By J.S. Lender
I have a golden rule when it comes to writing: if it’s not fun, I’m not going to do it.
This month, I self-published my first book as a paperback on Amazon — “They Are Here Now: Short Tales.” The book is a collection of short stories I completed during the past 18 months. For the most part, publishing this book was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Below are a few things I learned along the way.
Costs
I learned that paying a professional to design a book cover would cost at least $500. In addition, paying a professional to format the contents of my book would cost another $450. Finally, if I wanted to hire an editor to review my book and provide me with feedback, I can only assume that would have been quite expensive, especially considering that my manuscript is more than 55,000 words. In the end, I decided to forgo those expenses.
I found a free photo on Pixabay, and designed my own cover. I am an indie fiction writer, and this is an indie book, so I thought it only appropriate that the cover reflect those facts. When I am on the hunt for new books to read, I get excited when I find an independently published book by a new author. As a purchaser of books, the cover really means nothing to me, and I didn’t see the point in dressing up my book to make it look as if it had been created by a big publisher. If you are an indie author writing an indie book, you should wear it loud and proud!
As for formatting the book, Amazon provides multiple templates, based upon your book’s size. I chose a paperback on the larger side — 6” x 9”. I had completed my manuscript before choosing the template, so it did take quite a bit of time for me to cut and paste and format my text into the template. If possible, it is best if you can choose your Amazon template before you start writing your book, as this will allow you to simply add to your manuscript as you go, and there will not be much editing needed when your manuscript is completed.
I decided to not use an editor, partially due to the cost, but also because I thoroughly edit and revise my stories before they make it into my final manuscript. Besides, I want my book to succeed or fail on its own. If I were to rewrite each of my stories based upon the suggestions of an editor, I would always feel as if readers were praising or criticizing my book based upon the editor’s input. Also, by the time I had finished my manuscript for this first book, I had already started work on my next book — a collection of short stories for children, hopefully to be released in late 2020.
According to my golden rule set forth above, I did not envision myself having a delightful time tediously going back and tweaking and rewriting each of the 41 stories contained within my manuscript, based upon an editor’s suggestions. Life is short, and I had already moved on to my next book.
Finally, I found it highly unlikely that I would ever make back the $2,000+ that I would have spent on a professional book cover, formatting, and an editor. I would have never felt content knowing that I had actually lost money writing this book.
Pricing
I wrote my book because I enjoy the process, not because I am trying to make money. I set the price at $7.75, which means at I earn about $.85 per copy. I don’t expect to sell thousands of copies of this book, so I don’t really see the point in trying to make a few extra dollars per copy. What is most important to me is that the book physically gets into the hands of readers.
Kindle and E-Book
Amazon gives you the option to release your book as a paperback, in addition to an e-book and Kindle. Personally, I am not a fan of either e-books or kindle. I love books, especially paperbacks, so I decided to release my book only in that format. I am aware that authors can reach more readers in the e-book and Kindle formats, but quite frankly, I don’t care.
Another hang up with Kindle and e-books is that the author must prepare and format a new manuscript, separate from the paperback manuscript. At this point, I have already written 13,000 words for my new children’s book. As much as I have enjoyed the process of writing this first book, I am now completely done with this project (see golden rule, above).
I should also mention that of all of my friends and family who are excited to read my new book, not a single person has asked whether my book is available on Kindle or as an e-book. In fact, I do not know a single person who owns a Kindle. Readers seem to desperately want a physical book that they can hold in their hands and read.
Drafts
Once your book cover and manuscript are completed, you can order an “Author Proof” from Amazon. The Author Proof is essentially a copy of your book, which you can physically hold, read, and inspect for typos or any other errors. It only costs about $7 to order an Author Proof (shipping included), which I would highly recommend. There is no substitute for proofreading your work on real paper.
Promotion
It is my understanding that you can pay for advertisements on Amazon to promote your book, but I am not interested in doing that. I announced the release of my book on Facebook, and I also purchased copies of my book to give away to friends and family. As an author on Amazon, you can purchase “Author Copies” of your book for about half price. You can then give those copies away to friends and family, and/or sell them directly to bookstores. So I guess in the end, I did spend approximately $120 total, for author copies and for postage.
If you have your own blog, or if you are on LinkedIn, those would be good places to announce the launch of your book, as well.
One piece of advice regarding sending your books off by mail to friends, families, or bookstores — typically, sending a package containing a paperback book would cost about $8 USPS. When you get to the post office, let the clerk know that you are sending a paperback book in the mail, and request that your book be sent by “Media Mail.” By sending your books by Media Mail, you will receive a discount of about 75%. It therefore costs me just $2.75 to mail my paperback anywhere within the United States. The only downside is that Media Mail requires seven days for delivery.
Congratulations!
When your book is finished, congratulate yourself on a job well done, and try to enjoy the experience. If you are a fiction writer, completing your first book may make you feel vulnerable and exposed. But try to appreciate the fact that you have completed a book that you are proud of, and don’t get too caught up in all of the hoopla surrounding promotion. If you spend all of your time promoting yourself and your book, when will you have any time left to write? When it comes to writing, I try to make sure that I am spending at least 95% of my time actually writing something, leaving just 5% of my remaining free time for promotion, reading on Medium, and whatnot.
Throughout the writing and publishing process, remember to constantly ask yourself: am I having fun?
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Short Fiction by J.S. Lender 