I've been looking into the viability of bypassing agents and publishers altogether and am now wondering why the publishing industry is so worried. If your self-published work becomes successful, you either have to sprout three extra pairs of hands and develop several hind brains or delegate to professionals. It is not remotely possible to run a successful publishing company for your book and continue writing, so you would have to cease to be an author and become those you have striven to avoid.
What might be coming to an end is the discovery of talent by agents. I fear they are about to become the ambulance chasers of the literary world, chasing every new thing in self-publishing to strike it lucky saleswise. That would mean they no longer asked themselves if it was well-written and simply asked if they felt they could continue the sales momentum. That's an horrendous thought and I find myself actually wanting to support the agents and publishers' right to select the very best work instead of what just sells, even though I have the connections to easily self-publish real books and my own book lends itself quite nicely to self-publishing. (When I say that, I'm referring to the content. I don't mean that it's total s**t that couldn't possibly hook a publisher!)
The only possible advantage is that as a new writer I might secure a better deal if I were able to rack up my own sales first. I'm not usually the sort of person to think about what is financially better, but the odds are against so the question must be asked: Is self-publishing the more lucrative option for new authors, both in terms of an initial return and with the possible offer from a later agent and/or publisher, and if it is is it the right thing to do, or in our quest for a reasonable return are we creating the monster agents and publishers fear - an industry driven entirely by sales with no consideration of talent?
Take your time - it's a knotty one!
Very interesting article in The Guardian about digital SP.
One interesting quote:
Not many authors visit the book fair. "It'd be like bringing a cow for a stroll around a meat market," said one editor. But 24-year-old Ben Galley is one of a new breed of author-agent-editor-publisher-publicists.
He published his first book two years ago and makes his living selling his fantasy ebooks. He says he never sought an orthodox deal; instead he bought 10 ISBN numbers for £100 (so his book could be sold in shops), crowd-sourced his cover design (created by someone in Sweden for £180), and purchased a domain name for £10. Then he uploaded his ebook to Amazon.
For his second book he crowd-sourced volunteer editors to proofread his work: "I found beta readers, rather like you have beta apps," he said.
He has sold nearly 50,000 copies of his books at 99p each. He receives a 35% royalty.
Full article online at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/18/london-book-fair-publishing-world
http://www.ipg.uk.com/cgi-bin/scribe?showinfo=pp132
I think this is the only one that comes close so far, but the Independent Publishers' Alliance is only two months old, so it might be something they'll think about in the future. I'm not sure whether the IPGs awards recognise self-publishers, or ever will. I have to say I'm confused by the term independent publishing. It seems it can refer to really quite large companies but can also mean one-man-bands. The only stipulation seems to be that they are in no way connected to any of the big six companies (subsiduaries, sister companies etc.)
Thanks for the advice, Jennifer. I would never publish a book in any format that hadn't been professionally edited. I'm also considering a typesetter because there are emails, texts and personal messaging in my MS that could do with properly formatting so each is very ovbiously exactly what it is. My current formatting - changing from Times New Roman to Calibri and indenting with a dash - just won't do!
And I had this idea years ago. It's something the publishing idustry should have done and never has, and if I were to used a traditional publisher the idea would be blown out of the water straight away, but on my own I can add all my daft little ideas and hope that it adds to the overall package.
Hey folks, look at that, I appear to have decided! Self-publishing in only the way I could do it it is!
The SP route is not one I have considered mainly due to time constraints and for the simple fact that I have no clue where to begin when it comes to marketing and publicity. That would seem a very daunting task.
If I were to consider the SP route though then there are a few things I would consider doing beforehand.
1. Get your MS edited by a professional and pay for this service. From what I have read, the dire quality of some SP titles is due to the lack of editing. I believe this is a skill in its own right and not necessarily a skill writers themselves possess. A well edited piece will be appreciated and will (hopefully) attracted better reviews and therefore sales.
2. Research the market. If SP titles that sell and are popular are mainly in the Crime and Fantasy genre, then perhaps a work of literary fiction is not best suited to this form of publishing. So don't waste time trying to sell something in a marketplace where there are no buyers.
3. Use social media well. Set up an account that is only dedicated to your novel and push it out via FB and Twitter etc. Develop an online following. After all it is online that you will sell the novel, so it is online that you need to present it.
4. Enter competitions. Get a name for yourself by entering competitions. A prize can be added to your CV and help promote you as a writer. Also, be daring when entering competitions. Try something you have never done before - write a play or a poem. Test yourself.
5. Set time aside each day to do "promotional" activities. This can simply mean commenting on other people's work. Being seen to be active and interested will help develop your online profile.
In the end, I think if most people are honest, they would try the SP route as a way to get a TP deal. I can imagine that SP would become too exhausting after a few years.
One question I do have. Is there an online SP award? Say the Booker for SP online work? Such an award could increase the profile of SP titles in general and show readers that there is some quality stuff out there that is readable and enjoyable.