The Promises and Perils of Publishing Books: Part 1

The novel Eragon, written by Christopher Paolini as a teenager, was self-published by his family, then picked up by a traditional publisher, Knopf, and is now a popular movie. Many might consider the fulfillment of the Paolini family dreams as the ultimate promise of publishing. Think BIG! To achieve the promises of publishing books, begin with big goals and realistic expectations.

Set a big goal for yourself and write realistically. According to the industry, the typical self-published book (usually that means a book published by a subsidy house or vanity press), sells fewer than 50 copies, mostly to family and friends. Note: we will explore why that happens and how to avoid that dismal forecast in a later article. As you evaluate your book, ask yourself how many copies you think you will sell if you do not publish with a traditional publisher. What will you do to market your book and sell those copies? Are you willing to work as hard at marketing and selling your books as you worked in writing and publishing your books? You need to face these questions squarely. One of the perils of publishing is paying $8,000.00 for 2,000 or more copies of your book that you must store in your garage or down your hall, books that you cannot sell. Even working with a traditional publisher, who will pick up the publishing tab and probably pay you a royalty advance, will require more effort from you than the initial writing and the eventual signing of "collectable" autographed copies.