I self-published a 4-book SF saga 12 years ago because I was sick and tired of carrying that stuff in my head (for about 20 years) and wanted to write something else. This was the beginning of KDP, Amazon didn't offer the paperback option yet. Let's say that I learned A LOT! About ISBNs, formatting (I'm a nitpicker so I sweated bullets to make everything look impeccable), design, pricing, marketing (social media was in its infancy and reaching people was wrestling with a grizzly bear). When I started thinking about a crime series - 8 years ago - I decided I would go trad., essentially because I wanted a character that had the legs for 5 or 6 books and if I went "self", there would be no going back. It's taken a long time and when an indie publisher reneged on a contract after leaving me hanging for 2 years, I decided I'd give myself another year of knocking on doors - June 2024 was actually my cut-off date before taking the "self" plunge - not getting any younger here, lol! Well... an indie published my short story collection last year, and the first crime book will come out from Shotgun Honey this summer. So yeah, think about pros and cons, make a plan A, and a plan B, because this is a wobbly industry. I don't regret the "self" experiment, it was an education.
Thanks Richard. I regularly talk about craft, industry, inspiration on my Stack. You might like it (it comes out every other Thursday). Ia also chat with other writers: https://meproctor.substack.com
The industry won't ignore a self-published book that's doing well for long. An example is Out On a Limb, by Hannah Bonham-Young. Evidently this self-published book did so well that Dell picked it up, and contracted with the author for several more books. Beyond these facts, I can't find any more info on what happened here. I would always be interested if anyone has more info about this book, or if anyone can cite other recent examples. Thanks.
Love the article. Still on the fence but leaning toward trad. Mostly because I have a day job and having two jobs is kind of daunting. Would love to transition some day but that depends. I'm not in the writing for the money.
Excellent article! As a happily self-published author, I wholeheartedly recommend this article to anyone thinking about self-publishing their own work.
Thanks for sharing your insight. You always have a great perspective on these topics.
This was awesome. Thank you for cutting through the noise as usual.
I self-published a 4-book SF saga 12 years ago because I was sick and tired of carrying that stuff in my head (for about 20 years) and wanted to write something else. This was the beginning of KDP, Amazon didn't offer the paperback option yet. Let's say that I learned A LOT! About ISBNs, formatting (I'm a nitpicker so I sweated bullets to make everything look impeccable), design, pricing, marketing (social media was in its infancy and reaching people was wrestling with a grizzly bear). When I started thinking about a crime series - 8 years ago - I decided I would go trad., essentially because I wanted a character that had the legs for 5 or 6 books and if I went "self", there would be no going back. It's taken a long time and when an indie publisher reneged on a contract after leaving me hanging for 2 years, I decided I'd give myself another year of knocking on doors - June 2024 was actually my cut-off date before taking the "self" plunge - not getting any younger here, lol! Well... an indie published my short story collection last year, and the first crime book will come out from Shotgun Honey this summer. So yeah, think about pros and cons, make a plan A, and a plan B, because this is a wobbly industry. I don't regret the "self" experiment, it was an education.
This is splendid, Martine. Keep us up-to-date. I for one am very interested in the process and your journey.
Thanks Richard. I regularly talk about craft, industry, inspiration on my Stack. You might like it (it comes out every other Thursday). Ia also chat with other writers: https://meproctor.substack.com
I'm a subscriber. Also a believer : )
Oh, thank you!
The industry won't ignore a self-published book that's doing well for long. An example is Out On a Limb, by Hannah Bonham-Young. Evidently this self-published book did so well that Dell picked it up, and contracted with the author for several more books. Beyond these facts, I can't find any more info on what happened here. I would always be interested if anyone has more info about this book, or if anyone can cite other recent examples. Thanks.
This is so great and much needed. I've been taking time to decide all these things and this helped me solidify what I really want. Thanks Gabino!
Love the article. Still on the fence but leaning toward trad. Mostly because I have a day job and having two jobs is kind of daunting. Would love to transition some day but that depends. I'm not in the writing for the money.
Excellent article! As a happily self-published author, I wholeheartedly recommend this article to anyone thinking about self-publishing their own work.
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