Self-publishing isn't free.
#sorrynotsorry
A quick TOC of today’s Substack:
Publishing thoughts and insights
tl;dr Self-publishing costs $$$ICONIC Athens Writing Retreat wrap-up
tl;dr It was awesome! You should come next year!“Great Women Write” January Accountability Cohort
tl;dr If you want to make 2024 the “Year of your Book,” this is a great way to do it.
Publishing Paths and Costs
You know how there are those things you generally know, but don’t think enough about to actually get?
That’s what I recently realized about self-publishing. And it kind of blew my mind, and intimidated me, and had me calling up friends and colleagues to double-check my math… and it turns out, I really didn’t get it!
So this substack is all about the different costs - emotional, chronological, financial - to publishing your book. I want you to “get it,” too, because #knowledgeispower
Importantly, I’m not sharing this to scare you off writing a book. That couldn’t be further from what I want for your incredible story. I’m sharing here to empower you to know what’s in front of you as you write.
While most writers I work with follow some version of the traditional publishing route (more on that below), I also have writers for whom hybrid or self-publishing paths are better options. And “better” simply means knowing each option so that you can make the right choice for you.
So, let’s talk publishing paths.
N.B. There is no correct path! One option is not fundamentally better or worse than another, more or less lucrative, etc. Each has pros and cons. It is up to you to balance the columns for yourself.
Summary: There is generally an inverse relationship between time and cost.
Traditional publishing with an agent.
This is what most people think of when they think about publishing a book.
You write a book, get an agent, who gets you a fancy publisher, who publishes your book to great fanfare and acclaim!
Lovely, but probably the least likely outcome.
What traditional publishing really is - and I’m talking non-fiction here:
You write some of your book, and then you pause to write a book proposal.1 This proposal is basically the business plan for your book, and it’s what agents and publishers want to see to “prove” that you have a book worth selling. Interestingly, you don’t need a complete manuscript for this. You only need enough to show the agent what your book will eventually look like.
Once you have all this, you find agents who rep books like yours or authors you emulate. You investigate what they want, and you pitch your proposal and chapters to them.
And then you wait… sometimes for a long time…. and you get rejected… sometimes a lot…
And if you’re lucky, an agent loves your book and you and you love them and you decide to work together and the agent will then pitch your proposal and chapters to a publisher.
And then you wait… sometimes for a long time…. and you get rejected… sometimes a lot…
(You see where I’m going with this.)
In the end, if and when you get a publisher, all the toil will be worth it. But the important thing to know up front is that the cost of this route is in time and toughness.
If you want your book published quickly, or if you don’t handle rejection well, you need to take that into account when choosing this publishing path,
Financially, it’s a free option, but emotionally, it can cost a lot.
Traditional publishing without an agent.
Many independent and university presses (often lumped together as "small presses") don't require an agent, so as an author, you can pitch the publisher directly. You still need the book proposal, but you cut out the time it takes to find an agent.
Many small presses have particular niches, and the same goes for university presses (don’t overlook them - many have great trade nonfiction lines). Once you’ve identified ones that align with your vision for your book, you pitch your proposal and chapters and then you wait… sometimes for a long time…. and you get rejected… sometimes a lot…
In other words, it’s pretty similar to pitching a bigger publisher who requires an agent, but there can be some time-savings because there are less steps.
Again, in terms of financial cost, it’s a free and easy process. But it does require patience, a thick skin, and time.
Hybrid publishing
Hybrid presses exist on the other side of the coin. Quite simply, they do all the (self-)publishing work for you, without you having to spend months or years teaching yourself and reinventing the wheel. It can be a fantastic choice for writers who want their books published on a shorter time frame, who don’t have a high tolerance for rejection… and who have the cash to invest in the process.
Yes, hybrid publishing can be quite expensive, easily starting above $10,000 and growing by the tens-of-thousands from there.
Unfortunately, this can lead to pay-for-play scenarios, or worse, it can open up space for disreputable folks looking to cash in on vulnerable, hopeful authors.
In short, hybrid is the murky middle ground of the publishing world.
I am personally a big fan of hybrid presses for the right book, but they’re also a place where authors can get preyed upon by disreputable pseudo-presses and scammy sales pitches. If you tread carefully here, you can reap huge rewards.
There are a lot of opinions out there on hybrid presses, sometimes elided with “vanity” presses (and sometimes rightfully so). Overall, however, a hybrid press is a publishing company that you hire directly to publish your book. You don’t wait for them; you choose them. (For an awesome, if biased overview, read this recent substack from Brooke Warner, owner of She Writes Press.)
Many reputable hybrid presses have vetting processes, sometimes they require parts of a proposal, and they don’t just accept every manuscript that comes their way. This is a good thing. This tells you they feel responsible for the quality of their publications.
What you want to look for in a hybrid press is support for everything you want for your book. It can be that simple.
So if you don’t want to pay your publishing costs in time, you can pay those costs in and consider a hybrid route.
Self-publishing
Finally, we come to self-publishing, arguably the most misunderstood publishing route.
I say misunderstood here because so many new authors (and so many readers) assume one of two things about self-publishing: it’s either free & easy, or it’s cheap-looking & terrible.
