Self Publishing Myth Versus Reality, Part 1
Book publishing is a mystery to most. Unless you’re an expert on how to publish a book (which let’s face it…most of us aren’t), you probably don’t know what’s reality and what’s myth when it comes to the debate about whether self publishing is a Godsend or something only flunky writers attempt.
To sort through the myths and realities of self publishing, we’re going to look at six of the top self publishing beliefs and find out what’s true and what is bunk.
Myth 1: Self publishing is for writers who aren’t good enough to have their books published by real book publishers.
FALSE. This is a common belief among writers perpetuated by…….other writers. Unless you’re writing a book with an intended audience of writers, look past snobbery directed at self publishing and focus on the facts. The most important fact to remember is that most traditional book publishers are simply not interested in publishing books by unknown writers whether they’re great or not. Publishing is, after all, a business and most publishers are not willing to bank on unknowns. Therefore, self publishing is often an alternative used by talented writers who simply don’t have name recognition.
Myth 2: A book that’s self published is seen as inferior by readers.
FALSE. If you doubt this answer, here’s a little test you can conduct. Ask family and friends to name three book publishers. Chances are, most will not be able to name more than one. That’s because few readers know much, if anything, about publishing. Therefore, if a book looks like a traditionally published book, is well written and interesting, most readers will be hooked.
Myth 3: Self publishing requires a writer to order a large minimum number of books upfront.
FALSE. While some self publishing companies do require writers to order a large number of books upfront, many do not. Look for a self publishing company that doesn’t require writers to order books beyond the single proof copy.
These are just three of the many myths haunting self publishing. In part two of this article, we’ll discuss three more myths and uncover the truth about self publishing.
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