Let’s be honest, most of us involved in the book world see there is self-publishing and self-publishing.

There’s the do-it-yourself-route by taking care of everything yourself, which is absolutely fine it you just want a book for friends and family, but unless you are a highly skilled and trained author, editor, designer, publicist and distributor, you’re going to need to hire professionals if you want your book to succeed.

There used to be a stigma around self-publishing, and for some good reasons. It conjured images of poorly designed books, unedited text, and low-quality printing and binding.

Unfortunately, some of that reputation still lingers, but the landscape has shifted as the publishing world has changed dramatically.

With fewer traditional publishers and tighter lists, it’s harder than ever to get a book commercially published. Many writers, even those with well-told stories and defined audiences, face rejection after rejection. That’s where self-publishing comes in – it offers creative control and freedom while allowing authors to reach their target readers

But to succeed, you need to think strategically. It’s not just about printing a book – it’s about producing a book that stands up in a crowded market.

The steps to successful self-publishing are exactly the same as for a commercially published book: assessment, editing, design, production, proofreading, printing, publicity and distribution. Otherwise, your book simply won’t compete.

Self-publishing can be financially rewarding if done well.

I’ll give you a couple of examples:

Businesses like cafes or restaurants that publish cookbooks already have a built-in market – their customers. By cutting out the middlemen (AKA the distributors and retailers), they can keep more profits. If they sell 2,000 copies at $60 each, and make $40 per book, that’s $80,000 in return – a significant return on investment.

Or, we have a book that’s about to go into production. The author is a public speaker, travelling the country and talking to hundreds of people a week. She is keen to sell most of the books herself to her audience and put some through the book trade. By selling as many copies as possible directly to her audience, is how the real money is made.

To break down some figures:

• If you sell 1,000 copies directly to your audience at $35 per book, you’ll bring in $35,000.
• However, if you sell 1,000 copies through a distributor at the same price, you’ll receive approximately $11,000. This is after GST, the retailer’s margin, and the distributor’s margin are deducted from the retail price.

See how important it is to have the market?

In saying that, we have published a few books for authors with huge networks, one of which was a children’s book. The book was amazing, gorgeous, funny, we thought it was going to be a bestseller. The author only ever made one post out to their network about the book, then never mentioned it again. They didn’t want to do any radio or TV interviews, despite them being offered. And the book has only sold 400 copies to date.

10,000 copies would have sold by now if they had pushed harder.

Work with Professionals

• To produce a professional book, you need a team of professionals: editors, designers, and typesetters. Just as you wouldn’t trust an amateur to build your house, you shouldn’t cut corners with your book. A well-produced book, whether it’s print or eBook, gives you the best chance of success.
• There are many self-publishing companies out there, but caution is needed, as there are some less reputable ones out there. Some charge significant amounts but fail to deliver on their promises. I have had many authors get in touch with me over the years, devastated after spending thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, and receiving nothing in return.

Removing the Stigma

Self-publishing is not a failure. It’s a legitimate way to get your work into the world. With the right strategy and the right team, you can produce something that stands toe-to-toe with traditionally published books. The stigma around self-publishing is fading as more and more authors find success through this route.

Self-publishing isn’t just a last resort – it’s the new marketplace for writers who want to maintain creative control and reap the rewards of their hard work.