The Equation Occasion - What

The What Installment of 

(W⁵+ H) x (IP ÷ RMs)

or

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing - R McCormack Style

This week I welcome W², also known as What, the next variable in our Indie publishing equation.  Many of you may be surprised to learn that our generation of writers isn’t the first to ask what self-publishing is all about.  And book publishing isn’t the only industry with an independent component. 

When musicians independently publish, they “self-release” a recording.  This has been done by some well-known bands, both as downloadable music and in CD form.  We also see this happening with the rise of small businesses and local restaurants, who offer us a more unique product than big corporate entities. 

As for books, artists (of all kinds) and illustrators use self-pubbing to create art narratives, portfolios, graphic novels, and coffee table books.  And when it comes to fiction, you may again be surprised to know many best-selling and recognizable authors have self-published.  Most might think of Fifty Shades of Grey, but I’m talking about novels like Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts and JK Rowling’s eBook versions of Harry Potter.  And if we go way back and look at the early favorites and masters, we’ll see a long list of authors who, due to timing and circumstance, never blinked an eye at producing and marketing their own work.  These include Dickinson, Whitman, Austen, Twain, and more.

Of course, these Creatives had many resources at their disposal.  For the early authors, once they gained readership, I doubt they were hunched over a table with ink-stained hands, pressing lettered stamps on homemade paper to create their books.  These folks had connections.  And for those successful authors who came later, they had connections, but also an incredible amount of industry knowledge and/or funds to create their Indie publishing platforms.

One thing is for sure, the publishing industry is changing at a rapid pace and we must ask: 

What is Indie Publishing now?

Today, in simple terms, Independent or Indie publishing is when one (or a few) author-publishers self-publish a title.  The term Indie publisher used to refer to small presses that were not aligned with one of the Big Six publishing houses.  An author who ends up at one of these small presses will receive many of the same services one would get from the corporate houses because these smaller, niche publishers are part of the traditional publishing market, putting out about ten titles a year.  These presses are not printers or vanity presses.  Those who go with a printer or a vanity press pay those entities to print books for them.  Now, before we move on to how these terms have evolved, here’s one other label to toss out there: boutique press or house. 

Boutique is one of those terms to be careful with.  Small presses, printers, and vanity presses can all call themselves “boutique”.  Most do this to indicate that they deal with unique titles, but some printers and vanity presses assume this branding in order to disguise their status.  There have been many a writer/author who was lured into paying for their printed book when they thought the press was covering those costs. 

So, leaving boutique out of it, how do all these other terms fit into today’s marketplace?

Small press is still the term for, you guessed it, small presses, and those do not fall under the self-publishing umbrella.  As for printer and vanity press, those have mostly been absorbed into the bigger term self-publishing, but we still hear them used.  Indie publishing is the one term that seems to be in a state of flux.  It could still describe a small press, but with the advent of eBooks and print-on-demand (POD), a small press could be one gal or guy with a computer.  In addition, with the economic recession, the Big Six have reduced the amount of titles they publish, and with individuals doing more and the Big Six doing less, the small presses find themselves with space to take on more work.  As these small presses grow, they shed their Independent Publisher designation, which, remember, originally put them at around ten published books a year.

Now, let’s make one other important distinction.  Most self-published authors aren’t using printers or vanity presses anymore because they can use the eBook and POD markets (defined in moment).  This, my friends, is where Indie publishing breaks away from the self-publishing model.  As an offshoot, Indie publishing holds the basic tenets of its parent-template, but the difference lies in who it attracts.  Remember our Who Am I questions from last week?  Here’s how we add it all up:

The Indie published author is one who accepts the same responsibilities and quality level of a small press while maintaining their individual status and self-publishing a book.

So really, what is Indie publishing?

All this talk about responsibility and quality may sound a bit snooty and even, well, vague, as it can be difficult to define what it means to be accountable to standards.  What we really need to know is, what does Indie publishing look like?

In my own research, I’ve found that as self-published authors move more and more toward certain standards, it begins to look more like the Indie film community when they transitioned away from the “low budget film” tag.  In that transition, the unique voices, ideas, artistic expression, and niche topics were elevated by improved technology and…dedication to craft.  And that’s what Indie publishing is becoming.

Now, some would claim to have authority over evaluating levels of excellence, but the truth in Indie publishing is that you’re asked to be your own judge and jury.  A good litmus test is to compare your ideas of quality to an author or book that you love and are willing to give your personal stamp of approval.  You can also go to agency or publishing house websites and view catalogues to see how they present what they’ve deemed quality work.  You’ll want to do this with your marketing ideas, too.  Look around at promotions and campaigns that you admire.  As you assemble your criterion for a job well done, you’ll start to understand what self-publishing means to you.

