Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Part V - The Cons of Self-Publishing.
Part I: The Pros of Traditional Publishing
Part II: The Cons of Traditional Publishing
Part III: The Road To (traditional) Publication
Part IV: The Pros of Self-Publishing
So, if you’ve read all the above (and you might want to check out my quick introduction to self-publishing, too), we can move on to Part V! Self-publishing… what are the downsides?
— Self-publishing is clouded by misconceptions.
This is the single biggest thing standing in the way of poets who are thinking of self-publishing: there are a whole lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding the whole process, and they are pretty difficult to bust. People think that self-publishing is the last resort of bad writers who can’t get published elsewhere… it probably is, but it’s also a viable option for writers who just don’t need or want to get published through more traditional channels. People think that writers who self-publish only do it for the money and therefore have less integrity than those who work through publishing houses — again, this might be true, as self-publishing can often make you more money than traditional publishing… but as I’ve said time and time again, if money is your motivation to write and publish poetry, you’re in the wrong business! Some people even think that there is no difference between self-publishing and vanity publishing, and therefore that self-publishing should be avoided at all costs. These misconceptions are rife, they’re deep-rooted and they will affect your reviews and sales should you choose to self-publish. Be warned!
— You’ll encounter a lot of snobbery.
Popular misconceptions aside, there’s also just a whole load of snobbery floating around out there when it comes to self-publishing. I’ve mentioned the invisible publishing hierarchy in previous posts, and self-published books are right at the bottom — even if you’re with a publishing house no one’s ever heard of, at least you’re with a publishing house, in the eyes of some. Anything self-published is just not worth reading! This snobbery is also based on assumptions and misconceptions — there’s a general belief out there that self-published books always look bad, for example — that any poet who doesn’t have a graphic design department behind them can’t produce something even aesthetically pleasing, let alone beautiful (I always point these naysayers in the direction of Amanda Oaks, of course).
It may seem like a minor deal, having to brush off a few snobby remarks, but unfortunately this kind of attitude is as deep-rooted as the misconceptions that fuel it. There are still debates going on in newspapers and major poetry publications about whether self-publishing is a viable option for poets, while all around them a self-publishing revolution is just quietly going on unnoticed. Personal theory: in a time when traditional print media is feeling rather threatened anyway, self-publishing seems radical and scary, hence the attempts by traditionalists to do it down. Bear this in mind when you get a bad review, apparently for no other reason than the fact that you self-published!
— It’s harder to get noticed…
…for various reasons. First off, even if you find a publication whose reviewer isn’t bogged down in negative self-publishing-related mythology, you’re much less likely to be reviewed by them, simply because you haven’t got a publishing house behind you to nag at them on your behalf. Many publications have loyalties to certain publishers… very few have loyalties to self-publishing individuals. Therefore, you have to get in line to be reviewed, and chances are, you’ll be right at the back. Reviewers — particularly with major publications — receive unthinkable amounts of material to look over, and only a small percentage of that actually gets properly read, let alone reviewed… and your chances are considerably higher if you’re with a publisher, I’m afraid.
Another problem is that of abundance — there is a heck of a lot of self-published material out there and there’s more and more appearing with every day that passes. People are wary of self-published books because you can never guarantee the quality (this is justified… but I try to tell people that it’s the same with traditionally published books but they never seem to believe me), and this makes your average reader less likely to pick up a self-published book on impulse than a traditionally published one. It’s basically very hard to make your book stand out among all the others unless you have a PR department behind you.
— YOU have to sell every book.
Self-published books don’t sell because of reviews and media coverage the way most traditionally published books do. If you’re self-publishing, you’re basically selling every single book yourself — you’re responsible for who buys your book, why and from where. Self-published books sell through word of mouth, mostly, which means you need to be hawking your wares to everyone you know who might be remotely interested… pimping yourself out on blogs, gigging til you drop and utilising social media to the best of your abilities. On the plus side, you have a free network of millions of readers to plug to… it’s called the internet! But unfortunately, there’s a lot going on on the internet, so you really need to work hard. You should be prepared for the fact that the vast majority of your books will go to people you’ve “met,” one way or another — people who already know you, people who are aware of you online, or people who see you at poetry events. Unlike a traditionally published book, you can’t just plonk a self-published book on a shelf in a bookstore and wait for people to come and pick it up. Chances are, they won’t unless you make them!
— Distribution is a problem.
And speaking of books on shelves… you might have trouble getting your self-published book in bookstores. In fact, many self-published writers just skip this step, because so few of their books sell this way anyway. If you can get a store to carry your books, don’t give them too many, basically… this is not a good way to distribute your product in this case! You should probably aim to do most of your distribution online, as it’s easier than selling through stores, and you’ll get more sales and interest that way, too. Selling through a third party site like Lulu or Amazon means that you don’t have to do any work, but you do have to pay a fee, and if we’re talking about Amazon, that fee’s bound to be unjustly high. Selling through your own personal website or blog means that you see more of a financial return but you also have to do all the hosting and posting, which in itself = cost. It all comes back to the fact that no matter what you do, if you want to sell your self-published book you’re going to have to either work hard or pay up!
— It can damage your chances of traditional publication in the future.
It shouldn’t, but sadly, it can. Most publishing houses are cool about a previous self-published book or books, particularly if it was good quality and sold reasonably well. However, there are some editors out there who adhere to the misconceptions and the snobbery, and who think that as you’ve made your self-publishing bed, so should you lie in it. My advice: if you’re thinking of going down the trad publishing route at some point down the line, tread carefully in the meantime. Don’t rush into self-publishing and don’t assume it will give you an edge with a publisher later. If you do self-publish, do a good job and work hard to get your book reviewed, heard about and sold. If you do a good job, it shouldn’t stand in your way… and if a publisher blows you off simply because you already have a self-published book to your name, go elsewhere as fast as you can!
NB: Don’t be disheartened! Self-publishing IS viable… make sure you check out the pros, too!
poetry on paper, originally uploaded by travelator.
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Tags: advice for young writers, publishing, resources for young writers, the cons of traditional publishing, young poets
January 8th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
what always astonishes me is that the musical equivalent of the self published poet, ie the unsigned band, is always considered to be edgy and the one to watch, hear them before they become famous etc etc. So why is it so different for poets?
January 9th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Wow, I never thought of that … the comment from Crafty Green Poet. Interesting. I wish it was like music.
Very cool post. It took me three years, about, to get over all these ‘cons’ you mention, and just go for it. In complete honesty, it was what made me more confident in my writing … realizing that people DID want to see it in print. I now send my stuff out a lot more often and I do not consider myself to be embarrassed in any sort of way about the book … it is my best work all compiled together from that time period. Plus … even if you only buy one book for yourself - you begin to realize how amazing it is to hold your work in your hands in book form. It is a definite ‘wow.’
-H.
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
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