Thanks for writing, and let me say this: these days, the “kudos” attached to working with a recognized publishing house are nothing more than an ego boost to the author. And ultimately, this ego boost will NOT get you paid. If your goal is to simply be “published” as you point out above, courting a more recognizable publisher might meet your goals. But if you actually desire to make a bit of money (and maybe a full-time career) out of writing, you are much better served figuring out a way to publish and market on your own.

Also, your industry credibility will NOT come from being published. There are PLENTY of frauds, slackers, idiots, and professional students with no real experience (especially in business and marketing) who have book deals. Ultimately, your credibility will come from your resume–your accomplishments, your work experience, and the results you have generated for yourself and others. This is a relatively common fallacy in Non-Fiction and Business publishing . . . that a book will drive your credibility. But for the most successful and wealthiest long-term authors, it works in the exact opposite way.

Thanks again for writing, and good luck to you!

- Eric -

I agree, it seems increasingly easy to self publish and social media creates a great audience (provided your book adds value). The one question I would have is over credibility. I still think there is a lot of kudos attached to having one of the recognised publishing houses select your work and agree to publish it – especially if you goal is not profits from the book but rather to establish credibility as an expert in a field. Is it possible to accomplish that level of credibility with self-publishing? If so – sign me up…

I’m glad you agree. Some people don’t, and I can’t figure out why. But now that I think about it, most of the people who disagree are the “cream of the crop” when it comes to authors—the 1 out of 1000 that end up writing a best-seller, and actually get decent service and a little attention from their publishing house.

Thanks for commenting, and good luck to you!

- Eric -

First, you lose control of your product. They can and will dictate every aspect of delivery and development. In their defense they are protecting their own brand. Taking on a publisher can be a very unhappy marriage that you can’t easily exit.

Second, most publishers are focused on what they call “the trades”…or libraries and bookstores. If libraries and bookstores are not your target market, don’t bother to sign the publishing agreement.

You stand a better chance promoting your book directly to your target market through a variety of channels…and they will be infinitely more profitable.

Some publishers do present an advantage: they generally have a good eye for what will sell in a bookstore and “what not to do” to have your book accepted by a library. You will get a “technically correct” product (layout meets certain standards, etc.)…but not much in the way of profits…even from the smaller independent publishers.

Best wishes!
Leslie

This post was mentioned on Twitter by TSCB: [ Authors ] 5 Reasons to Self-Publish Your Next Book … http://tinyurl.com/q5zcha … Comments Open, Retweets Welcome….

Good luck to you!

Great that you’re sharing the news! Looking forward to the next part.

Why not start working together to market one another’s books, raising awareness of good self-pubbed titles in a region, and building a community of readers? Time again, it’s word-of-mouth that sells books–and by helping each other, self-pubbed authors can be successful.