Should I self-publish my book?

[Eireann]

I have a book. I find it very funny. I've sent synopses to agents all over the place, and I've been rejected by every single one of them.

A friend of mine knows an author, and my friend spoke to this author. The author recommended self-publishing.

I'm wondering if this is the way to go. On the one hand, it's free. There's also an offer for this month only, where you can get $300 worth of publishing services FREE on Amazon.

On the other hand, there are countless self-publishers out there. Some are good. Some are not. The specter of Jacqueline Howett's virtually illiterate, raging tantrum hangs over the whole thing.

What do you think? Self-publish? If so, what should I charge?

[TheSHAD0W]

On one hand... You may be better off keeping it under wraps, while you keep writing other works. If one day a publisher takes up one of your books and it becomes popular, your back-works will suddenly become a lot more valuable.

On the other hand... The entire publishing industry has been getting rocked by the widespread adoption of ebooks, and dead-tree books may disappear entirely - in which case holding back would make the above plan moot.

I would advice you *not* to make an exclusive arrangement with any e-publisher, even Amazon. With things this turbulent you may wind up tied to the corporate equivalent of a rotting corpse.

Also, beware of smaller self-publishing companies, some have been less than honest about how many of your books they sell.

[AnaKhouri]

Are you planning to publish in print or as an e-book?

Honestly if you publish in print, you are almost guaranteed to lose money.

However, e-book publishing (Amazon's Kindle store makes it pretty easy) asks for nearly no overhead, especially if you can design your own cover art.

You can also shop it around to small press publishers if you have the time; if you want it our now, e-self publishing is my recommendation.

[KiaKat]

Self-publishing basically ensures no agent will ever touch you. Which means no major publisher will ever touch you.

Do the research. Find out what agents work most closely with your sort of genre. Send them not just a synopsis, but at least the first three chapters. And even then, there's no guarantee - a lot of agents aren't taking new clients right now.

If you have the extra cash laying around, check out one of the agent-matching companies - google "Agent Research." They'll help you get an in with an agent that fits you.

[AnaKhouri]

However, if you want to keep looking at agents, don't just send them chapters willy-nilly. Do EXACTLY what they ask for in their guidelines. Sending more than they request is a surefire way to end up in the recycling bin.

[Eireann]

That's what I have done. I've sent it to agent after agent after agent, always following their guidelines precisely. Why wouldn't they touch me if I published an e-book?

[AnaKhouri]

I don't think that's entirely accurate, at least not now. I have heard of at least one writer whose success in the Kindle store led to a print contract.

I decided to give up on agents myself, and deal with small presses which rarely if ever require agented submissions. In e- and small press publishing, agents aren't required. You won't make as much money, but with them you have a better chance of being published at all, and no agents taking their cut.

I spent 3 years looking for an agent for my first novel; the first small press I sent it to asked for the full manuscript (and is still considering it). I still urge you to hit small presses first and then look at self-publishing if you fine they don't work for you.

[Seshat]

I really wouldn't recommend self-publishing a print book. Bookstores won't pick it up, you'll end up with a pile of books sitting in your garage.

However, self-publishing an e-book is fine, and can be financially lucrative depending on how well you market it.

[KiaKat]

When you self-publish, you're throwing yourself into a situation where all the sale rights of the book are in doubt. Because you technically hold all the international rights, all the future publishing rights, and all the film (tv, internet, etc) rights, normal distribution channels won't want to touch you. E-books are an entirely different can of worms - if you do it through Amazon, you automatically give them certain rights, and automatically retain certain rights. But it also creates a precedent that scares agents - if you've self-published once, who is to say you won't do it again? They *hate* that. They want as much control over your current list and your backlist titles as they can get, for negotiation purposes.

Some agents (usually the younger ones who have more experience in the electronic age of books), aren't intimidated by self-published ebooks. But you have to look long and hard... I used to work for one of those agent research companies, and the number of young agents in the biz was... not very large.

[ShadowBall]

I've questioned this too...I've got an idea for a book floating around in my head too and while I haven't given it considerable thought yet, I've also debated publisher vs. self-publication. But if no agent will give you a chance, how the hell can you get your book out there besides doing it yourself? It sucks. I've seen so much shit that somehow gets published *coughTwilightcough* while people with actually interesting material get refused left and right.

[Eireann]

That's exactly it. When agents keep turning me down - and all of them have - how would I be scaring them away if I self-publish? (An e-book, that is, not a print book.) I'd much rather let an agent deal with the headache of getting a book published. Yet nobody is interested in it. Maybe an e-book is my best option.

[Rapscallion]

There are two forms of self-publishing in dead tree format. One is either Vanity or DIY version - in either case you pay to have a load of books printed and then try to sell them. The other is POD (Print on Demand). POD is more expensive for the end user.

E-books are a relatively new phenomenon. It'll take the book market some time to adjust to them.

However, when you self publish you need to realise what you're doing is self-promoting. You have to do all your publicity yourself. You have to sell it to your audience yourself. You're on your own.

Rapscallion

[Eireann]

On the other hand, a friend of mine has MANY Facebook acquaintances. And there's my family - of course, it wouldn't be to all of their tastes, but hey, that's how it goes.

And, it's true. Some of the most amazing GARBAGE out there sees print, while good authors have no agents.

[dalesys]

And, it's true. Some of the most amazing GARBAGE out there sees print, while good authors have no agents.

Sturgeon's Law: 90% of science fiction, of any creative endeavor, is crap.

[Eireann]

...and that's what sees print.