“And Winter slumbering in the open air, wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring”! ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge (and Bill Murray in Groundhog Day).

(As I write this entry, we are experiencing another blizzard here in Iowa.  Another blizzard – no!  I am more than ready for this winter to be over!)

Last time I wrote about some of the reasons why I was choosing to self-publish my first book.

Here is the rest of my reasoning.

My Reasons for Self-Publishing my First Book:

  • Speed: I can get a book out much more quickly.  I can get a book out in 6 months or so, including much of the pre-marketing, versus the 14 to 18 months for “traditional” publishing.
  • Profit: I will make much more profit from each copy of my book that is sold – especially if I do a print run of 5,000 to 10,000 copies.
  • Control: I will be able to control every aspect of my book’s creation and publication.  It will truly reflect my vision.
  • Learning: I will learn a great deal about the book publishing business and since I intend to publish more than one book, this knowledge will serve me well in the future.
  • Better Future Deals: I know a little bit about book publishing and my likely sales results right now.  After I get this first book out and have the results of my first marketing cycle, I will know much more and be in a better position to negotiate with agents and publishers for future book deals – should I decide to go the traditional path in the future.

Please notice that I did not mention anything about self-publishing so that I could get published.  I think that any author, that has done their homework and has a book worth publishing, will eventually find both an agent and a publisher.

Should you self-publish?  Maybe – maybe not.  If you have an audience already and don’t want to invest the time in learning the book business – then find an agent, have them find you a publisher and let them handle it for you.  You will still be doing much of the promotional work – I don’t think there is a way around that unless you are a really big “name” in your field.  Otherwise, self-publishing is worth a ponder.

Next time I am going to talk about the actual content of my upcoming book and why I chose to write this one first.

Till next time faithful reader…Jack

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome”. ~Anne Bradstreet