Writing and Self Publishing - How Hands on Are You?

The world of self publishing, vanity publishing, and on-demand publishing, is changing so rapidly that it's hard to keep up with everything. At the very least, it's confusing to a writer trying to find a way to get her first book published.

The lure of having your work in print often overshadows common sense. I don't know what it is that mesmerizes people about seeing their work, and especially their name in print. I remember years ago, when I was doing some offset press work, how wrapped up people got in seeing their name on a business card or letterhead. The rest of the business information be damned, but the name had to be spelled right and in plain view. Wow! I can even remember times when the business name and services provided by a company were difficult to find on the card or leaflet, but the owner's name stood out like a sore thumb. We even had retired people come in and order business cards with nothing but their name, address, and phone number listed. Sometimes the words retired, or proud grandparent made their way onto the card, but that name had to be the most prominent feature, in a rich, embossed lettering.

Okay, enough about patting yourself on the back and the pitfalls associated with doing that. If you have written a great manuscript and are looking to get it into print, then you are already good at telling yourself encouraging things. You probably don't need the extra strokes from someone only willing to do it for several hundred dollars.

First of all, be sure of what you are looking for in a publisher, be it working directly with a publishing house or using a reputable agent to hook you up with the right people. If neither of those seem to be the correct choice, then self publishing is a valid option for you.

Although my knowledge of the above mentioned areas struggles to keep pace with changes in the industry, I'll try to give some general advice and references here that you can run with. Don't take my word to be gospel about anything, but do your research and be 100% comfortable with any decision before acting on it.

Let's take a look at what was traditionally referred to as vanity publishing. The industry has come up with a whole family of name variations because the term vanity publishing got a bad rep for many years. There are as many programs and systems out there now as you can imagine - some good, some bad. You must look at them and judge for yourself what suits your needs and your budget. In short, this type of business offers to publish your book, but you pay for the printing rather than them fronting the costs.

Then there are variations on editing options. Do you want to use your own editor, or go with one recommended by the publisher, for an extra fee of course. Be careful here. As with any editing partnership, work with someone who is compatible with you and your goals, and get references. If they don't have a list of satisfied customers to hand you, keep looking.

Did I mention marketing? Again, you must decide what you can afford and what the benefit is of engaging the publishing firm to market your work. Most of them offer several financial packages. You can get anywhere from general mailings and press releases to full blown display stands and four color, glossy stock promotions. Whatever your situation, there is a marketing program for you . . . if you want to go that way. For some writers, getting promotional material printed is enough. For others, going the extra mile (and dollars) would be a big help. Whatever you choose to do, use lots of common sense and business thought before singing any contract. The good advice of a lawyer wouldn't hurt either.

If your material is for a limited audience, then self publishing might be for you. It varies from the vanity publishers in that you do the work. You do the type editing and pre-press work. If you have a manual or guidebook, you could even print it on 20# paper stock using a copy machine from the local copy shop, or lease one of your own if you think the cost is worth it. There are multiple bindery options, from comb binding (great for adding additional pages at a later date), to hard plastic bindings that melt together to bind the book. There are stitching and staple options, page size options, trimming options, and cover stock choices for color and thickness. If you are looking at this type of publishing seriously, get yourself a really good printer and/or copy machine and some simple binding equipment that you can use in the home office, or visit the local copy shop. Some businesses specialize in bindery only. Call around and see what's available to you. Most copy and bindery shops will tell you what they need for their equipment, then show you what parts you can do on the pre-press side to lower your costs.

On demand publishing is another variation on the short-run production side. The trick here is that your book is stored electronically on disk. Only when you call and order copies are they printed and bound. For very limited runs, such as family histories, local historical tour books, doctoral dissertations, etc., this is another option beyond self publishing. The price will vary depending on the number of copies ordered, the binding options, the cover, and shipping costs. You may also have restrictions on the type of printing and paper available. This is something fairly new in the service end of publishing. Check it out and see if it meets your needs.

I'm sure that there are ten times as many variations out there that I didn't even touch on. Just remember that this industry is changing about as fast as the computer industry in general. In forty years, I've seen typesetting go from hard cast Linotype machines, to very slow optical typesetting with dual 5 1/4 inch floppies for the controlling computer, to digitally shared text on every face of the globe within seconds. Every aspect of this industry has been effected. If publishing on your own appeals to you and your situation on any level, shop around. I can't emphasize that enough.