The truth is that all of self-publishing is about artistic freedom.  We're seeing traditionally published authors creating projects just for this market, and we're seeing self-published authors willing to cross over and publish traditionally.  It's a craft bonanza, and writers, illustrators, and even industry professionals are feeling empowered by the creative possibilities.

The other truth to self-publishing is that in choosing this route, you will affect your reputation.  But you get decide if the affect is positive or negative.  Look, the stigma attached to self-publishing has always been about one question:  Is it well-crafted?  In the beginning, when folks had a vision to see their words in print, but were turned down in the traditional marketplace, few knew (or accepted) the value of critique, editing, formatting, or design.  There was a level of professionalism missing from many of the self-published titles.  I’m not willing to squash the creative expression behind any self-published title, and those not-so-professional books did pave the way for more knowledge and better printing options.  Lots of early self-published authors were pioneers, and on their backs the self-publishing marketplace was carried, becoming what it is today.  And the evolution continues…with more refined and polished works making up the Indie publishing movement. 

What’s all the fuss about?

Okay, okay, you get the point.  Quality matters in Indie publishing.  But what are the basics?  The need-to-knows?

As I mentioned last week, with all self-publishing, you create the material for the interior—whether words or art or both.  You also design or get help designing a full cover, as well as the front and back matter inside the book.  This includes the copyright, acknowledgements, and bio pages.  You then choose a printer, vanity press, eBook, and/or POD publisher.  If you only have a printed form of your book as the original and aren’t familiar with computers, you would need to go to a printer or vanity press.  These choices will cost you money up front, and eBook and POD are free.  Yes, free.  The companies listed below allow you to upload your content for free, and charge only a small percentage when you sell a book.  These days, it makes sense (cents) to become savvy and work within the online publishing world.

Still, there are artists who prefer to work with printers or vanity presses due to the way they create their visual art.  These kinds of books are extremely personal and stylized, and the quality rests on how their hardcopy art is scanned and put into print.  If you want to take a 30x36 original on canvas into printed form, but you don’t have a large enough home scanner, you could either use a printer or have it professionally scanned and adapted to a usable computer file.  This would allow you to use all the online services below.

The online publishing world is made up of groups like KDP for Kindle, Pub It for Nook, and Smashwords for Mac and Sony eReaders (though Smashwords and Kindle have apps and links for almost all reading devices, including smartphones and desktop computers).  POD publishing is a growing industry, but I used CreateSpace by Amazon.  Lulu is another popular site.  Print-on-demand means that your book isn’t printed until someone orders it.  In all these cases, you upload your interior and book cover files directly to the individual sites.  We’ll chat more about this process later in our equation.  For now, just know that this is the basic What of self-publishing, and there’s actually not much fuss with this process beyond learning curves and patience.  Oh, and knowing When it’s the right choice for you.  Check back next week for the W to the third power.

What?  You'd like more information?

Check the links in the left column under Helpful Places.  And to see more about my self-publishing journey, read my interview in Heidi Horchler's author series at Chroi and Me.

The Equation Occasion - Who

The Who Installment of 

(W⁵+ H) x (IP ÷ RMs)

or

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing - R McCormack Style

Here we stand.  At the edge of a new world.  It may seem like the appropriate first question to ask is: What is this place?  For me, starting with a more introspective query gives me the opportunity to decide if the new world is a place I’d like to go, explore, dwell in.  So, I ask: Who am I in relation to this place?

This is the same first question I’d urge anyone to consider when deciding between a traditional path to publication and the Indie or self-publishing marketplace.  Why?  Well, this question happens to be the one I avoided until I found myself creatively tapped out and spent.  Now, going through this internal rassle lead me right where I needed to be, so I’ll never regret it.  But had I reflected on who I was as an author and who I wanted to reach with my writing, the ride would have been more pleasant.

With that said, I suspect that most Creatives today understand the general aspects of self-publishing, which essentially requires dedication to the production and marketing of a product.  Next week I’ll dive into the channels and off-shoots of this industry and describe the differences between the self and Indie labels, but let’s keep our focus with the general framework of this thing called self-publishing in an effort to see who we would want—and need—to be in this new world.

Who am I?

If you really want to blow your mind, sitting in deep thought and pondering this question can do the trick.  And though I won’t suggest weeks of silent meditation (unless you’re up for it), I will say self-publishing does require that we know ourselves on many different levels.  Some things to decide:

Am I the kind of person who enjoys dedicating my heart and soul to crafting a quality product?

Am I the kind of person who refuses to let confusion or frustration with learning curves destroy my self-motivation?

Am I the kind of person who easily manages my time, the health of my body and mind, and my inner critic?

