Want to Self-Publish a Book? Read This First!

I feel bad that I’ve been telling people self-publishing is easy. It’s certainly doable but it’s more difficult than it used to be. And if you’ve ever thought about doing it, I’m going to share some of the realities with you today.

Self-publishing has changed since I last did it. I mean real self-publishing, not handing a manuscript off to someone and paying them to do the finicky work to meet niggling little parameters set by the company you use. There are thousands of companies that will do it for you. Some will put it all through Amazon or Draft 2 Digital and save you the hassle, but it will cost you. Others will publish the book for you themselves at a much higher cost than the big players. But I’m talking about doing every tiny detail on your own.

There are some things I needed to hire out for. I paid an artist to finish the cover and professional beta readers, as well as manuscript analysis. And then it was just me and my laptop, preparing to put it out into the world. Instead of being a piece of cake, it was more like a pie with a lattice crust.

I Tried, I Really Did

My goal was to avoid using Amazon. Between the tariff war and the billionaire political advisors down south, including Amazon’s owner, I wanted to work with another company. I spent two days in terrible stress until I finally admitted defeat. I had to compromise and use Amazon Canada. They print IN Canada and Canadians do the work. Knowing that means I can sleep at night. But let me explain how I got here.

The other major publishing conglomerates, the ones that also don’t charge thousands up front and operate similarly to Amazon, rob the author. I wanted to price my paperback at 9.99 but that was impossible because I would be in a deficit to the company. You’re reading that right. They would bill me for every book I sold. I would have to charge close to double what I’m comfortable charging in order to see a profit from a paperback.

I don’t think anyone would want me to get a bill for my book sales. Would you?

Amazon isn’t hugely better. But I’ve been able to price the upcoming print version lower without operating at a loss. It will be $12.99 there but I will also sell it here on my website for a couple bucks less, plus shipping. So, if you’d like to read it but don’t want to deal with the Bezos conglomerate, you don’t have to.

Thank goodness for my friend Kendra who formatted the print and eBook manuscripts for me and did a wonderful job. They uploaded with no issues. (I may have even heard angels sing!) But the cover? It kept getting rejected even when I did exactly what I was told. Kendra tried resizing it. My sister-in-law tried. Finally, I had to go back to my artist and his version worked. Now I’m waiting to look over a proof copy of the book before I put the paperback on the market.

The Ebook Conundrum

The eBook is already available from Kobo. With no print costs on an eBook the profit margin is much better. I priced it at only $2.99 because this isn’t about making money. Oh sure, if I sold a million of them I wouldn’t refuse my royalties! But it’s about a goal I had when I was in Grade Five and Mr. Grantham told me I was a good writer. He said I might want to consider a future in it. I’ve written non-fiction my entire life and I always wanted to try my hand at fiction. So here we are.

I chose a journalism crest for my high school ring. I started my online blog a couple of decades ago just so I’d have someplace to practice writing. Doing it in a journal wasn’t enough. I had to know that there would be eyes on it – even only a few eyes – so I’d give it my best. Eventually, I got bold enough to reach out and get paid to write. I still do, but I’ll write it even if no one pays me. And even if that’s the case with Pieces of Us, it won’t bother me. It’s about self-expression and making that little grade five student proud. A student who never dreamed she’d be self-publishing her stuff.

So, go ahead and self-publish if you have a burning desire to do it. Just be honest with yourself about where your strengths and weaknesses lie. If there’s someone in your family or a friend who can help, ask them. Gather and write marketing materials ahead of time. Make sure your files are in the right formats. Know how high or low you’re willing to go with the price. Attracting a traditional publisher is difficult and millions of people have gone the DIY route. There’s certainly room in the pool for everyone.