Self Publishing

Andie Paloutzian, Mid-Continent Public Library’s Story Center Program Manager, holds a book that was published on the Espresso Book Printing Machine.

What aspiring authors need to know…

For Kansas City scribes with dreams of writing and publishing a book, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, these may well be “the best of times and the worst of times.”

Less than a decade ago, an author’s only options were to get an agent or pitch directly to a publisher. Both carried a high probability of disappointment. Industry experts say that the top biggest publishers each receive four to five thousand unsolicited fiction manuscripts a year. Only about 30 to 50 manuscripts rise to the top. In a good year, 10 of those might be published; in a bad year, less than five.

Nowadays, there are options for authors to self-publish their novels on sites like Amazon’s CreateSpace or Lulu.com, either as an ebook, a print book, or both. While industry reports say that ebook sales are down, the February 2016 Author Earnings Report (AER) predicts “a greater flourishing of independent authors finding their voices and taking home an ever-growing slice of consumer dollars.”

That’s the “best of times” part. But these new options have also created the “worst of times” for authors.

The Kindle store alone has more than four million ebook titles; it’s harder for new authors to find an audience and to break out of the masses. But buoyed by successful self-published books like The Martian, 50 Shades of Grey and The Shack, authors still keep on coming.

For new authors: “Keep your expectations in check,” says long-time publisher Doug Weaver. “Odds of you making money are very, very slim.” It’s an industry fact that self-published authors make on average about $500 a year from their writings.

The genres best-suited for self-publishing have been romance, science fiction and fantasy books, according to an August 2015 article at selfpublishingrelief.com. Mystery and crime make up another large part of the self-published world.

The most important piece of advice for new authors is simple, says award-winning and international best-selling crime author Joel Goldman of Leawood: “Write a good book.”

Goldman, 63, who did start off with a traditional publisher, found almost immediate acceptance in the crime and mystery genre with his Alex Stone, Lou Mason and Jack Davis thrillers. His latest novel, All In, written with Lisa Klink, is sold as an ebook or paperback through Amazon and under the Amazon Publishing’s imprint, Thomas & Mercer. Others are self-published under his personal imprint, Character Flaw Press.

Goldman advises hiring professionals, like a good editor —  not your favorite English teacher or neighbor who just might happen to be a good proofreader.

As KC-based professional editor Carol Powers explained, “An astute, experienced editor who knows the media landscape might influence how you organize and focus your writing, and, ultimately, how it’s edited and marketed.”

Contrary to popular belief that authors must have a superior knowledge of social media skills or expensive marketing and public relations programs, Goldman discovered otherwise: “Discounting prices has been the most successful strategy I’ve used,” he said.

Joel suggests authors be part of the Kindle Direct Publishing Select program and says they should check out bookbud.com, an online site that deeply discounts books, and in return, can build an incredible national and international audience. A wealth of information and advice can be found on Goldman’s website, www.joelgoldman.com.

Some people just want to see their name in print or create something for family and friends. In that case, something like the high-speed Espresso Book Printing Machine, located at the Woodneath Library Center, a Mid-Continent Public Library branch, might be ideal and cost efficient. And, the added bonus is that the library does have its own imprint, Woodneath Press.

“Anyone can use the print-on-demand, and technically the publishing service,” says Andie Paloutzian, Mid-Continent Public Library’s Story Center Program Manager. “We do have parameters for publishing including the physical limitations of the machine… and that the author has a marketing plan and good platform.”

Weaver, former publisher of the now-defunct Kansas City Star Books, is publisher of Chandler Lake Books, which provides turn-key services in book publishing, marketing and distribution. The Chandler Lake Books imprint is licensed exclusively to Mission Point Press, a full-service book-publishing and marketing company. Both publishers are based in Traverse City, Michigan.

With Weaver’s company, a manuscript evaluation can be as little as $150, but the complete turn-key process could cost $8,000 or more. Chandler Lake does not accept every manuscript that comes through the door, Weaver says.

Beware of companies who promise no manuscript is ever turned down, and be alert to unscrupulous turn-key services. Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America has created an author resource called “Author Alert,” in which its website lists unscrupulous agencies and publishing companies in the turn-key business.

Many authors are thrilled to be published under the names of small publishing companies, or their “imprints,” even if those imprints aren’t as well known as the so-called Big Five publishers — Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster.

Yet, imprint authors are usually still saddled with the same challenges as self-published authors without an imprint. Kansas City writer, poet and author Alan Robert Proctor was proud to have his newest book, The Sweden File: Memoir of an American Expatriate, invited to join the roster of the respected Westphalia Press, an imprint of the Policy Studies Organization.

Proctor’s book was a labor of love, a story about the experiences of his brother, Bruce Stevens Proctor, who deserted the Air National Guard and fled to Sweden in 1968 to escape what he believed to be an immoral war in Vietnam. “The Sweden File” is based on letters that Bruce, now deceased, sent home to family and friends. It was named one of the best memoirs of 2015 by the The Kansas City Star.

So when Proctor approached Barnes & Noble in Kansas City to carry the book, the idea was met with enthusiasm, but fizzled when the Barnes & Noble contact told him that all books sold through B&N had to come from a central warehouse and be “returnable.” This is usually the appeal of the Big Five. When books don’t sell as expected, bookstores can return them to the publisher.  “It was a very big disappointment,” Proctor says.

Indy authors seldom get in the major book distribution channels. But, says Goldman, if one can get a foothold in the ebook market, the financial return is usually much better for authors, even if ebooks sell for as little as $2.99 each. From his own experience, income from ebooks compared to sales from a traditional bookstore can be as much as three to one since there are no percentages retained by the publisher or the bookstore.

Another challenge that self-published authors face is that media and mainstream press will rarely review or give them publicity. However, smaller, local newspapers and television and radio talk shows are more receptive if the author lives in their coverage area.

Finally, people in the industry advise, take time to network. Interaction with professional writers and newbies can make the road ahead easier and might fill the frustrating, dark times of rejection with companionship and encouragement. Check out Kansas City’s Writers Place, the Woodneath Library Center at the Mid-Continent Public Library, Kansas City’s Writers Group, and the Indie’s Writers Alliance and, through them, you may find many others.

Photos by Jim Barcus