When You Write a Book - Should You Self-Publish?

You're writing a book - should you self-publish?Another year passes before the book hits the
While in the past going the ebook or Print onbookstore shelves, and depending on the size of
Demand (POD) route was seen as vanityyour advance payment (which is always against
publishing, that's no longer the case. The bigroyalties) yet another year may pass before you
benefit of the DIY approach is that you get toget royalties.
keep all the profits.So traditional publishing takes around two or more
The Web has changed the way authors think. Ayears from when you get an idea for a book, to
decade a go, every book I wrote was for athe day the book is for sale.
major publisher. Although I didn't make muchContrast that with self-publishing. When I get an
money, the books did boost my brand - any myidea for an ebook, the average time it takes for
ego.me to write the book and get it online and selling
The Web has changed everything. Nowadays I -is around two months, sometimes less.
and many other established authors - self-publish.Other benefits of self-publishing include:
It's sensible.* You can see the results of marketing your
When speaking with established authors, I'mebook or POD book at once - in increased profits.
hearing that nine times out of ten they prefer toYou'll still need to market your bookstore-book,
self-publish their books as ebooks, first.but you won't see the profits (if indeed there are
Here are some comments I've received when Iany) for years:
asked why authors did this:* You can write six books in the time it
* I can publish my ebook with a few clicks of mypreviously took you to write one, simply because
mouse in days, rather than years. Since I've got athere's no waiting around for others to read your
mortgage, it makes sense...work;
* Eight or 15 per cent looks silly next to the 100* No rejections. You write it, you sell it, and you
per cent profit I make from self-publishing...get the money, instantly;
* I love it - when I publish online, I have direct* Your ebook acts as a book proposal. An editor
contact with readers...at a publishing house may see it and make you an
Should You Self-Publish?offer, which you can accept... or not, if you're
When you sell a book to a publisher, it's a longmaking good money with the ebook.
process. First you write a book proposal, andIs self-publishing for you? That depends on your
send it to your agent. By the time the agent hasbusiness model, and why you're writing your book.
read the proposal and sent it around to publishers,However, more and more, authors are seeing
a year has passed before you get a contract.that DIY is the way to go.