Self-publishing: Pros, cons and the intel you need. Part 1

In years gone by, the self-publishing of books received some fairly bad press and was indeed, frowned upon by many; not least by the huge publishing houses who ruled the literary world with their very exclusive “members only clubs”.

Indeed, it wasn’t that long ago that the only way one could get one’s manuscript published (if you weren’t lucky enough to be taken on by the gang) was to do what was called “Vanity publishing”.

Vanity publishing – in a nutshell – was where certain independent publishers would gladly take your manuscript, add a cover and turn it into a beautifully published book … for a very portly sum of money. The author would end up with a few free copies (normally around 10/15, that he/she would have to sell by themselves) and perhaps a mention in the publisher’s newsletter; and that was it. No promotion by the publisher, no real support and books that would cost a small fortune in re-prints should you be lucky enough to sell more than your allocated allowance.

Vanity publishers preyed on the ego’s of authors rejected by mainstream publishers and lured you in with vague promises of success and riches. In short, it was a racket, fuelled by the giddiness and vanity of (usually) first-time authors. Hence why it was named, Vanity publishing.

Thankfully, things have moved on in leaps and bounds in the publishing world and there are now many companies that facilitate self-publishing and allow authors to get their work out there a lot easier. In fact, because traditional publishing houses have become even harder to get into (with many publishers now only allowing submissions via a literary agent – good luck with getting one of those) many authors – myself included – have gone along the self-publishing route.

Indeed, with the advent of Amazon’s KDP (Kindle direct publishing) and the likes of Ingram and Lulu offering programmes that allow Indie authors to get their work into print, self-publishing has not only become a lot easier to do but no longer carries the stigma that was unjustly attached to it in bygone days.

Wait! But isn’t self-publishing just another form of vanity publishing?

In short, no. For one thing, there is no initial outlay by the author and for another, the author has full control of everything including (to an extent) the royalties they can earn from their books.

Sounds good. I’m in!

Hold on there cowboy. If you are new to the world of self-publishing, there are many things you need to know before diving in head first and that includes the pitfalls of the concept. What you need to know first is how it works – together with the pros and cons – and once you have that info to hand, then only you can decide if it’s right for you.

Now, I could lie to you and tell you that it’s incredibly “easy-peesy, lemon squeezy” for a first-time author to publish but – until you get used to it – it isn’t. What I can tell you though, is that it’s hugely exciting when you eventually get to press the “publish now” button and I can almost guarantee that you will feel immensely proud of yourself when you’ve done it.

Hopefully, this short blog series, will help you decide on the destiny of your manuscript and then – should you decide to go for it – guide you along the path of self-publishing so that you become confident enough and adept enough at getting your book(s) out there.

In part 2, I will be using Amazon KDP as the template for your self-publishing journey and I’m doing this for two reasons. The first is that I now use it all the time (I have used others but – on balance – find this to be the better one to use) and the second, is that it’s a fairly straightforward process that is regularly adapting and improving the way it works … in favour of the author.

Now. It goes without saying that I will try to be as clear and concise as I can be but, I’m not infallible: So, if there is anything you are unsure of, please feel free contact me with your questions  at padaviesauthor@gmail.com

If you are interested in reading the second part of this blog, why not follow me on Instagram (@padavies_ ) or on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/padavies/ukauthor ) so that you can receive notifications and links whenever I blog or update stuff.

Anyway. Thanks for visiting the official website of P.A.Davies and thanks for reading this blog.

I hope to see you again for part two.

Best wishes.

P.A.Davies.