If I Ever Write a Book, Going the Self-Published Route – February 28, 2021

I haven’t decided if I will ever publish a book, but if I do it will be self-published. I am not a fan of traditional publishers. They keep too much money and have too much control. I read an article where the author did not read the contract – always a bad mistake. Had she read the contract, she would have realized as long as the contract was in force, the publisher had control of her name. She wanted to use her name for a different series and the publisher dropped the bomb about them owning her name until the contract expired. I don’t know how long the contract lasted as some push for it to last for the length of copyright.

For me, I believe the self-published right is better. I have more control on pricing, cover choice, and other things. I used to be surprised when an author got a deal with a traditional publisher. Those are rare these days as there are so few traditional publishers available. One only accepts around 80 or so new authors per year. What isn’t rare is when the publisher lets the new author know the author is responsible for advertising and marketing. I figure if I am responsible for those items, I deserve a bigger share of the pie.

A friend self-publishes and goes wide. That means they use Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play, etc. to publish. He gets almost 60% of his sales from non-Amazon sources.