So, let me tell you about my journey into self-publishing my first published novel, Gemtown. It was a wild ride, honestly, but also really rewarding. This isn’t a “how to” guide on self-publishing. There are plenty of them. It’s just about the voyage.
Why do I write?
I write because I love it. I could wax lyrical for pages on why, but it gets down to this simple thing: it’s such a wonderful place to exist and relax. I don’t expect to make a living from it (as much as that would be nice) because, firstly, that’s not my motivation. Secondly, as there is something like 10,000 books published EVERY DAY, the field out there is crowded.
Context: the world of publishing.
As most authors know, there are a number of models to get your book published:
Through “mainstream” publishers (think Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, Harper Collins, Macmillian);
Then there’s what’s called pejoratively termed “vanity publishers" (who you effectively pay to publish your book).
Then, self-publishing, where you perform the functions of the above levels.
Only a very small percentage of authors manage to get their books traditionally published. This is because, understandably, traditional publishing houses often focus on authors who they believe have the potential for big commercial success. While exact numbers can vary, estimates suggest that less than 1% of authors who submit their manuscripts to traditional publishers actually get a book deal. The high rejection rate is due to several factors, such as market trends, publisher interest, the quality of the manuscript, and whether the author has a strong platform or following.
As a result, many authors turn to self-publishing, which has become a more accessible and viable option thanks to platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), where authors can publish their work independently and retain full control over their rights and royalties.
But let me say, there are many who don’t like Amazon. And I get that. But they are big. And bad (they take a huge chunk of your book price). Regardless of them, I also publish via platforms such as Barnes & Noble, Ingram Sparks, Kobo, Google Books.
I used KDP mainly because it has a good interface although all the other have good ones. But KDP has lots of training material which I found useful. And, of course, everything is on You-tube lol !!! Long term, once I get a large enough following, I’ll move to other ways to get books out (that’s an entirely separate blog of itself).
The tin tacks of Self-publishing
Self-publishing requires you to be very multi skilled. Here’s the main steps:
Write Your Book – Finish your manuscript, making sure it’s complete and ready for publishing. Oh, believe me, this is the easy part lol!
Edit – Proofread and/or hire an editor to refine your content, ensuring it’s polished and error-free.
Design the Cover – Create or commission a book cover that grabs attention and represents your book, including the "blurb" on the back cover.
Format Your Book – Format your manuscript for both e-book and print, ensuring it’s correctly laid out.
Choose a Self-Publishing Platform – Select a platform (as above).
Market Your Book – Promote your book through social media, ads, and other channels to reach readers. This is a challenging area!
Apart from the actual writing, each step can cost. A lot. Depending on what you can do yourself, but professional editing, for example, might costs $3-5,000 (maybe $10k), again dependent what you ask for. Covers might be, say, $500-5000 (depending on how sexy) and formatting another grand or two. You also need an ISBN, International Standard Book Number, to publish on the above platforms. KDP will give you a free one, but you can only use on their site. You have to sell a lot of books (in the thousands) to recoup this.
I get very little in royalties at the moment (virtually nothing for e-books, $0.50 for the paperback at its competitive price point, would you believe!!) and, as a result, I’m not interested in spending a lot on the actual production. And the truth is, you don’t need to spend a lot. But the corollary is that you need lots of skills.
For example, for Gemtown, I did everything—from editing (structural, line, proofreading) to the artwork (I took the cover photo). So this process cost me nothing except paying for ISBN’s which I got for $110 for 10 (in Australia). Marketing is the only place that I do spend money.
My background was in professional consulting – so I’m attuned to doing business plans, including budgeting, as well as the marketing process. I learnt much that I use directly in self-publishing.
I wanted Gemtown to have a cover that really represented its vibe. I played around with design software, learning the ropes, and creating something that would stand out. It was a learning curve, but I took on the advice of so many across many social media platforms and made it similar to other books in my genre. I was proud of what I came up with.
After that, I dove into the whole formatting process—setting up the manuscript for e-books, print, and making sure everything looked professional (and, my god, how many times I submitted the manuscript only to have it rejected because of formatting errors). And let’s not even talk about the hours spent on self-promotion. From setting up my website to managing social media, it felt like I had my own little business running.
But in the end, seeing my novel out there, all because I did it myself, made every minute totally worth it. It’s a feeling of accomplishment I can’t even fully explain. Gemtown isn’t just a book; it’s a destination and I couldn’t be prouder.
