Lately, I have been thinking about how much self publishing reminds me of the days of the American Wild West. New technologies (be they the telegraph, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Internet or Print on Demand) opened up a new frontier. People flocked to that new frontier. Out there, the myth went, you can make it big on nothing but grit and gumption. No rules to hold you back. You can make your own way. So, people packed their steamer trunks and their laptops, loaded up on gun powder, back bacon and skim lattes and headed into this wild, uncharted land.
It didn’t take long for the harsh truth to sink in: This may be a land of opportunity, but opportunity does not come with a guarantee. Only a few strike it rich. A few more make good. A whole lot of more end up wiring home for a ticket back to Boston.
But thank goodness for those trail blazers that tried. For good or bad, they changed the world. They created a new culture. They made it possible for the rest of us to whip along Interstate 80 at 75 mph to get to Reno. They paved the way for grandfathers to give bound copies of their memoirs as Christmas presents and for women to turn a passion for the elderly to a business.
How can we make sure you, brave trail blazing writer that you are, make it? How can we increase the odds you will find that golden nugget? Let’s look at a few lessons from the Wild, Wild West.
There are still rules. They may not be written down, and there may not be a lawman around enforcing them, but they are still there. Think of them as Natural Laws. Things that are just plain true. Quality — in writing, editing, design — matters. Your topic must appeal to a critical mass of readers. They can’t buy your book if they don’t know about your book. Good business practices are vital.
You are not alone. There are a lot of other people doing what you are doing. Connect with them, learn from them, share with them. Follow people on Twitter, subscribe to blogs, join a writer’s group. Circle your wagons occasionally. That’s what makes a community out of a frontier.
Gather your posse. I get a lot of wild ideas, and I figured this topic was just that, until I read this post from Bill Ruesch of The Red Hen Association of Self-Publishing Authors earlier this week. Bill makes the good point that self publishing is a tough road. No need to be the Lone Ranger. Just as waves of merchants and doctors and piano players followed the first pioneers, so waves of editors and designers and printers are refiguring their businesses to work with self publishers. Many of them are good people. They will have your back.
Watch out for snake oil salesmen. There may not be lawmen looking over your back, but there aren’t any looking over anyone else’s back either. There are, unfortunately, people out there who you should not work with. Some of them are scammers, some of them have an inflated view of their own skills and some are just not the right fit for you. Check people out, get references, ask for the opinions of your posse and fellow travelers.
Know where you’re headed. Very few people back in the 1800s just hopped on a horse and headed “west,” yet a lot of authors just want to “get published.” Know why you are publishing and who your audience is (hint: it is not everyone). Know what you want for and from your book. Know what success means to you. The Author Questionnaire is a good place to start.
Pack for the long haul. Self publishing is a big commitment. Writing the book isn’t the end of the process, it’s just the start. It can take several months to get a book from finished manuscript to final product ready to sell. And that’s just the production. Authors who are serious about selling their book dedicate as much time (if not more) to marketing as they did to writing.
Remember you are a trail blazer and an American Hero. It sounds schmaltzy, but we all need a little schmaltz to get us through sometimes. You are doing something hard and brave. You are changing the landscape of publishing. You are making it easier for those you come after you. Celebrate your successes, however small. While self publishing comes with no guarantee of success, it can be exhilarating and fun.
Plus there are cowboys and salon girls. And who doesn’t love that?
