How-I-Dos: Stages of Creation Part #10 - Self-Publishing

In the words of my friend, A.K., self-publishing can be summarized into one line, “Uhhh… you create, then you put into PDF, then you print lor.”

There’s are a lot of aspects to take note of with Self-Publishing, so to simplify things, I’m going to talk about the important points - the 5Ws and 1H. LOL.

What can you self-publish?

Pretty much anything that works well in print form. Most of us self-publish the following - short stories, illustrations, comics, zines, chapbooks, the works.

From experience, I’d say that something that can be consumed on the go should be fine.

Why should you self-publish?

There are a variety of valid reasons why we self-publish. However, here are three rather common reasons why we decide to take the self-publishing route, mainly for fiction storytellers.

First - constant rejection. Let’s get this out of the way, shall we? Sometimes, we’re just so sick of the traditional publishing route of submitting and waiting, only to get rejection. So why not do it ourselves?

Second - experimentation. Sometimes, certain artists or writers produce works out of their comfort zone and are unsure about how reception will be like with their audience. Therefore, sometimes these creators will self-publish this particular piece with a lower print run to gauge how well it’ll do.
Third - autonomy. Some creators like having more autonomy over the process, and if you’re confident about the sustainability about your work as a self-published piece, why not?

When should you self-publish?

Once you’re done with your polished draft, after it has gone through beta-reading, developmental and copy-editing, and your final rewriting. Sometimes, we’re not always convinced that we’re ready, but when you’ve rewritten your piece so much that you can memorize the story from back to front, evaluate if your work is ready for self-publication.

Who should self-publish?

Before you embark on self-publishing, please note that this is not the “easy way out” or the “finger to the establishment”. Self-publishing has become more legitimate as an avenue for publication, and what many of us in the self-publishing market want to do is to maintain a basic level of quality within the market.

That being said, if you have fulfilled the below criteria, perhaps you can consider self-publishing:

1. Your work has gone through the eyes of a professional editor and proofreader.
2. You are committed to the book-to-market legwork:
   1. Sourcing editors and proofreaders
   2. Sourcing printers
   3. Sourcing layout artists or laying out your content yourself for optimum reading
   4. Sending and collecting your products from your printers
   5. Peddling your wares at events and at shops on your own
   6. Constant promotions and branding
   7. Approaching other artists, writers, and organizations for collaboration
3. You have a basic level of funding - at least to cover printing and basic necessities.
4. You have a basic understanding of the industry.
5. You have a basic understanding of your focus and brand.

If anything, be prepared to have a back-up plan - if you’re concerned about a certain level of security, you might want to hold off self-publishing until you have a safety net.

Where should you self-publish?

Any place where you can find an affordable printer, where your audience reside, or where your favourite events to put your work out are located.

How do we self-publish?

Like my friend said - “Uhhh… you create, then you put into PDF, then you print lor.”

Without the above-mentioned TL;DR version, self-publishing is as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be. However, there are still a few major components to take note of:

• Layout and Format - You need to format and lay your work out in the most presentable way possible. Ensure it’s easy on the eyes, accessible, and aligns with your brand.

 

• Legal Deposit - If you intend to sell your book, please get an ISBN and barcode so that it’ll be easier to keep records and sell to other bookstores or libraries. In Singapore, you can get an ISBN by registering (with Legal Deposit) to get one for free. However, do remember to submit two (2) copies of your already published book to the National Library after!

 

• Printers - General rule of thumb: Sell at double your print cost at least so that you can break even with half the products. With that in mind, find out how the market prices are like for printers. Also, don’t be shy to ask printers for initial quotes for your specifications and amount so that you can compare prices and services.

 

• Distribution - If your print run is below 1,000 copies, it’s rather unlikely that a distributor will take your case. That being said, get to know your bookstores, libraries, and their supply processes. So on top of going from bookstore to bookstore, or event to event trying to sell your books, you can have more options to carve into a viable distribution system. Also, consider the possibility of going online, or print-on-demand - just make sure you have a strategy first. And no, just throwing your content onto the interwebz is not a strategy.

 

• Marketing - Ah, the rub. There are many tips people will give, and I can spend another post talking about this. To give you a quick tip, here are three things you should keep in mind, at least on a basic level:
  1. Target Audience - General Public is NOT a target audience. Think about the communities you want to tell your stories to, and who will be willing to listen.
  2. Strategy - We have loads of ideas and tactics, but what’s going to tie them together to show that it’s YOUR work? What’s your overarching style, theme, or vision?
  3. Schedule - Planning is all fine, but nothing’s going to happen if you don’t schedule when things are going to get done.  

Before we finish off, please note - self-publishing IS NOT vanity publishing. Vanity publishing is when you pay a publisher to design and print books for your own consumption or distribution. Usually, this means you pay for the publishing process, and published copies of the print run on your own.  

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Those are just some of my tips for self-publishing. A few pointers here and there to get you started. However, you can find out more about self-publishing in depth as you take your own journey - talk to other self-published authors, learn from them, find out what works for you.

I look forward to seeing your creations.