Can it be those things? Sure.
Does it have to be? Not at all.
And I would argue that these days, the only way you wind up with “cheap & terrible” is because you chose “free & easy” as your self-publishing strategy.
The self-publishing world is vibrant and wonderful these days, and has many easy pieces, thanks to things like Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark. That being said, in order to have a book still look and feel like a book, it’s likely that you’ll need to hire support along the way.
In our time ←→ money continuum, for almost every step of self-publishing, you can choose to take time to learn the tech and strategies to reduce your cost, or you can pay professionals to save you time. There is no correct combination, but it’s important to know that it’s inevitably not free.
Places where you might still spend money if you choose to self-publish your book:
Editors, of which there are many varieties, from copyediting to proofreading
Book layout & design folks, who make sure your pages, cover, and spine look professional
Graphic designers, if you need a cover
Marketers, who can help you market books to people outside of your immediate friends and family
You might choose one or all of these supporting professionals, but each comes at significant cost, likely thousands of dollars apiece.
And this brings me full circle.
It was a new writer who asked me to price things out, from working with me on her concept to potential lanes of publication, and that prompted me to finally do the math. I was as shocked as you might be right now to realize that, depending on what you need and want for your book, self-publishing can easily put you in the 5-figure category. And I am just not sure how many writers know that…
And I want you to be in charge of your story.
What I want you to take from all this is that you should publish your book no matter what. You can plan for costs, you can choose where your time is more valuable to you, you can weigh the risks, and you can ensure that your book makes it onto our shelves.
Konwledge is power. Use it.
Write the book. Publish the book.
And if you need help, or have more questions, let me know!
Iconic Women Nonfiction Writers’ Retreat
In the first week of November, two writers journeyed all the way to Athens, Greece, to join me and work on their powerful and important nonfiction books.
Both arrived ready to work and be inspired, and committed to telling the story that needed to be told. One is revising a memoir she’s been working on for years; the other is ready to launch herself into the wellness thought-leadership space, and knows that a book will help her build her authority with her audience.
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect (I know, I’m not supposed to admit that). It was my first time running a retreat, and I had big plans for strategizing, writing, eating, and relaxing. I would say we succeeded on all counts!
What I found most unexpected, however, was how much time we spent talking about writing. I had assumed there’d be more time staking out balconies to write on in our incredible apartment, and less time planning, brainstorming, and talking. Instead, it felt like every day was an intensive coaching day for each writer: we brainstormed and set short-term goals in the mornings; they wrote and reset at lunch; we recentered in the early afternoon and reviewed and set new goals; then they wrote until we broke for dinner or exploring in the late afternoon. What a fabulous, unexpected experience!
In the end, the amazing thing about it all was how hands-on the “retreat” was, for all of us. And now they’ve returned home, enthusiastic, encouraged, inspired, and on the right path!
You’re going to love their books!
And, yes, there will definitely be a second-annual! Limited to 3 writers, October dates tbd in early 2024. Let me know if you want early access!
Make 2024 the YEAR OF YOUR BOOK!
Finally, as we roll to the end of 2023, I want to encourage you to start thinking about 2024 and how it really can be the “Year of your Book!”
Whether you’ve been working away at that draft for too long, or you’ve been dreaming of being an author, let me ask you today:
What would it mean to have your book finished by the end of 2024?
If that makes you swoon, or get excited, or dream big dreams, don’t ignore that feeling!
I’m kicking off 2024 with something new and special, a 12-week accountability group, the “Great Women Write” cohort.
I’m only doing this once all year, so if you want some small group motivation to kick off your year, put January 8 to April 5 on your calendar and let’s do it!
Importantly, this cohort is for writers who are already working on their book!
If you’ve worked with me this year on your pre-book strategy,
or if you’re working on a draft that needs more chapters or revisions,
or if you’ve gotten to the proposal stage and need to hammer that out,
This cohort is for you!
Over 12 weeks, you’re going to set a clear goal, and we’re going to stick together to help you achieve it. You’ll get:
2 weekly co-writing sessions;
bi-monthly Q&As and hot-seat calls;
monthly workshops on editorial reviews, the publishing landscape, and marketing led by my colleagues from various parts of the editing and publishing world;
3 1:1 coaching calls;
group chat & accountability via Slack;
an optional accountability partner within the group for more personal support when you need it.
In 12 weeks, you could write and revise a chapter or two; draft key sections of your book proposal; revise a complete book draft; research and pitch agents and/or publishers.
In short, if you prioritize your book, we’ll be there to keep you on track and to crush your goal!
For more information, head here.
The cost is $1500 through Dec. 1, but will go up to $1800 from Dec. 2 to Jan. 8.
Give yourself the gift of your book in 2024.
Special note: If your book is an still just a great idea, but you’re not sure where to start it as a book, let me know. There’s still time to take 5 weeks together to build that foundation and get you ready to jump in and write with the group in January. Plus, all 5-week strategy alums get an extra discount on the cohort!)
Unless it’s memoir; for memoir, you’re still writing the entirety of the book first. Memoir exists in this in-between space between fiction and nonfiction. Like fiction, you have to complete the manuscript before you pitch it; like nonfiction, you typically pitch it with a complete book proposal.