Self-Publishing Pathways

By Louise Merrington @lmmerrington

Once upon a time, there was a well-paved route from manuscript to published book – you finished your magnum opus, got an agent and then a publisher. If you were lucky, it would be a matter of months but, for many aspiring authors, the time between writing and publication was easily measured in years.

Then, in late 2007, Amazon released the Kindle and upended the publishing landscape. A decade later, there are now more publishing options for emerging and aspiring authors than ever before. While a traditional publishing contract is still one of them, an increasing number of authors – including those who have previously had traditional contracts – are electing to self-publish or ‘go indie’, using ebook and print-on-demand technology to reach local and international markets.

I’m one of them. After my first novel, Greythorne, was published by an imprint of a major global publisher, I quickly realised that the reality of the publishing industry failed to live up to my expectations of it. When the publisher closed the imprint unexpectedly – leaving me and other authors high and dry – I decided to venture out on my own rather than trying for another traditional contract. The learning curve in the subsequent two years has been very steep, and I’m still on it, but I have no regrets about my decision.

Although self-publishing still has a degree of stigma attached to it, one of the most interesting things I’ve found has been that the ‘mid-list’, which has all but disappeared from traditional publishing, has migrated over to the independents. Indie authors are now some of the only ones who can make decent incomes without having to produce a blockbuster bestseller. Consequently, more and more established authors are starting to take notice.

As self-publishing slowly becomes more accepted among the literary mainstream, it’s also exciting to see writers’ festivals opening up space for these discussions. At this year’s Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne (19-29 June) I’m partnering with Debbie Lee, the Manager Content Acquisition at Ingram Content Group – one of the world’s biggest book distributors and print-on-demand publishers – to discuss publishing options for emerging writers. We’re going to look at the differences between traditional, vanity/predatory, and self-publishing, and how to choose a path that’s right for you and your book. We’ll also be discussing practical strategies for getting your book out into the wide world, including distribution into libraries, schools and bookshops. The choices now available to authors mean there’s never been a better time to dip your toe in the publishing waters.


Self-Publishing Pathways, presented by Debbie Lee and Louise Merrington, is on as part of the 2018 Emerging Writers Festival.

When: Sunday 24 June from 12-12.45pm

Where: State Library of Victoria Conference Centre, 179 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Australia

More information and tickets: http://www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/self-publishing-pathways/

Louise Merrington is the author of Victorian Gothic mysteries Greythorne and The Iron Line (under the pen name L.M. Merrington). You can find her online at www.lmmerrington.com or facebook.com/lmmerrington.

Understanding Your Options for Self-Publishing

By Iola Goulton

I'm a member of several writing and editing groups. Some are Facebook groups; others are email loops. A lot of the same questions come up over and over. Many of these recurring questions have a similar theme:

• I have just finished writing a novel, and I'm looking for a publisher.
• My client has just finished their memoir and is looking to self-publish.

Sometimes it's a memoir, or a non-fiction book. Sometimes it's an editor enquiring on behalf of a client. But the question is always the same: what publisher do people in the group recommend?

My recommendations are always the same.

If you want to self-publish in print, you have three main options. If you want to self-publish an ebook, there are a few more options.

Print Publishing Options

1. Amazon

2. Ingram Spark

3. A printer

Amazon

Amazon is a Print on Demand (POD) printer, which means they only print a copy of your book when someone has ordered it. They operate two programmes: CreateSpace, and the newer Kindle Direct Publishing. Most authors use CreateSpace, simply because it has been around longer and there have been reports of some teething troubles with Kindle Direct Publishing.

Both programmes operate in a similar manner—you upload your book, choose from several distribution options, and set your price. They then print the book, ship it directly to the buyer, and pay you the profit on the sale.

At the time of writing, Amazon only prints paperbacks.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark has a one-time setup fee, and also charge a fee every time you upload a new version of your book. They are also a POD printer, and operate in a similar way to CreateSpace (in fact, CreateSpace will sometimes outsource their printing to IngramSpark at no cost to you).

IngramSpark has paperback and hardcover options.

A Printer

A printer could be a local printer, or an offshore printer. The local printer is likely to cost more, while the offshore printer will have a higher freight cost. Actual costs will depend on the number of copies you are ordering—the more copies, the cheaper the cost per copy but the bigger your overall cost. Try not to be swayed by the per-unit cost: it's no saving if you end up with hundreds of books you've paid for but can't sell.

There are two main types of printing: POD (which is most cost-effective for short print runs e.g. under 100 copies) and offset (which is most cost-effective for large print runs e.g. over 1,000 copies). Offset printing has a lower per-unit cost, but a higher initial outlay because of the minumum number of copies.

