29 Questions about Self-Publishing

By Cristian Mihai

2013 Copyright Cristian Mihai. All rights reserved.

You are free to copy, distribute and transmit this material in its original format. You may not alter,

transform, build upon this work, or use it for commercial purposes.

First edition, June 2013

www.cristianmihai.net

1. What is the hardest or most challenging aspect of publishing?

It depends on the self-publisher, I guess. Some enjoy the marketing side of self-publishing, while

others are really good with social media (building connections with other indie writers,

developing a fan base.)

Personally, I feel that the most difficult aspect is actually selling books. It requires a right

combination of elements to make just one person buy your book: the cover has to look

professional; the blurb needs to sound enticing, reviews are also important.

2. Before self-publishing: besides editing, spell check and grammar what else should an author

do?

I think an author should develop a fan base via social media and blogging. Yes, before you

actually launch your book, you need to have some people to sell your book to.

I’ve seen a lot of indie writers release books to… no one. There are millions of books on Amazon

alone, so uploading it on KDP is not enough. You need to make it so that readers can find your

book.

3. Should an author create their own website or use Word Press to promote their book?

Static websites are simply online business cards. They look nice (if done by a professional), but

they don’t give readers a reason to stick around. Whilst a blog (regardless of platform) are

updated on a more regular basis, which in turn drives a lot more traffic.

I believe that the only reason an author shouldn’t blog is because they genuinely hate blogging.

Other than that, every author should have a blog. Besides, it doesn’t really make much sense

anyway: you’re a writer, so you should be able to write at least a blog post about something

once a week.

4. How does one go about creating a catchy title and book design?

A catchy title is subjective. Some might argue that a catchy book design is also subjective. While

I can’t really help you with the first part, I might offer some info with the second one.

Book design often requires that you pay a book designer. It needs to look professional, and most

often the investment is well worth it.

But if you really can’t afford to pay for a professional book designer, you’ll need to do some

research: study other books in the same genre and see how the covers look like. Then try to

create something that looks kind of like that. Of course, it’s a lot more complicated, because you

need to know typography, and you also need the right software.

5. What are the upfront costs in publishing a book?

Basically, it can be anywhere from nothing at all to thousands and thousands of dollars. The cost

of publishing a book depends on how much you’re willing to spend and how much you can do

on your own.

To give you an example: let’s say you have a friend who’s an editor. He can help edit your book

for free, if he’s a nice guy. Or you’re also a graphic designer. You can easily make your own book

covers and design the interior for the paperback at no cost.

So it all comes down to your particular set of skills, and your willingness to invest in certain areas

such as advertising, paid reviews, or sending advance review copies to book bloggers. All of

these have a crucial effect on the overall cost of self-publishing a book.

6. How do you price a book?

I often say that you shouldn’t price a book based on how much you think it’s worth. It’s how

much people are willing to pay. In the end, there is no clear answer, but you should bear in mind

that the idea is to make your book affordable.

Also, keep in mind the word count when you price your book.

Personally, I sell longer fiction for $2.99, which allows me to take advantage of the 70% royalty

rate offered by KDP, and also sell my works at a significantly lower price than traditionally

published e-books.

As for paperbacks, I price my books so I receive around $2.00 in profits for each book sold.

That’s more than traditional publishers pay authors per copy.

7. How does someone who wants to self-publish still find a good editor?

There’s an extensive list of editors on Preditors and Editors. There’s also Book Editing Services,

and the neat thing is that when you submit your manuscript you can tell them how much money

you’re willing to spend, so their editors can tell you what types of services they’re able to offer.

And agent Rachelle Gardner also has a nice list of freelance editors here.

8. Do those first-book-free-second-for-1.99-third-for-full-price sets in the Kindle Store really

work to sell copies, or are they just annoying?

The market is much more fluid that it used to be. Two years ago all you had to do was price the

first title in a series for 99 cents and the rest at full price, and people would buy them just

because they were cheap.

Now, experimentation is key. KDP Select has made it easy for authors to promote their books

through free offerings of certain titles. Also, more and more indie writers are opting to give the

first book in a series for free. It’s all about what works for you. There is no clear recipe anymore

(if there ever was one.)

9. What can set you apart from the ‘slush pile’, and how can you maintain that standard?

It’s all about professionalism. Editing, a good looking cover, a professional blurb. It’s easier to

sell a book that looks like a book than something that just screams “amateur.” Whether you like

it or not your book will compete against traditionally published books, and potential readers will

always have to choose.

10. What would the best approach be to using another artists picture for your cover art?

Contacting them and asking for permission is the only way to go about it. Of course, it depends

on the artist and how famous he/she is. They might ask for some sort of compensation, or they

might simply give you the right to use their art.

11. I’ve heard self-publishing your novel privately means that publishers will still take your work

on if they’re interested in it. Is this true?

It depends on the publisher and whether or not they’re willing to offer you a contract. Some of

the bestselling indie writers have successfully used this avenue to secure a contract with a

traditional publisher.

It doesn’t really hurt to self-publish, but you should always mention that your book is self-

published when querying publishers/agents.

12. Are there any routes for self-published books to reach brick and mortar stores?

In theory, yes. Createspace offers something they call Expanded Distribution, but that only

means you’re making your book available for bookstores, and there’s no guarantee they’ll

actually choose to sell your books.

What you can do is individually go to bookstores and try to pitch your book. It’s quite a costly

endeavor, because you need to buy copies of your books yourself and offer them to bookstores.

