Self Publishing: An Author's Journey
- Graham Tabberner
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
When I set out as a new author, I had no particular goal in mind other than the realisation of a lifelong ambition to write a novel. A coherent, structured and original story with credible characters and a compelling plot. With The Magical Diaries of Charles Lester Seymour: A New Eden I believe I achieved that goal. But in terms of sales, marketing and appeal I have had little success which in reality is not surprising. I knew nothing of the elements of storytelling or worldbuilding and even less on how to get your story in front of readers and so, with a completed project that needed a professional edit I looked for suitable publishers to query. Suffice to say, the only acceptance letters I received were from hybrid publishers who were excited to publish my novel for up to Five thousand pounds in advance. Sound familiar?
I soon became aware that traditional publishers are unlikely to publish unknown writers with little in the way of experience or an already established audience, and so I decided to look into self-publishing.
The biggest drawback for any self-publishing author is the lack of editorial direction. There are software based options for those that cannot find or afford an editor that go some way toward catching errors and, after repeated application, can get it pretty close (I use Perfect It, an add on for MS Word) but they cannot replace the experienced eye of a line editor.
The other, and probably most important edit to an author is the developmental or structural edit. I was lucky enough to have help in the editing of my novels by two exceptional authors. I shared my manuscript with them through google docs and they would edit with comments that I could accept or decline. I learned a lot about editing and structure in those sessions and I cannot thank them enough for their input.
After several section rewrites, I had a final draft that landed thirty thousand words lighter but certainly more robust. I soon realised that I was exceedingly fortunate with the help I received and that I probably won't be so lucky in the future so I made it my goal to learn as much about developmental editing as I could and I would advise any author in similar circumstances to do the same. There are many books and other resources available on the subject, too many to mention here, but a google search will provide enough information to get an author started on the road to effective self editing.
Self-publishing requires the wearing of many hats other than that of a writer. Unless you have a lot of cash to invest in your project, you will need to be editor, marketer, promoter and cover designer if you want the best chance of getting your book noticed.
So, you now have a final draft that has been through several rounds of editing both structurally and textually, what's next?
There are many strategies available at this point and which direction you take is a matter of personal choice or experience. I took the path most travelled, that of little to no expense. I did not have the readies and I was not about to take on a debt to prove to others what I had already proved to myself: that I had the self-discipline and focus to write, edit and cover design a book that I was willing to stand by.
My next step was to find a platform that I could publish on for free. After much deliberating I settled on D2D. I found it easy to format and upload and published in eBook and paperback format worldwide. I ordered several author copies and was thrilled to hold a book I had written in my own hands. That was it for me. I had achieved my goal and was happy to leave it languish in obscurity for evermore.
But, after a couple of months I missed the routine of indulging my imagination and manifesting it on my screen. When I wasn't writing I was exploring ideas and inventing characters and sub plots during mundane activities like cooking or driving. I missed the mental challenge already. Luckily, I had left the end of my story open to continuation and so I found myself once more filling my quiet hours in the world I had created for myself. A year later, I ended up with a sequel of 70,000 words and a newfound passion for writing and, to some extent cover design.
So now I have two books of a planned trilogy available but how to convince someone to part with their hard earned cash to read a sixty year old child's imaginary babble? Before I exposed myself to the world I spent many months seeking free reviews from various places. It sometimes involved my sending paperbacks to India, Australia and Canada, but eventually I received some good reviews that encouraged me to attempt to build a platform for myself with a Facebook page and an author site and book site.
Once again, as before, I have only used free resources and do not advertise or market my books and rarely promote them. I am getting on a bit now and simply can't be bothered. I have sold around 50 books (both paperback and eBook, most of them free) and earned a grand total of around £30 in worldwide sales. All I have invested is time and patience and my real reward is finding a pastime I enjoy and a steadily building writer's skillset.
I am currently working on the third instalment of my trilogy and a standalone apocalyptic thriller entitled Requiem.
In conclusion I would recommend self-publishing to anyone who believes they have a story to tell and are prepared for a considerable learning curve. The level of success you receive will depend greatly on the amount of work you have put in to creating something of quality and how you intend to publicise it. If you think you can hook a traditional publisher with a query, then this should be your first choice. although you may have to change certain elements of your story to align with your editor or publishing house's requirements. In this respect, Self-publishing has a great advantage over traditional publishers for it allows you to keep your vision uncompromised by trending tropes or popular genre requisites designed to make your book marketable. (I prefer to view my books as a creative endeavour rather than a product.)
You probably won't get rich and famous from self-publishing but you will get your work out there and who knows, maybe someday someone will read your book and be inspired to write their own and that, in my humble opinion, should be the true goal of every
writer.
Learning Resources
The Hero with a Thousand faces by Joseph Campbell
Developmental Editing (A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors and Publishers) by Scott Norton
Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
Useful websites
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