Am I the kind of person who is willing to accept my mistakes and know that, in the end, perfect is impossible?

Am I the kind of person who will have fun with this process, including the marketing, which is about innovation, pacing, and patience?

After spending some time answering these questions, don’t be discouraged if you said No to one or more, because there’s a follow-up question:

Am I the kind of person who’s willing to change or ask for help when I need it?

I hope you can see how each of these questions would apply to the commitment you need to make when deciding to self-publish.  And if you aren’t yet sure, but are willing to admit that you may need to be flexible in the face of changing times and are willing to accept that you won’t know all the answers and will have to learn when to do it yourself and when to get help, you can overcome most any disruption. 

Beyond this initial introspection, it will also be important to know if your work would fit into the self-publishing marketplace.  Really, any book, including artist books and those with illustrations, will work as a self-published title.  Quality becomes the issue here, and you may like knowing that on the traditional path, the editor and art department will assist you with cover designs, front and back matter, choices for fonts, and all interior formatting and structure.  This is in addition to editing the content and grammar of your book.  If you aren’t the kind of person who cares to be the designer and editor as well as the writer and/or illustrator, that’s okay.  You just have to be willing to get help.  This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay an expensive industry consultant or professional to do the work for you.  You could trade services or ask an expert to teach you.  Still, you must ask: is this who I am?

The truth is, defining who you are on the front end of the self-pubbing quest is monumental because once you get into the minutiae of this world, you will be tested.  Self-publishing isn’t happening in a vacuum; it exists and operates in our larger fast-paced, do-er world, and as most of us know, it’s easy to lose your footing out there.  It’s easy to become disconnected from your instincts and disregard your limits...as an artist and as a human.

Who is my audience?

Another important part of the Who in this equation is to define the audience that will buy and read your book.  This question alone can help you decide that, yes, self-publishing is the place for you.  The reason?  Some concepts are just too unique or niche for a traditional publish house to invest in.  This isn’t to say boutique presses wouldn’t be willing to take on a title like, Whales and the Women Who Love Them, and it isn’t an expression of annoyance with what editors in the traditional houses are buying.  Publishing is a business, and publishing a book is an expensive process.  It’s better that a big house tells you they can’t sell your idea than to end up out-of-print with few sales and no audience for future titles. 

So, who is your reader?  Is your audience so small that you could go old school and print up just the amount of copies you need to gift/sell to your friends and family?  If your audience is larger, consider whether they would buy your work as an eBook and as a print-on-demand title, or only as one or the other?  The more ways you plan to sell (you-as-salesman, eBook platforms like Kindle, or in print through entities like Amazon’s CreateSpace), the more time it will take to create (and market) your product.

You also have to think about where your audience hangs out, buys books, talks about books.  And what are their expectations on quality and style?  Are you the kind of person who can deliver on their wants/needs?  Are you the kind of person who can reach them in their natural habitat?  Or are you the kind of person who can draw them—and maybe crossover readers—into your own world?  Maybe you can do both.  If you answer the Who Am I? questions, you’ll know.

So, here we stand.  At the edge of a new world called self-publishing.  As we go along in our discussion, we’ll add more elements to our equation, and hopefully in the end, you’ll be closer to a solution that fits your writing life.  Just remember, the answers you come up with in the beginning stages will help you decide if you can navigate this universe without losing track of who you are as an author, artist, Creative.

updates and up next

It's been a little over a month since wildflowers hit the eMarketplace, and many exciting moments have occurred.  Here's an update on some of the latest, as well as a sneak preview of r mccormack writes upcoming blog post series: 

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing

Updates:

Thank you to Scottsdale Library for accepting wildflowers into the LOCAL collection.  The book will be available for check out within the next four weeks, after going through the cataloguing and shelving process.  Visit Scottsdale Library online by selecting link.

I'm honored to be featured on Chroi and Me, a blog written by Heidi Horchler, who is dedicated to providing informational resources for writers (and horse owners, cooks, and artists of all kinds).  Heidi writes an Author Interview series that features a variety of authors.  Read my interview here.

Beginning Wednesday October 17, 2012:

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Indie Publishing - R McCormack Style

or 

(W⁵+ H) x (IP ÷ RMs)

Every Wednesday for the next six weeks, r mccormack writes will host the Equation Occasion, a solution-focused look on the questions surrounding Indie publishing at the moment.  Though these posts will chronicle my individual experience and perspective, I will cover general information and resources, too.  We'll ask:

Who am I? Who is my audience?
What is Indie Publishing?
When is Indie Publishing a good fit?
Where do I start?
Why is the market changing?
How do I make the most of my Indie experience?

I hope you'll join me to share your own feelings and ideas.