If they sell those copies, then you get your money.

No bookstore will ever accept to buy your books before selling them.

13. What are the major differences and major pros that would drive one to self-publishing and

what are the biggest downsides of it compared to traditional publishing?

When you consider self-publishing, you’re also considering being fully in charge of the whole

operation, from editing to cover design, pricing, and marketing. You also earn more per copy

sold.

Of course, the major downside is that you need to promote your book yourself. Also, you don’t

get distribution in brick and mortar bookstores, which is still something only traditional

publishers offer.

Right now, the way the market presents itself (with most of the sales taking place online) I’d say

that if you don’t have an offer from a big publisher, it’s more effective to self-publish.

Small publishers aren’t capable of advertising books in this new market anymore, and, besides,

they won’t be able to offer a big budget for marketing your book. So you’d still have to do all the

“hard work” of selling books yourself.

14. What has been your most effective book marketing strategy to date?

Giveaways. I’m a big fan of those. The way I see it, those who win receive a free book, and if

they like my book, they might want to buy the others I’ve got for sale, and those who weren’t

lucky enough to win a free copy, they just might want to buy it anyway.

It’s also a good way to receive reviews (people who have received a book for free are more

willing to review it.)

15. Is it really worth it?

If you’re up to the challenge, yes. If you don’t feel like a fish out of water when using social

media, yes, it’s worth it. If you enjoy making your book look just the way you want it, and you’re

not a big fan of compromises, yes, it’s worth it.

If you want to keep all the rights to your books, then yes, it’s worth it.

16. How do you attract readers?

Blogging, social media, advertising, paid reviews, giveaway, contests. Basically everything

marketing related.

Also, don’t be afraid to change things. If your book isn’t selling, it most probably means there’s

something wrong. Change the cover, change the blurb; maybe the sample isn’t enticing enough.

17. What is a typical number of sales that an average fiction author can expect?

Tricky question. It depends on a number of factors: genre, target audience, pricing, how well

known the author is (and if they’re using social media and blogging.) It’s also about marketing,

and how many people are exposed to that book right from the start.

Conversion rates vary, so I can’t give you a clear answer.

18. What amount of sales do you need to attract the attention of the big boys?

It depends mostly on the genre you’re writing in, and the amount of online visibility your book

has achieved. Ranking high on Amazon’s bestseller list will most likely get you some attention.

Publishers want books that will sell, so even if you do manage to sell a lot of books on their own,

they might not be interested in offering you a contract because they believe they can’t market

the book effectively.

19. What are some good print-on-demand services?

Createspace and Lulu. I personally prefer Createspace, because the system is faster, easier to

use, and also because books have a cheaper production cost. Oh, and because Createspace is

owned by Amazon, which makes selling your book on all Amazon e-stores that much easier.

20. How do you decide on the marketing focus, identifying the right audience, countries to sell it

to?

It’s all about genre and subject matter of a certain book. Identifying your target audience is also

about knowing what kind of people would like to read your book.

Most certainly they’d have to have something in common with you, the author.

21. How do you get the book pitch right so that it attracts readers?

Reading blurbs from books that are similar often helps. It should be no longer than 150 words,

and it shouldn’t give away essential plot.

Also, if you have an online presence, asking your followers if a certain blurb sounds enticing

enough or not is a good way to go about this.

22. What are five ways to market your book?

In no particular order: paid reviews, advertisements, giveaways, social media, blogging.

23. Products other than books to write/market?

Depending whether you write fiction or non-fiction, there are various other ways to earn

money. Online courses, guides, freelance work (editing, cover design, interior formatting.)

24. Are radio interviews, book store tours worth it?

I view them as being highly ineffective in a mostly online environment. Newspaper articles, TV

appearances, radio interviews, all of them are difficult to get, and they don’t have much effect

on sales.

The thing is, when trying to sell a book it’s important to make it as easy as possible for readers

to buy it. When it’s just one click away, it’s easy. When they have to search for you online after

they’ve read about you in the newspaper, it’s not as easy.

25. Where do I find a good artist for cover work?

The easiest way is to ask a self-publisher whose covers you like. If you can’t do that, you can e-

mail list@smashwords.com for a list of cover designers and e-book formatters, with prices

ranging from $40 to $100.

26. Formatting -which is the easiest program to use and is there a simple way of explaining what

to do?

Yes. Microsoft Word. And all you need to so is follow Smashwords Style guide here and KDP’s

guide here.

27. How do I deal with copyrighted material?

When it comes to quotes or song lyrics of works of art not in the public domain, they tend to be

rather costly. It’s best to contact the artist or their legal representative (foundation, publishing

house, label, etc.) and ask how much it would cost you to use that particular piece.

The alternative can mean a really nasty lawsuit.

28. How do you go about getting reviews? Are reviews that important?

One way to go about this is to host a giveaway on your website, on Goodreads, or LibraryThing.

People who receive a free copy are more inclined to review your book. Also, it’s feasible to send

advance review copies to book bloggers, as many as you can find.

And, yes. Reviews are really important. Potential readers want to know what others think about

a certain book before deciding whether or not to buy it.

29. Which aspect of self-publishing is most important–getting your work edited professionally, an

eye catching cover, advertising or any other? If you have limited funds how should you

prioritize?

I’d say that content is king. You need to make your book as good as possible, then you need to

get it professionally edited. Even a brilliant cover won’t save you from the wrath of angry

readers if your book is full of typos and grammar mistakes.