Flying blind- The good, the bad and the frustrations of self publishing

The Good

Many self published authors swear by their entrepreneurship as the only true way of getting their vision across. They cite that many in the main stream publishing world are all about making that buck and not about the story being told. For them the needs of the mass market matter more then the way the author envisioned the story.

For those that go the self published route, they maintain complete control over every aspect of their story. They edit, they market, they manage and they layout.

The Bad

Unless your an advertising wiz with industry contacts, a self published author is looking at limited circulation. There are ways to get exposure on a local level but anything beyond that requires knowledge that most people do not posses. Outsourcing the people that do have these skill sets and contacts is costly and eats away at what little capital is gained. Which leads into another issue.

Money

With most self publishing companies the writer only makes a minimal part of each copy sold, the same way they would with a mainstream company. The main difference is that no advance is given to the author and all needed advertising fees must be paid for out of pocket.

The Frustrating

Limited exposure and feed back, combined with little profit and draining fees can lead many to just give up. Soon it starts to feel as if your just paying for your own validation and this thought brings with it a host of other problems to your self esteem. If you go into the self publishing world with expectations of becoming the next Stephen King, you will soon find your dreams of quick fame and fortune dashed even faster. Those that chose to do this should understand that like with all things it takes time and preparation to make it work and even with that it is a murky river to ride down.