A Novel Journey: Part Three

In two earlier articles (A Novel Journey: Part I and Part II), I shared my experience with the process of writing, editing and self-publishing my first novel, God, Guns, and the Perfect Chicken-Fried Steak. In the first article I described how I thought writing a first novel was the hardest part of the process. In the second article I wrote that the editing piece was the hardest part.

I have learned that I was wrong both times. Marketing has by far been the most challenging aspect of this novel journey of mine, and in Part Four of this series I will explore the myriad of marketing options and their advantages and drawbacks. For most writers, the difficulties are the same whether you self-publish or are published by a traditional publishing house, This article will address the one major exception: when a traditional publisher publishes your book, you can have a reasonable expectation that at least the major bookstore chains will carry it.

Self-published books have no such guarantee. Because most self-published books are printed using Print On Demand (POD) technology, it takes a lot of work to get bookstores to stock them. The reason is simple, and as with almost everything in the publishing business, based on economics: POD books cannot be returned for credit if the store doesn't sell all of them. This makes self-published books a financial risk many retailers are reluctant to take.

There are ways to have your novel end up on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, Borders, and other brick and mortar retailers, but it takes a lot of persistence. Most large national retailers now have a department that deals exclusively with small press publishers and self-publishers. You send them a copy of your book along with a marketing plan and, more ridiculously, why your book is unique enough to warrant their consideration. In some ways it's like submitting to a publisher or agent, but with the book already written and printed.