I only sugest considering a local printer if you have a local audience who are likely to buy your books in print. Getting a book into print is the easy part. The hard part is sales and distribution, which is why most savvy authors choose CreateSpace or Ingram Spark.

Ebook Publishing Options

If you're looking to publish an ebook, there are a few more options:

1. Publish Exclusively Through KDP Select

2. Go Wide

3. Use a Distributor

4. Use a Combination

KDP Select

You can self-publish exclusively through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select programme. Amazon offer promotional incentives for author/publishers using KDP Select, including free days, Kindle Countdown deals, and membership in (and payment from) their ebook borrowing programme, Kindle Unlimited (referred to as KU).

Amazon has no upfront charges for publishing through KDP Select. They make their money by charging a percentage of the sale price of each book sold. You receive the rest as a "royalty" payment. The royalty at Amazon.com is 70% of sale price for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, and 35% for books priced higher or lower (the price thresholds vary slightly by country).

So if you sell a book for $2.99, Amazon will pay you a little over $2.00 (this figure will vary depending on where you live, and whether your country of residence has a tax treaty with the US. But those differences are Amazon complying with international taxation laws, not trying to pay you less).

Go Wide

You can publish directly through Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, and other online ebook retailers. Publishing through multiple retailers is often referred to as "going wide", in that you are not restricting your ebook sales to Amazon. Again, there are no upfront costs. Each retailer pays a royalty calculated as a percentage of the sale price of each book sold, and their royalties are broadly similar to Amazon's.

Use a Distributor

You can publish through an online distributor such as Draft2Digital or Smashwords. They have no upfront charges, but charge you a percentage of the royalty they receive from the online retailer. So if you sell a book for $2.99. the distributor will receive about $2.00, and will pay you about $1.80 (depending on their standard contract).

Use a Combination

If you choose to go wide, you can go direct with some stores, and use a distributor for others. For example, the last time I checked, you had to have an Apple computer in order to upload a book to the iBook store. If you're a PC user, you either need to become BFFs with a Mac owner, or use a distributor to upload to iBooks. Other authors find it difficult to upload to Google Play. In both cases, many authors choose to distribute direct to the major stores such as Amazon and Kobo, and use a distributor for the smaller stores, or those they can't access.

Note that most authors publish in print and in ebook format. Fiction authors (especially romance authors) tend to make most of their sales in ebook format, although paper remains a popular choice for children's books, middle grade, and young adult.

But what are your publishing options if that all sounds too complicated? I'll be back to discuss that next week.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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What Is Indie Publishing?

By Iola Goulton

Over the last few weeks, we've looked at vanity publishing (and why it's a bad idea), and at self-publishing (and how the term has been misappropriated by vanity publishers). 

As I've mentioned, self-publishing has soared in popularity since the release of the Amazon Kindle and competing ereaders. The introduction of ereader devices, along with affordable print-on-demand (POD) services means anyone can publish their book at little or no upfront cost—no author needs to get stuck with hundreds of copies of unsold paperbacks.

Indie Publishing

Indie publishing is a term which has risen in popularity over the last few years as vanity presses have appropriated the term 'self-publishing'. The term is a reference to the indie film industry, where indie filmmaking is making and distributing a film independently of the major film studios.

In the same way, indie publishing is publishing and distributing a book independently of the trade publishers.

At least, that's what most articles on the subject teach. It seems some authors believe indie publishing includes being published by a small press that's independent of the major trade publishers. I disagree: some of the biggest names in Christian publishing are church-owned publishers—by definition, publishers who are independent of the major general market publishers.

However, self-publishing is also somewhat of a misnomer, as it implies the writer is publishing alone. This isn’t true: there are many tasks which have to be completed in order to publish a book, and the savvy self-publishing author knows they will need to outsource some of those tasks.

The main tasks which need outsourcing are:

Beta-reading:

Someone (who isn’t related to you) needs to go through your manuscript and suggest how it can be improved. This can be a critique partner or beta-reader (in which case they help for free on the understanding you will return the favour) or a developmental or structural editor (paid, and costs vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars).

All authors need to take this step, regardless of how they plan to publish. The first person to read your manuscript shouldn't be your dream publisher. It should be someone you trust to tell you what's good, and what needs to be improved.

Editing and Proofreading:

Even the best editor can’t proofread their own work. We read the words we intended to write … which might not be the words which actually end up on the screen.

A trade publisher will edit your book, but I've observed the quality of editing is related to the size of the publisher: small presses often can't afford as many levels of editing as trade publishers, and this shows in their books.

