is incredibly zealous about inspiring other authors and writers, and regularly gives lectures and workshops on the subject of Self-Publishing. He wants to help others turn their passion into their profession, and to follow their wildest dreams. Ben can be found being loquacious and attempting to be witty on Twitter @BenGalley.
SHELF-HELP is Ben’s new site designed to help prospective authors write, publish, and sell their books. He shares his own lessons learned and encourages others to do the same.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I love self publishing and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s the control over my book that I love the most with being able to pick the cover design and setting my own price.
This post really confirms it for me. I’m going indie! And I loved the post’s upbeat tone.
Thanks for this post. This website has been a great resource for me. I’m going the idie route after years of being published traditionally and this kind of information is very helpful.
Thank you Joanna for being kind enough to give me a space on her wonderful website, and thank you Shaquanda and John for your comments! All the best,
Ben
Excellent post, Ben, and congratulations on getting such a wonderful start to your writing career. I agree that the internet has opened up tremendous possibilities for writers, whether self published or traditional, but with those possibilities come new challenges. It’s not enough to “simply” write a great book, an author has to be able to get it noticed. I think that is where many authors struggle.
I believe in today’s market, understanding the ins and outs of social media, and getting a grasp on the strategy for promoting a book, will become just as important as the writing.
Great post Ben…love the opportunities for authors now:-) Love your passion…thanks for your picture of what success for writers really looks like…true enough!
Self publishing feels sort of like a giant that we are expected to slay with one little stone. It’s massive, it’s overwhelming.
This post brings it into perspective though. I feel a little comforted by it. It’s like a pep talk. Much needed. Thank you for sharing this!
Great article! I could not agree more.
I am working on two enhanced ebooks right now. It’s “enhanced” because the content is not just text, but also video, audio, and web. The first book is a how-to guide so it really benefits from all types of media, and the second is a vegan guide, also benefiting from mixed media.
I’m launching the publications as an app for iOS (iPad, iPhone, iTouch) and am using this product: http://www.nov8rix.com/one-publisher/
The container takes PDF, not ePub, so the layout looks great and I won’t need to worry about any conversions.
After that I am going to look into adapting it for Kindle, Nook etc. and will have to figure out the ePub conversion. I’m a bit concerned b/c the design requires a fixed layout and everything I’ve read about ePub makes me think this is going to take a lot of work.
Finally, after that I may consider adapting it to print on demand. It’s just that the loss of the media will leave some key gaps in the content…
Thanks for an encouraging article!
Loops
I’m a freelance book publicist who specializes in web pr for authors. Recently I’ve been approached by more authors who are self-published. In general I think self-publishing is great, especially if the author workshopped the project and worked with a professional editor. There are many terrific pieces overlooked by agents and publishers which deserve to be in the public eye. But one major issue not addressed in this story (or on Ben’s very informative site) is how to get reviewed/interviewed/considered for a guest blog by literary bloggers. In general, bloggers look to the publishers as a guide to what’s worth reading and anything that does not meet that criteria doesn’t find a place on their sites. I’ve encountered this a lot in the past year, and this makes it very hard for indie authors to gain traction. Of course you have the giveaway sites, but I have found putting together a blog tour harder if not impossible with a self-published book. I think it’s only fair that would-be self-pub authors understand the full picture — yes it might be easier to get your book in print because you pay for it to happen, but it has the potential of making it harder to get attention from bloggers. I guess everyone is looking to the Darcie Chan story as the paradigm, but I think it should be pointed out that she’s the exception and not the rule.
It’s a great time to be an author! I’ve been traveling the e-publishing route of late, and it’s astounding to see even more options in the solely e-publishing world! One I’ve been most interested in trying is called Booktango, where authors can publish for free, use a DIY cover design tool and get 100% of their royalties when the book’s purchased through their bookstore. I’m interested in seeing what services other e-publishers offer as my research continues – but it’s great to know I have a choice.
That sounds awesome but also too good to be true? What’s the catch? It’s free plus we get to keep all the money? How does Booktango make any money?
I tend to be skeptical about these things because either it means the company won’t stay in business or you are the product… If they want to stay in business they have to monetize somewhere. Is it ads? Is it collecting data on your audience?
Well, they offer packages in tiers, so there’s the option to purchase other services. I think that’s where they make their profit – if you want to purchase editing services, press releases, etc.
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