The Dynamics Of Self Publishing - Part One

For many writers the dream is to be able to 'speak' directly to their readers without the bother or expense of editors and publishers. 'Writing without restrictions' is a brilliant idea for an author, most think it is very liberating and it can be a stimulating idea in the dynamics of self publishing.

When a traditional publisher takes on a book for publication they are taking a significant gamble with their own money. In their terms they want to see a return on that investment, some thousands of dollars, and they use their internal operations, including editors and designers, to help make sure that the book will attract the greatest volume of sales.

So, as the publisher is risking his money and reputation, then their staff will have a major control on the finished book, which may not be what the writer intended. The author's wishes are then subject to the publishers view of 'what sells'.

As a self publisher you are taking risks - but you can balance that against the problems of traditional publishing. Your cash risk can be limited, tens of dollars rather than tens of thousands; you are risking time and reputation, not cash.

Further, you will carry the can for the project as well. It is up to you to find, or act as, an editor, designer, project manager, manuscript preparer and so on. Many of these you can do yourself, but always ask yourself if that is the best way to get the result you are seeking.

So, should you self publish at all? Unless you have written something with mass appeal, one that people really would buy from a bookstore, then self publishing is probably the way to go - especially if you want to make some money from your efforts. It is not always straightforward, there's much to learn on the way, but none of it is very difficult and you often find help through wise use of the Internet and friends.

There are three main steps when self publishing…

* Writing the publication's content

* Converting the completed manuscript for production and distribution including preparing the design and all contents, e.g. Table of Contents, end matter, illustrations, covers .

* Proposing a marketing and promotion plan and making it work.

If ever there was a dynamics of self publishing then this is it!

First up, then is the authoring. As you are not going the traditional publisher route this is completely up to you. If you are selling for gain then you need to select a subject that people will want to buy, so carry out your investigation thoroughly. Then write your book or manual in an interesting but straightforward way.

This is where your editor can help. Your editor can be a friend who has a critical eye, can see spelling mistakes, language errors and plot or information inconsistencies quickly. Choose someone whose standing you respect. It's well worth while getting another view to check your book so that it will be the best it can be.

Remember, as you write make your words reach out to your reader. If you are writing something technical or instructional then you do this through clarity of style, if you are writing a novel then it is the characters who come alive and the plot that drives the reader forwards to get that response. You want the reader to say to themselves "I really like this, I want much more".

I'll cover the other two stages in separate articles, look out for them with the same title "The Dynamics Of Self Publishing", Part Two and Part Three.

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