Authors planning to self-publish will need to hire their own editors. The manuscript will need at least two rounds of editing and proofreading (more if it hasn't been through beta readers and/or a critique group).

Cover design:

This is best outsourced unless you are a trained graphic designer with experience in book cover design.

Other Tasks

Then there is a range of tasks which a savvy author can learn to do themselves, or can outsource as time and money permit.

These include: interior formatting, uploading the final version to distributors for printing and epublishing, marketing, claiming online author profiles, website development and maintenance, mailing list maintenance, marketing, writing newsletters, social media management, more marketing, organising a blog tour, organising book reviewers, yet more marketing, organising sales promotions, ensuring books are categorised correctly, even more marketing …

The essence of self-publishing isn’t that the author does everything themselves.

But they are in control of the process and contract out those parts of the process they can’t do themselves (like editing) or that could be done better by a professional (e.g. cover design). Some contract tasks like social media updates or website maintenance out to a virtual assistant.

Those who choose to self-publish will be responsible for everything. You will either have to do it yourself, or pay (or bribe or beg) someone else to do it for you. This involves a lot of decisions, and you would be wise to get advice from someone who has been through the process before (and recently – things can change very quickly, particularly when it comes to e-books).

There's a lot to be done, and some of it will cost money. But make sure you invest your money in services which are going to add value to your book (e.g. editing and cover design), not activities that feed your ego and a vanity press's coffers (like pitching your book to a supposed Hollywood script agent).

That's the end of this series. I'll be back next week to introduce something new: our theme for our joint posts with Christian Writers Downunder.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Indie eBook Pricing

By Narelle Atkins

The pricing of eBooks is a popular conversation topic among indie authors. A big advantage of independent publishing is the author has control of the price of their print and ebooks. Indie authors set the price for their eBooks, and can adjust the price at any time.

Print Book vs. eBook Pricing

The prices of print books tend to be similar, irrespective of whether the book is traditionally published or independently published. There are costs of production for print books that must be factored into the selling price. Retailers will mark up the price of the print books they sell.

In contrast, there are fewer costs to factor in when determining the price of eBooks. There are fixed costs in terms of book formatting, cover design, editing, etc. The per unit cost of selling an eBook is smaller than the per unit cost of selling a print book.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Pricing Model

Indie authors who sell their eBooks on Amazon via KDP can select the price they charge for their eBooks. KDP currently offer a 70% royalty for eBooks priced $2.99-$9.99 and a 35% royalty on eBooks priced below $2.99.

A Kindle eBook priced at $2.99 will earn six times the royalty of a Kindle eBook priced at $0.99.

Supply and Demand

The housing market is a good example of how the economic principles of supply and demand influence price.

Demand is greater than Supply

The current Sydney housing market is an example of demand exceeding supply. The price of houses in Sydney has risen in recent years due to demand from buyers being significantly larger than the supply of houses for sale.

Supply is greater than Demand

The US housing market after the Global Financial Crisis is an example of supply exceeding demand. The supply of houses for sale was larger than the demand for houses by buyers, leading to falling house prices.

The are many factors at play in the housing market that influence the supply and demand for housing. These factors influence the price that buyers are willing to pay.

Supply and Demand factors for eBooks

The supply and demand of eBooks will influence the price of eBooks.

We now have an almost unlimited supply of eBooks available for sale. There are no barriers to entry to the eBook publishing market. Anyone can publish an eBook direct with KDP (Amazon Kindle), iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and the other eBook retailers, or they can use a distributor to sell to the various sales channels eg. Draft2Digital and Smashwords.

The book selling statistics, for both print and eBooks, consistently show that the demand for books isn’t falling. The growth in the demand for eBooks isn’t keeping pace with the massive increase in the supply of eBooks that we’ve seen in recent years.

Discoverability

Discoverability is a buzz word in publishing circles. How can readers find your eBook among the millions of titles available for sale?

One way to improve visibility is to discount the price of the eBook and purchase paid advertising eg. Bookbub ads that will reach your target audience of readers. Placing an eBook in a competitively priced multi-author indie boxed set may also help increase visibility. I discussed marketing indie boxed sets in my post last month.

http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/marketing-your-book-in-boxed-set.html

According to the law of supply and demand, the demand for a product should rise when the price is lowered. This means that the more competitively priced eBooks at $0.99 will sell more copies than eBooks priced at $9.99.

Certain genres eg. romance have a larger target audience and a higher demand for ebooks by readers. These popular genres will attract authors who follow market trends, which increases the overall supply of eBooks in the popular genres to meet the perceived demand.

