The Changing Face of Self-Publishing

Sorry for the radio silence here; I've been helping out with Publishers Marketplace's Book Expo America coverage over the last few days and now that the show is over, deadlines await.

But on Sunday, Rege Behe at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review penned a long and thoughtful feature about the pros and cons of self-publishing, and why, at least for a handful, it can be a way to go to find a market for books that would not otherwise get picked up. Having said that, do not by any means rush to send self-pubbed books my way, not for the forseeable future, as I told Behe:  "For now, I tend not to look at self-published books mostly because it's like finding a needle in a haystack -- the chance of finding quality is slim. And since bookstores don't generally stock them because of various difficulties, not to mention there are so many books published anyway, there has to be a demarcation line. That said, I think there are instances where I would read a self-published book, say if it's a figure of authority, large Web presence, someone I know or trust who has practical reasons for getting the book out to readers in a nontraditional manner."

One of those who made it work was Lisa Genova, whose road to NYT bestsellerdom with STILL ALICE was paved with doing it herself:

Agent after agent turned her down, one telling Genova that self-publishing the book would kill her career. Reluctantly, the Belmont, Mass., resident paid $450 to iUniverse in 2007 and started to hawk her book, speaking at bookstores and before seniors groups. She submitted excerpts and information to Internet message boards and forums devoted to Alzheimers.

"Ten years ago, it would have been a different story," Genova says. "How do you reach beyond your neighborhood? But with the Internet, you can purchase a self-published book at Amazon.com. It makes you bigger than one person."

Then came Genova's eureka moment: a glowing review in the Boston Globe. She and her husband watched in amazement as her book's rank rose from in the 500,000s to No. 300 in a single day.

"We knew that people were reading this column and were out buying the book and now reading that," she says. "We knew that this was a moment where people beyond my family and friends were reading the book."

But again, a word of caution: Genova, Daniel Suarez, William P. Young may be success stories, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. And unless traditional publishing changes radically soon, which it won't because there's not enough economic incentive yet to do so, they will remain exceptions proving the rule for some time to come.

Comments

[Clea Simon]

Very interesting - and I'm glad you blogged about this. I was very interested to hear you speak about it at the Backspace conference on Saturday and wished I'd been taking notes, so very happy to read this here.

By the way, it was great to hear you speak! I always learn something.

[John Dishon]

Here's another good story about self-publishing, this one from the Washington Times:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/22/self-publishing-finds-commercial-niche-in-digital-/

[Mary R]

I remember the advice that I once heard about indie filmmaking - don't do it until you have a script that lots of people say they love - but don't know how to make money doing it.

When I hear these stories I always want to know what sort of rejections these works got from the major publishers.

[Richard S. Wheeler]

It took a review in a traditional and distinguished newspaper, the Boston Globe, to send the self-published book on its way. That is critically important and not likely to change. Online reviews carry little weight, and that is also unlikely to change any time soon.

[Clea Simon]

Actually, RIchard, one of the points Sarah brought up at the conference on Saturday is that online chat can at least stimulate buzz. Maybe not reviews, per se, but if people at the more popular sites are all talking about a book, it can help a book make the leap. (That said, I'm sticking with traditional publishing for as long as those folks will have me. Mary, I too wonder.)

[jenny milchman]

I think it's hard for an author to differentiate between "this ms isn't ready for/good enough for publication" and "I have a ms that will never fit the established niches and hence be unlikely to be picked up." Requires a level of brutal honesty and self-examination that few of us have; hence the tidal wave of self-pubbed works that only one's mother would read. (Maybe not even her.) That said, I know personally at least one author who self-pubbed, sold several thousand copies through sheer sweat equity (and talent), and went on to land a deal with a major. She first queried many agents. So clearly some things are slipping through the cracks.