Self-Publishing Blues
A very good friend has started to talk about maybe trying to self-publish. I suddenly feel guilty. Have I painted too rosy a picture of this game in my strenuous efforts at positivity? So here, to counteract the sweet smell of perfume, are some thorns to give the other side of the tale.
The rule of 10s: Out of 300 online friends, 30 will tell you your writing’s not only wonderful but also publishable, and ask, please let us know when it comes out. Out of those 30, 3 will buy copies of the book.
The rule of 3s: Out of 30 real-world friends, 20 will tell you your writing’s wonderful, 10 will pre-order the book, and 9 will buy. But those 9 will buy more than you ever thought all 20 would. Unfortunately, that will still be less than you ordered…
…because you planned to sell more at Christmas fairs.
The rule of 2s: Out of every 2 people who stop at your stall, only 1 will smile at you. Out of every 2 people who smile at you, only 1 will look at your book. Out of every 2 people who look at your book, only 1 will talk to you. Out of every 2 people who talk to you, only 1 will say they’d like to buy it. And that one will promise to come back later, then studiously avoid your gaze as they wander the rest of the stalls and quietly leave. Two sales in a day is a big success, and profit a hopeless dream.
…But maybe you’ll sell at bookstores, except they don’t stock half the small publishers, so why would they look at you…
…or the little local stores, but no one’s buying books these days…
…or the gift stores and craft stores, but books aren’t gifts or crafts…
…and the library says there’s so many self-published out there they just don’t want to look…
Meanwhile, because you can’t make a profit, the IRS thinks your writing’s just a hobby. So you can’t claim expenses, not even the purchase price of the books that you sell.
So why do I do it?
The rule of 1s: From one little acorn, a giant oak tree might grow. One day. Maybe…
If my husband had known then what we know now, he’d never have let me start, but I’m still convinced there might be roses in these thorns.
The rule of 10s: Out of 300 online friends, 30 will tell you your writing’s not only wonderful but also publishable, and ask, please let us know when it comes out. Out of those 30, 3 will buy copies of the book.
The rule of 3s: Out of 30 real-world friends, 20 will tell you your writing’s wonderful, 10 will pre-order the book, and 9 will buy. But those 9 will buy more than you ever thought all 20 would. Unfortunately, that will still be less than you ordered…
…because you planned to sell more at Christmas fairs.
The rule of 2s: Out of every 2 people who stop at your stall, only 1 will smile at you. Out of every 2 people who smile at you, only 1 will look at your book. Out of every 2 people who look at your book, only 1 will talk to you. Out of every 2 people who talk to you, only 1 will say they’d like to buy it. And that one will promise to come back later, then studiously avoid your gaze as they wander the rest of the stalls and quietly leave. Two sales in a day is a big success, and profit a hopeless dream.
…But maybe you’ll sell at bookstores, except they don’t stock half the small publishers, so why would they look at you…
…or the little local stores, but no one’s buying books these days…
…or the gift stores and craft stores, but books aren’t gifts or crafts…
…and the library says there’s so many self-published out there they just don’t want to look…
Meanwhile, because you can’t make a profit, the IRS thinks your writing’s just a hobby. So you can’t claim expenses, not even the purchase price of the books that you sell.
So why do I do it?
The rule of 1s: From one little acorn, a giant oak tree might grow. One day. Maybe…
If my husband had known then what we know now, he’d never have let me start, but I’m still convinced there might be roses in these thorns.
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Helen
Straight From Hel
Malcolm