 Website reviews: Self-publishing
Tallulah Habib
Fancy yourself a writer but don't want to deal with the competitive and judgemental world of publishers? Why don't you strike out on your own? Self-publishing is the way forward.
Getting published is more difficult than most people realise. Most of the manuscripts that get sent to publishers never even get read. They end up on the “slush pile” - a large pile of books seen only by bored assistants and interns. If one of these assistants happens to read your novel and fall in love with it, they may convince the editor to read it. Of course, they may not. Twilight was rejected 15 times. Harry Potter was rejected 12 times and was only published because the editor's daughter begged him to read it.
In today's economy, many major publishing houses don't have slush piles and won't even look at anything not represented by a good agent. Good agents are also less and less likely to take the risk of accepting new writers.It doesn't have to be that way. New technology and the internet allow you to take the fate of your book into your own hands. The answer is self-publishing. And here are a few options you can look at.
Createspace
Owned by Amazon.com, Createspace is automatically a good option if you want to market your book online. It's what they call “print on demand”, meaning you pay nothing until you make something. And you don't have to keep boxes of your book in your attic either.
The other benefit of Createspace is you can automatically publish your book as an ebook for the Kindle. The site has a community of writers who will help you with all your questions about the site and about writing in general. If you have money to spend, you can purchase other services: design, editing, publishing advice and marketing solutions. Since the site is American, though, be prepared to spend big bucks! Ten thousand words of copy-editing will set you back $175. If you want to send out a press release, be willing to fork out $598.
You may want to try a South African alternative.
Publisher.co.za
Also print-on-demand, Publisher's best advantage is possibly that you retain up to 70% of the profit on any book you sell through them – way more than if you went to a traditional publishing house. They also offer the option of selling ebooks. The catch is that with physical books, you are responsible for packaging and posting – quite a schlep even if you are reimbursed.
Publisher has an informative resource section, but unfortunately does not offer any editing or marketing services.
Selfpublishsa.co.za
Selfpublishsa is a much newer organisation, and their site is in great need of a graphic designer. However, they say don't judge a book by its cover and the same can be said for book publishers, it seems.
Selfpublishsa not only publishes books, but offers all the more complex services Publisher doesn't: editing, design, barcoding and ISBN registration (very important), printing, assistance with distribution and marketting. You will still pay a fair amount for these, but at least you will be paying in rands.
The drawback is that selfpublishsa is not print-on-demand, and will not stock your book for you.
There are many other options out there, and in the end, it is up to you to decide what features and functions work best for you. Be careful, however, not to get sucked in by big promises with big price tags. Sometimes called “vanity presses”, some self-publishing sites charge large amounts for editing and promotion, relying on the strength of your ego to make them money, while your book remains unread. Make sure, also, that you do not give up the rights to your work at any time. It's great to be published, but not great enough to warrant that
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