SELF PUBLISHING v TRADITIONAL/VANITY PUBLISHING

Many of us have a yearning to be a writer. So, one day, you finally sit down and begin to write. After the initial inspiration, quickly comes the self-doubt. Nevertheless, you overcome your doubts and continue. The inspiration is again flowing, you can’t believe where your keyboard tapping is taking you. You sit back and read your work. You re-write paragraphs, tweak sentences and change words. Sometimes you change it all back because you decided the first draft was far better. More and more editing and re-writes are undertaken. Family members are getting tired of your continuous, “Can I just read this paragraph to you and let me know what you think?” They tell you what they think, but, if it’s a good appraisal, you’re not sure if you believe them because, “they would say that, wouldn’t they.” Inspiration has dried up. Go for a walk, that always clears the head. After the walk there’s more writing before you need to think about what’s for dinner. All this goes on in a loop for several months, maybe longer. Then, finally, your masterpiece is written. You pore over your manuscript and allow yourself a scintilla of pride. Afterall, this is your baby. You alone brought this book into the world, so, how do you now get it out to the world?

Publish your book, of course, but how? Should you find a publisher or self-publish? I’ve tried both.

With self-publishing the obstacles are to find an illustrator, if needed, also to scour the internet for a good printer. These two enterprises are time consuming and costly. All marketing will be down to you. Again, could be very costly. On the upside, if successful and you have written a best seller, you will receive all the spoils.

An alternative option is to find a traditional publisher. These publishers may offer you a deal. They are, however, very selective and are only looking for the above mentioned ‘best seller’, where they believe there will be a good return on their outlay.

Then there is the so called, Vanity Publisher. I dislike this tag and I’m sure the publishers involved do too. Yes, they do ask for payment to publish your book. However, for this cost, all your problems are taken away.

This type of publisher undertake the book printing and you will receive a professional looking, good quality, product. They provide editing, illustration services and an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). You receive, by post, 20 copies of your finished book for your own personal marketing. There are also bundles of bookmarks, postcards, posters and order forms included in the delivery. Best of all, your book will appear on Amazon, Amazon Kindle, eBay, along with bookshops and websites around the world. In fact, my book, Fred Bear – A Very Threadbare Bear, has turned up in Australia, USA and South Africa, to name but a few countries. I can’t believe how far Fred has travelled. Far more than me, that’s for sure. A huge positive about using these publishers is their marketing ability. They frequently post on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. They produce videos/trailers to upload on Youtube. They also set up an Author Page on their website, where you can post reviews, news items, blogs and attach photos. As I consider my writing more a hobby than a job, I am amongst the school of thought that you receive value for money. Afterall, many people will spend a lot more on their hobby, especially if a golfer. Those snazzy trousers don’t come cheap! Therefore, I feel the expression “Vanity Publisher” to be an unkind title. They offer a good service for a fair price.
In conclusion, having both self-published and undertaken the services of a publisher, I would recommend the publisher route (Vanity or otherwise). If you want to invest in yourself, then it could be money well spent.

Of course, all the above are my own personal findings. Others, I’m sure, will experience and see things very differently.

These comments are my own… I am not a robot!

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