Self-publishing: Difficulties, Pt. 2

This is the second part of a two part post about the difficulties of self-publishing. Part one of this post talked about marketing and the cost involved in self-publishing.

Before we look at some other difficulties, please realize that many authors self-publish with success. With traditional houses cutting back on the variety of subject matter they publish, self-publishing may be the only option for some authors. My intent with these posts is not to bash self-publishing, but to educate authors about what is involved in the process. Next week, we’ll look at an alternative to self-publishing that takes the burden off the author.

Logistics

When self-publishing, the author is often responsible for the sales. This means having a place to store the books, printing mailing labels, paying for postage, etc.

Think about your home – do you have some place to store 5,000 books or even 200 books without keeping them in the middle of the living room?

Can you keep detailed sales records and track inventory? Will you have enough money to re-print your book when the first printing runs out?

Other Miscellaneous Things

The following are some questions anyone considering self-publishing needs to ask.

• It would be great to have your book offered for sale on websites like Amazon.com, but do you know the qualifications and process for submitting a book to Amazon? It’s a somewhat tedious process.
• Do you know how to obtain ISBN numbers and apply for copyright? What about submitting Library of Congress information?
• If you quote other sources in your manuscript, are you ready to request permission to use those sources?
• What are the recommended margins for a 6×9 book?
• How much of the edge of the cover design will be lost in the trimming process?
• What’s the difference between 60 lb. text paper, 60 lb. cover paper, and 10 pt. cover?
• Should the printer use a sheet fed press or a web press?
• What should the retail book price be?

The list could go on, but all of those questions cover areas that a traditional publisher will handle for the author. How much time do you have to invest in educating yourself about the nitty-gritty details of publishing?

So, if self-publishing is beginning to seem like less of an option, what options do you have? That’s the question we’ll answer next week.

Related posts:

1. Self-publishing: Difficulties, Pt. 1
2. The Traditional Publishing Process
3. Introduction to Publishing