Posts Tagged ‘self-publishing’

Aspiring authors often have a difficult time getting established publishing companies to look at their manuscripts, which is why many choose to self-publish. The problem is that in the interest of saving money, many self-publishers eliminate a key element from the publishing process – skilled copy editing. That is why there are thousands of poorly-written self-published books on the market, and one of the reasons the literary world has traditionally looked down on self-publishing.

Think about it: you spent hours researching and writing about your subject. You believed in yourself and your project, were enthusiastic, highly-motivated, and willing to do whatever it took to put your book into the hands of the reading public. But then you sabotaged all your hard work by failing–usually in the interest of saving money–to submit your manuscript to a copy editor prior to submitting it to the printer.

There are a few things serious self-publishers must realize. First and foremost, self-publishing is a business. Not only are you marketing the book your have written, but you are marketing yourself. Therefore, preparing for your “grand opening”–which in your case is the day your book hits the shelves at your local book dealer–is key to your business’s success.

Secondly, it is important to recognize your limitations. Writing a book makes you an author, but not necessarily a writer. Nearly every high school graduate can string enough words together to be understood. But great, even good writing requires a strong knowledge of grammar and a consistent, painstaking commitment to practicing the craft. The rich and famous know this, which is why they often hire writers to help them pen their memoirs. That doesn’t mean that only skilled writers can and should write books; what it means is that if grammar and spelling aren’t your strong points, you should hire a copy editor to proofread your manuscript.

Other reasons copy editing is essential to self-publishers:

1. Good copy editing lends credibility to your work. Credibility gained on your first self-publishing endeavor creates a following of loyal customers for your next project.

2. Good copy editing makes you look like a good writer. You may not have great writing and grammar skills, but a copy editor’s job is to make you look like you do!

3. Good copy editing sells more books. No one wants to spend hard-earned money on a poorly proofread book. Remember, you are in business to sell your product.

In the past, self-publishing was viewed as being strictly for amateurs. But with the recent success of best-selling self-published books like The Shack, attitudes are steadily changing. One of the ways self-publishing can gain respectability is for self-publishers to view hiring a copy editor not as an unnecessary expense, but as a crucial factor in their publishing success.

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Karen S. Ramsey, is an adjunct English instructor at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, SC and the owner of A Second Look Editorial Services http://a2ndlooker.com

In a historic turn-around that presages a new acceptance of self-publishing, the prestigious American Society for Journalists and Authors (ASJA) today announced acceptance of its first self-published author, and a relaxing of their admission requirements to allow self-publishers membership.  For the past 60 years ASJA permitted only established magazine writers and traditionally-published authors of two or more books to join its ranks; self-published authors, until now, did not qualify for ASJA membership.

Although the ASJA membership committee has, for some time, been wary of opening the floodgates to self-published authors, because of questions of how to ensure quality control, new ASJA President Russell Wild elected to pursue the issue as one of his key priorities this year.

ASJA’s first self-published member is Fern Reiss, author of the well-known “Publishing Game” book series and founder of AssociationofWriters.com Reiss, who could have received membership in the ASJA on the basis of her magazine articles several years ago, chose to apply for membership solely on the basis of her award-winning, self-published books.  ”It’s important for people to realize that self-publishing has changed–that what used to be a solution of last recourse is becoming an attractive, sometimes preferable, choice for more and more authors, because of changes in the publishing industry,” she said.  Reiss cited short bookstore shelf life, long publication lead times, lack of publishing house publicity, decreased monetary advances, and loss of author control, as some of the reasons that many traditionally published authors are now turning to self-publishing.

ASJA’s new membership requirements will allow entry to self-published authors who have garnered substantial sales, reviews in any of the trade press or whose books have been accepted by any of the major bookclubs.  Other author organizations are expected to consider following the ASJA’s lead within the next year.

The Washington Post has an article comparing independently produced music, and self-publishing.

Where indy music has a certain cache, self-publishing has a stigma.

But that might change, says the Post, because now writers can get readers before they start publishing, just like musicians can play live venues to get fans before releasing a CD.

From the article:

“Maybe that’s where the parallel is,” Paste’s Jackson says. “You have bands going out and playing live shows, and you, as an author, can congregate an audience through a blog. Bloggers are getting book deals all the time these days, but I think it’ll be interesting to see if bloggers start self-publishing.”