Willingness to pay

Willingness to pay is a big factor in the demand for eBooks. How much are readers willing to pay for their eBooks?

Readers are willing to pay more for print books than eBooks

This is a logical and rational decision made by readers. A reader owns the print book, can on-sell the print book and can share the print book with their friends and family. An eBook is purchased under a licensing arrangement. This usually means the eBook can’t be shared or on-sold.

Print books have an intrinsic value because they’re a physical product. It’s harder for a reader to ‘steal’ a print book from a physical store than it is for a reader to ‘steal/pirate’ an eBook online. The value our society, in general, places on books, music, film, photography and art that is sold and distributed online is an area of concern for artists and creators.

Connecting with your target audience of readers

If readers love your writing, and trust your brand, they will be more willing to pay a competitive price for your eBooks. If you’re an unknown indie author in a market where your target audience have Kindle, iBooks, Kobo and Nook accounts full of unread titles, why would they take a chance on your debut eBook priced at $4.99? 

That’s why marketing is important. Word of mouth marketing (where readers tell their friends about the books they love) sells books.

Loss leader eBooks

A loss leader is a product that’s sold at a loss (below cost price) to attract customers to sample and buy from a specific product range. If an indie author has several eBooks for sale, they can select a title as their loss leader eg. Book 1 in a series. A loss leader can be permanently or temporarily priced at $0.99 or available for free to entice readers to sample the author’s writing. Low priced multi-author boxed sets can also work well as loss leaders.

Indie authors teach their readers how to buy their books

If an indie author releases 3 ebooks within a year, and chooses to make every ebook free during the first 90 days after the release date, what is the author communicating to the reader?

This pattern of pricing will teach the reader to wait and not purchase book 4 on pre-order or when it releases. The reader will assume that they’ll probably have an opportunity to download book 4 for free within 90 days of the release date.

Indie eBook pricing strategy

Indie authors can experiment with different pricing strategies until they find a strategy that works for their books. Each book is unique and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution to how indie authors determine the price of their eBooks.

A Question for indie authors: How do you select the price of your eBooks? Are there any pricing strategies that have worked well for your eBooks?

A Question for everyone: How much are you prepared to pay for eBooks? Are there reasons that explain why you’re willing to pay more for certain eBooks?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

This post is being shared on the Australasian Christian Writers blog and the Christian Writers Downunder blog.

If you’re looking to connect with writing groups online, you can join the Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group and the Christian Writers Downunder Facebook Group.

Omega Writers Inc. provides helpful resources and membership benefits for writers who live in the Australasian region.

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia. 

Her latest novella release, Seaside Christmas, is available in An Aussie Summer Christmas boxed set from Amazon for 99 cents. 

Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com

Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor
Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins

The Genre Interview, with Andrea Grigg

Welcome to another genre interview. Today, Gold Coast author, Andrea Grigg, has agreed to answer our questions.

Which genres do you write? 

Andrea: Just romance at the moment, but I'd like to try women's fiction at some stage.

Which market do you write for? (Christian or general, clean reads, etc)

Andrea: My first two books and my novella are for the Christian market, but my next one will be a sweet romance for the general market.

In which genres do you have books available for sale?

Andrea: Romance, romance and romance! You can find me on Amazon here.

How many books have you published in each genre?

Andrea: Three in the romance genre – two novels and one novella

Are you published traditionally, indie, or hybrid?

Andrea: Hybrid. My first two novels were published traditionally with Rhiza Press and my novella is indie published in a box set, along with five other authors: Lacy Williams, Marion Ueckerman, and our own Narelle Atkins, Rose Dee, and Meredith Resce. 

Did genre influence your decision to choose a particular publishing model?

Andrea: No, not at all. I wrote a book, wondered what to do with it, and then the steps appeared in front of me. I guess you could say God led me there ;)

Are your published works available in print, ebook, or both?

Andrea: 'A Simple Mistake' and 'Too Pretty' are available in both print and ebook; 'An Aussie Summer Christmas', the box set containing my novella, 'All is Bright', is ebook only.

Why do you write what you write? Do you feel called to write?

Andrea: It’s a good question, isn’t it? I’ve thought about it a lot.  I write romance because I love reading it. I also love to encourage people – I feel that’s my calling rather than writing itself. However, if I can encourage, or bring hope, or help people feel they’re not alone, and do it through my writing, then I’m doing what I’m supposed to do and I’m content with that.

Many thanks to Andrea Grigg for sharing her thoughts on genre. 

Andrea would love to connect with you on her Facebook author page, or via Twitter, or you could send her an email at andreagrigg@live.com