Directory Writing Workshops

  Writers Workshop: Is Self-Publishing Worth the Risk?

Dancing Word Writers Workshop

With Rosey Dow

12/04/2001

Hosted by: Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher/Editor

*This chat has been edited for clarity

Anne McDonald: Tonight, I'd like to welcome Christy Winner, Rosey Dow. She'll be talking to us about the pros and cons of self publishing. Before we start, I'll open the workshop in prayer and then go over protocol.

Lord, thank You so much for allowing us to gather tonight. Thanks, too, that we are able to talk with friends thousands of miles away. Please bless Rosey as she speaks, and guide our conversation. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Protocol reminder: type ? for questions, ! for comments, ga when you are finished speaking, and please wait to be called on in turn.

Rosey, we are so proud of your winning the Christy. Thanks so much for coming to talk to us. The floor is now yours.

*Annie leads the applause.

Rosey Dow: Thanks, Annie! I'm honored to be here. Thanks for not forgetting after all this time. Okay, Let's go.

Anne McDonald: (I'd never forget you, dear)

Rosey Dow: When an author considers self-publishing, the first question he must ask is, " Why?" What does he expect to accomplish by self-publishing the book? Does he want it for a family reunion or some other event? Does he want the book to tell more about his company and it's goals? Does he want it to take to his speaking engagements on the same topics? Is he just impatient to see his name in print?

An author who is also a popular speaker has the greatest chance at selling a lot of books, especially if the topic of the book has to do with his speaking topic.

However, it's difficult to do this with fiction. Looking at it from a financial basis, publishing is risky business. For anyone. Why do you think publishers are so picky about what they will accept? Because they stand to lose a lot of money if the book doesn't sell. Not only in paper and ink but in work hours...in staff wages.

Being an editor is like working in the futures market where a man can lose everything with a single transaction, a single purchase. These publishers constantly deal with risk. That's why they have marketing committees to try to predict which way the commercial wind is blowing. They have to do that in order to stay afloat.

Let's talk about the various tasks that a publishing house does in order to get a book into print. A freelance author sends a manuscript and it's accepted. Then what? Let's list the jobs. Please list them for me. No need to be recognized.

siberiansuz: editing

Rosey Dow: Right, Suz. What else?

siberiansuz: artwork, then marketing strategy

meri: design/layout

Rosey Dow: Good meri. Both design and layout of the cover and the book itself.

KiwiElle: copywriting

siberiansuz: prepublicity

Rosey Dow: Right. Publicity before and after.

Meri:   marketing strategy

Rosey Dow: Good. Marketing.

Anne McDonald:   typesetting

Rosey: yes. The actual printing of the book.

meri:   distribution

Rosey Dow: Yes, distribution involves a host of jobs itself. There are entire staffs dedicated to that. How about warehousing the books? They have to sit somewhere until someone buys them. And accounting. Someone has to keep track of books sold, how much money came in, billing, bad checks. And on and on...taxes...you name it. Then processing returns.

KiwiElle: educating the booksellers about the book so they can sell them effectively from the floors of their stores

Rosey Dow: Good Kiwi.

KiwiElle: even all the way over here LOL

Rosey Dow: Returns also create a lot of problems. Even with all these we've probably forgotten a few. A publisher has a corporation to handle all this work. A self-publishing author will have to handle many of these jobs himself.

meri: makes me tired!

Rosey Dow:   There are several types of self-publishers. You said it, Meri. Some are only printing facilities. Some do more. It's important to know exactly what services a self-publisher offers before contracting with them.

Of course, the more services a publisher offers, the more expensive they will be. The less that your self-publisher offers, the more that you (the author and entrepreneur) will have to do yourself.

Notice that I said entrepreneur? When you self-publish a book, you just went into business. You've made an investment, and you'll have to follow up on it or lose your investment. Unless you're publishing as an act of charity.

Rosey Dow