"Should I Self-Publish My Book?"

This upcoming Saturday, December 14th, TIAM's Small Press & Literary Festival will be the last event for Mili Fay Art in 2013. I'm looking forward to being there, not only as a vendor, but as an attendee, since this is where Toronto's small and independent publishers will gather to display their wares.

Publishing is a tough business, but independent publishing is ten times more difficult, because you are a tiny fish trying to swim in a crowded pond with much, much bigger fish.

Not only that, but you have to fight against the prejudiced stigma that because you have self-published your work, it means you are not good enough to be published by a "real" publisher.

Not true.

I have decided to pluck up my courage to self-publish my own work because my vision did not fit the standard 32 pages, because I wanted more artwork, because I wanted a work that would not be limited by an age group, but could be enjoyed by all, a work that could raise funds for something I care about... Then the logistics came into play. There are eight publishers in Canada who might have published my work. However, each of them publishes about two picture-books a year. How many already well established authors are there? How many would be authors?

My work would be a needle in a haystack, and I have no connections that can act as magnets.

Despite all of these reasons, I was still considering fighting to have my work published by a trade publisher, until I was told that I would have to do my own marketing and promoting.

Have you been to Indigo? I think every book in there has been published by a trade publisher, how many did you read?

Logistics.

If I'm going to be responsible for my own marketing and promotion, I might as well get all the profits from the book. And if I'm going to loose money, at least I will remain true to my vision.

Did you know that bookstores ask for 40%-50% off your base price to place a book in their store?

I did not.

This may be THE reason to attempt trade publishing.

Trade publishers can get books printed for pennies on a dollar, and this is how they can keep independent publishers from ever having their work in a stores.

A trade publisher could have printed my book in China for maybe a dollar/book (maybe even less). Being socially conscious I decided to go with a local printing company. The raw cost of my book is $7.10 per book. This price does not include the interest on my loan, the programs I used, my own salary, marketing, promotion,...

I priced my book at $24.95 (my book is of the highest quality and is 60 pages, but I reasoned this would be a fair and comparative price that may not make me much profit, but can keep me publishing this book) hoping to make ~ $5 profit so that I could give away 30% for wildlife conservation.

On 40%-50% consignment (consignment, simply put, means that stores will take your book, but will return it to you if it does not sell), I would be earning $14.97-$12.47 per book. Meaning I would loose money.

So, going into this, I knew unless I could bring the consignment percentage down, my book will never be in a store like Indigo. Unless, I decide to give away few books, for the possibility of promotion.

You could always try to negotiate for a better contract, but would a store like Indigo bother to waste time on a tiny nobody from nowhere even if they like your book? Especially when they have so much income form legitimate trade publishers?

I've learned all this, I knew all this, and in spite of it all, I have self-published my work.

Now, I'm trying to figure out how to be that bright little fish that stands out from a school of much bigger, flasher fish in that tiny pond.

I wrote all this to illustrate the dedication and passion it takes to self-publish your work. Vendors at the TIAM on Saturday are there, because they are not conventional. They are not willing to follow, or be swallowed by a crowd. Because they believe in their voice and believe that they should be heard without censorships or prejudice.

It is up to the public to decide what they want to hear, or in this case read.

So, should you publish your book?

I ask you: "Would you still be happy having published your book if you lost the investment money and made no profit?"

If your answer is: "Yes."

Then my answer is: "You should."

For myself, having a mother tell me that her little girl is walking around with my book tucked under her arm (periodically pointing at and counting the different animals), instead of the beautiful talking Merida doll she got at the same time, is all the reward for years of hard work I will ever need.