I’m departing a bit from writing about faith today to let you writers out there know about a new resource on the market.
If you’re like me, you’ve heard a lot of conflicting information about self-publishing versus traditional publishing. It’s confusing, often contradictory and downright mind-boggling. How do you sort through it all and come out feeling confident about your decision?
Well here’s an answer for you:
My agent, Rachelle Gardner, has ventured into the world of self-publishing herself this week, with the launch of her brand-new e-book: How Do I Decide: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing.
Chock-full of insider information, How Do I Decide? gives you the facts you need to make an informed choice. It walks you through the various steps of the publishing process so you can determine which road best suits your personal goals, temperament and level of previous publishing experience.
How Do I Decide? is brief, yet comprehensive, and includes:
• an overview of the current publishing landscape
• an outline of the path to publishing
• a user-friendly checklist to help you figure out your path
• pros and cons of traditional publishing
• pros and cons of self-publishing
Now for the full disclosure statement: I helped Rachelle with writing and editing this e-book behind-the-scenes! Just days after I quit my job last May, Rachelle offered me this opportunity, and I am so grateful for her trust and confidence in me. In doing the research for the book I learned SO much valuable information about both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and as a result, I can say with authority that I will be pursuing self-publication – at least in the e-book format — sometime in the future. I’m biased, of course, but I’d say How to Decide is a valuable resource for any writer who is grappling with the pros and cons of both publishing options.
The How to Decide is available now on Amazon by clicking HERE. It will soon be available on Barnes & Noble online, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and other sites as well.
So what about you? Have you considered self-publishing or taken the plunge? Or are you still firmly a traditionalist? Or are you so totally confused about the whole process, you don’t know which way to turn?
This book gave me so much to think about. Glad I bought it and inhaled it in a matter of hours! Great job, Michelle & Rachelle! What a team!
Thanks, Wendy – it was a great project!
The book is perfectly titled as the landscape for publishing has changed so much. For me, the decision comes down to how much I want to market my book.. Schilling for followers and building a fan base isn’t my style. If I self-published, I couldnt bring myself to convince anyone to buy it — and then I would probably give it away.
I totally know what you mean, David – I just don’t know if I have it in me to do all the marketing by myself for my own book. I have half of an e-book written, and then I got side-tracked with other projects. I will probably finish it…but I may give it away for free to subscribers of the blog. Of course, the problem is that even if you are traditionally published, you still have to build a fan base and keep focused on the numbers – if they sign you, they expect you to be able to help sell books. While the promotions burden isn’t entirely on the author in traditional publishing, it’s still very much part of the picture.
i self-published my book. i felt READY for it to be here. impatience? not sure, but the timing was right for me, so i found a reputable company (lulu) in my own state (wanted monies to stay here) and went for it. i am mostly glad i did. since i published about my battle with anorexia, publishing has opened doors for me to help people who struggle or know someone who has. had i not published, my girl (the one i mentor) would not be in my life right now….
i liked having control of my project. i will admit, though, that the vain, prideful, human side of me feels a little “less-than” because no one “chose” my book….
The gift of your girl? There is just no pricetag on that, you know what I mean? Sometimes when I get all down about this publishing journey, I remember one seemingly small thing — like the fact that a friend of mine decided to sponsor a child in Africa because of something she read on my blog — and that puts it into perspective.
Plus, my dear, I suspect you have another book of poetry in you! Perhaps, when the time is right, you will choose to travel a different road for the next book.
{I totally get the prideful, vain, less-than feeling, though, I do. My pride, I am ashamed to admit, is one of the reasons I have pursued traditional publishing so ruthlessly}.
Great post and wonderful resource. Thanks for sharing this. I am going to share with an author friend and get some imput too. Although I am not currently writing there was a time back in the day I wanted to I know many that are. I will share it on FB. Thanks for sharing this wonderful resource.
Have a wonderful day,
Sherry
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for sharing the info, Sherry.
Sounds excellent! I’m off to purchase:)
Congratulations, Michelle. I celebrate all the wonderful happenings in your writing career.
Wow. What a right on time post, Michelle. I had a meeting with a seasoned editor this morning regarding editing my books, as well as this topic. I greatly appreciate your post. I am going to purchase Rachelle’s ebook. I have always been a traditionalist, however I am now considering self publishing as a very viable option. Congrats to you!
I really do think the market is changing minute-by-minute. What used to be considered kind of lame and cheesy (self-publishing) is not considered a very viable and reputable way to get a book publishes.
I’m so glad there’s a confused category Michelle. I think, in part, that’s why I’ve stopped writing my little book. I can’t begin to imagine what I would do with it once it’s done. The whole business of a proposal and getting an agent and publishing just makes my head spin. My usual reaction is to throw up my hands while muttering under my breath that I have no business even thinking I can do any of this.
Please know I’m praying for you as you write. I’m so pleased with the way things are going for you. You are such a gifted writer.
Ok first of all, Lovely Lady Linda, do NOT give up writing your book. Take it one step at a time, my dear. We sometimes have the tendency to get ahead of ourselves, worrying about six steps down the line. Just write. That’s all you have to do right now. Just write. (that’s more than enough, right?!) And then, when it’s time, you can think about the next step. Agent or not. Traditional or self-publishing. But that’s all many weeks and months down the line and there’s really no point in stressing about it right this minute. If you can, write for the joy of writing! That’s why my first book (the memoir) was such an incredible gift – I didn’t know I was writing a book for a long time…I was just writing my story for the joy of writing it. Then, about 50 pages into it, I realized I might have a book on my hands!
I am praying for you and sending you love from afar. Don’t give up, my friend!
{and thank you for your very kind words!}
Congratulations, Michelle!
I made the decision to self-publish over a year ago. For me it came down to asimply assessing goals and options. I have been quite pleased with the self-publishing route. However, my goals in publishing are quite different from some writers.
Joe, guess what?! You are quoted in Rachelle’s book! I spotted a comment from you on her blog, and it fit perfectly with one of the chapters, so we included it. This is the quote:
“I have a message that I believe could benefit people, so I wrote a book to share that message,” says Joseph Pote. “I don’t really view myself as a writer, and I have no plans of trying to make a living out of writing, but I did have a book I wanted to publish. So I educated myself on book design, self-published, launched a blog and am still trying to figure out marketing. Yep, I got it all backwards…but that’s okay, too. I’m learning and enjoying the experience.”
Cool!! Thanks for your perspective!!