Becoming a Published Independent Author

Without writers, there would be no readers. Are you a writer with the story of a lifetime but not sure how to get it to the readers? Hopefully this will be a good starting point on your road to becoming a published independent author.

First, write your book!

Second, you need to decide how to publish. Will self-publishing or signing with a publisher work better for you? Here are the differences and the pros and cons of each to help you decide.

SELF-PUBLISHING
Self publishing is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as "published by oneself or with one's own money." To self-publish you will want to copyright your work and then purchase an ISBN to sell it. That can be done at www.isbn.org. Make sure you have your book read by an editor. Misspelled words and grammar mistakes can ruin a great story. If your not an artist, you will want to hire a someone to do a good cover design. Then it's time to send your book off the the printer.

Pros -

• owning all the rights to your book
• paying lower per book cost
• being able to sell an e-book version on websites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Cons -

• doing all the work yourself, including marketing, design, and editing
• having limited audience
• trying to distinguish your work from a ton of competing self-published authors

Visit CBS News online to watch a video called "The Rise of Self Publishing".

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING
When you take the route of traditional publishing you will need to send a manuscript to many different publishing companies. Make sure your manuscript is grammatically correct and properly formatted. It should be printed on clean white paper. Many submitted manuscripts are not even read by some companies so you should also send a synopsis of your story so that the publisher will be more likely to evaluate your book.

Pros -

• creating a sense of built-in credibility
• offering authors advances and promotional materials
• getting your books into stores where customers can buy them

Cons -

• losing many of the rights to your book
• producing a book can take several months 
• many submissions aren't even looked at

You can find a list of independent publishers at newspages.com and you if you don't know what type of publisher to choose, you can get help by answering some questions about your book publishing goals at chooseyourpublisher.com

Third, promote your book. Use social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to share updates and excerpts from your book. Create your own website so people will know who you are. Start a blog dedicated to discussing your current and upcoming work.

A good way to learn about resources that you may want to use as you become a published independent author is to join a web network for independent authors. These are a couple of sites to consider:

1. Independent Authors Guild 
2. Association of Independent Authors - Annual member fee from $50 for full access and all benefits

These networking sites offer authors added promotion, peer reviews, critiques, editing service and general advice and assistance among their members.

This is what other independent author have to say about becoming published:

ERICA STEVENS is the author of the paranormal romance novels The Captive, Kindred, and Ravening Series. After years of querying agents with no results she signed with Gilmour-Cox Publishing. She states

 “I was at the point of giving up my dream and just continuing to write for me, because I can't not write. Up until that point no one had read anything I wrote so actually gathering the courage to put it out there took a lot for me!”

 She was determined to sign with a publishing company over self-publishing and describes the process as

“one of the most terrifying and exciting things I've ever done!” 

Her advice to new authors is to take it slow, do your research, and if you can, hire an editor. But, most importantly, she says, “Just do it. You'll never know until you try.”

LINDA PRESSMAN is the author of Looking Up: A Memoir of Sisters, Survivors and Skokie. Her advice is 

“It's all about the writing. No one wants to read any book, traditionally or self-published, that is badly written. Also, platform matters, because without a network of people who are interested in your writing, there will be no one to buy your book. Start blogging now to build up a readership. Get on Facebook. Always carry a few books with you everywhere you go.”

Works Cited

Carnoy, David. "Self-publishing a Book: 25 Things You Need to Know." cnet.com. Cnet, 13 June 2012.      Web. 22 Mar. 2013.

               
Chandler, Stephanie. "The Pros and Cons of Traditional vs. Self-Publishing." authoritypublishing.com. Authority Publishing, 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2013.

Daffron, Susan C. "Seven Steps to Self Publish Your Book." thebookconsultant.com. The Book Consultant, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

                

Hurtes, Sandra. "6 Self-Publishing Success Stories." Writer 125.2 (2012): 28-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

                

Staheli, Lu Ann Brobst. "Which Way—Do-It-Yourself Or Traditional?: An Author Who's Been Down Both Roads Describes Some Issues Worth Considering." Writer 123.2 (2010): 26-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

                

Steven, Erica. ”Re: Getting Published “ Message to Author. 20 March 2013. E-mail.

               
"The Rise of Self-publishing." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 09 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.