Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Advantages of Self-Publishing - Part 1

Before I begin my second series on self-publishing, you need to know I will present both sides of the issue, the pluses and the minuses. In fact, most of the points I'll bring up can be looked at as an either or, depending on people's situations and opinions.

Advantage 1. Your book will be available in a matter of weeks, not a couple of years. I chose my publisher on January 9, 2012 and my book, Room 1515, came out February 22, 2012. Unless you are an infamous celebrity, you will search for months, maybe years, for an agent. The agent is not a magic genie. He or she may never sell your book to a publisher. Once the book is sold, you will get in line with the publisher's schedule, an average time of another year to publication. I'M RETIRED. I COULD DIE BEFORE THIS ROUTE PAYS OFF. Just saying.

Advantage 2. Timeliness: If you're writing about a hot topic or in a hot genre today, will that genre or topic be so hot two to three years from now? One month, I think you're safe. Three years, you've missed the bus. Fact: eBooks have changed the ballgame. Today, to publish in one month is a reality.

Advantage 3: Control and Rights: A well researched, self-published author retains the rights to the product and its uses--foreign sales, movies, and television. Note: The percentage of self-published books being made into a movie is minuscule. The author controls the content and the cover design. There is no editor demanding you rewrite whole sections of your book. THIS COULD BE A REAL NEGATIVE IF YOUR WORK NEEDS CORRECTION. lol

Enough for now, below is the link to my novel. The topic is timely. International politics, betrayal, seduction, and romance. plus nasty villains and a lot of action.

Amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/179-1218424-9234869?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Bill+Wetterman&x=17&y=25

2 comments:

Jack Eason said...

Well said Bill. I recently ditched my former small press publisher for reasons I won't go into. I self published my second science fiction novel "Turning Point" using Amazon's KDP system at the beginning of this month. I'm now working on preparing my third "The Seventh Age" for publication next month. In both cases, the stories were turned down flat by the publisher. Turning Point actually preceded my first published Science fiction novel "Onet's Tale" in the overall storyline. Going it alone is the best thing I could ever do, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone. :)

John Biggs said...

I think you are absolutely right about the advantages of self publishing if you have the energy and motivation to promote your own book. You obviously have what it takes to write and sell. That is an uncommon combination.