Q&A on Self-Publishing: The New York Alternative by Jim Michael Hanson
By Jim Michael Hanson Author of The Laws thrillers
Armchair Interviews has reviewed two of Jim’s books—and our resident mystery/suspense fan, Andrea Sisco, said both were top-notch in content and quality. See our reviews.
Q: Can an author successfully self-publish?
A: The answer, surprisingly, is “yes.” But the answer only applies if the underlying book is as good as its competition. I want to strongly emphasize that right here, right now, up front, because that’s 95% of the equation. The book must be good. There is absolutely, positively no getting around that. If you’re an author, and don’t yet have a good manuscript, stop reading now and go back to your keyboard.
For the rest of you, let’s suppose that you actually do in fact have a good, competitive manuscript sitting on your desk.
Q: Can you, all by yourself or with the help of some close friends, take those loose pieces of 8.5×11 paper and transform them into a book that actually gets carried on the shelves of bookstores and libraries?
A: The answer is “yes.” It’s not easy, but it can be done if you have a good work ethic. There is indeed an alternative to New York.
This Is What I Did
Here’s how I did it. I filled out online paperwork to form a company and called it Dark Sky Publishing (DSP). That cost 99 cents and about 20 minutes. DSP then opened a checking account and obtained a state (wholesale) sales license. My first manuscript, Night Laws, was written in Word. I converted that to a Publisher file, which has a more appealing format. I also designed the cover of the book on Publisher. The front photo was obtained from Getty Images for about $89 and is royalty-free. I took both files down to Office Max and had them converted to PDF files ($5.00). I emailed the PDF files to a book printer who gave me the best price quote. The printer manufactured the books and delivered them to me.
DSP set up an account to distribute the book through Baker & Taylor (B&T), one of the two largest book wholesalers, at standard industry terms and conditions. Virtually every bookstore and library in the country has an account with B&T, which meant that Night Laws was now available for purchase by bookstores and libraries across the country, with full return privileges and easy ordering, if those entities wanted it. Advance Reading Copies (ARC) of the book were sent to Borders, B&N, BAM, independent book stores, and book reviewers. B&N, Borders and many indies selected the book for in-store placement. Libraries also purchased it. As time went on, more and more book reviews came in. I promoted the book like crazy with over 20 author events, numerous interviews, and the like.
That was the start. Things got easier after that. As the word of the Laws series spread, more and more readers, reviewers, booksellers and libraries were willing to take a look to see what all the fuss was about. Now, approximately one year after this all began, over 30 reputable review organizations have reviewed one or more of the Laws books, including Library Journal and Booklist. Many thousands of copies have been sold and the readership of the series grows every day.
So what are the pros and cons of such an approach?
CONS: Lets talk about the cons first. The biggest “con” is that there is a prejudice among some (not all, but some) authors, author organizations, book reviewers and booksellers that anything published outside the traditional New York business model is unworthy. The assumption seems to be that anyone who is not with a New York publisher has tried and failed, meaning the underlying work has been rejected and is thus not competitive in its genre. In my case, none of the Laws novels were ever submitted to a literary agent or a New York publisher. The series was designed for publication by DSP from the inception, so the “rejection” assumption doesn’t fit. In fact, literary agents have subsequently contacted me and expressed an interest in lodging the series with a New York house. I have respectfully declined.
Besides the prejudice, there are other cons. Being your own publisher takes up-front capital (about $2/book). Plus, it’s risky. There’s no guarantee that anyone will buy the book. Like any publisher, you could be left holding the bag. Finally, being a publisher is a lot of work. You have to keep records, send invoices, mail books, balance checking accounts, fill out tax forms, and the like. Not to mention that you have to do all the work associated with getting the manuscript into a presentable form, meaning editing, copy editing, cover design, proof-reading, and the like.
PROS: So what are the pros? The biggest pro is that when you sit down to write a manuscript, you know up front that it will in fact end up as a book. In my case, that actually drives the quality of the writing to a higher level because I know that each word that I write will in fact be read. The second biggest pro is learning all about the book industry from the top to the bottom, and getting to meet all the wonderful people who inhabit it. There is good money to be had, too. The up-front investment (initially a “con”) will become a substantial net profit as time goes on, if the book sells well.
And that, of course, brings us full circle back to the beginning, meaning that you must have a good book that is competitive in its genre. If you do, this model will work. If you don’t, no model will work, including New York.
Please visit my website at http://www.JimHansenBooks.com. Anyone with a question can email me at Jim@JimHansenBooks.com
Happy writing and best wishes for success.