Is self-publishing losing negative stigma?

Jan 28 2009

Self-publishing has long been the bastard child of the publishing industry. That could be changing now. More and more authors who self-publish are finding success after traditional publishing houses offer lucrative contracts for their self-published books. And most of these cases, the manuscript in question was rejected over and over before the author took matters into his/her own hands.

That is the story of Lisa Genova, who tried to get her book Still Alice (aff link) into the hands of agents and publishers before turning to self-publishing. Her story, in part, is featured in this article from the New York Times about the world of self-publishing:

When Lisa Genova, a former consultant to pharmaceutical companies, wrote her first novel, "Still Alice," a story about a woman with Alzheimer’s disease, she was turned down or ignored by 100 literary agents.

Lisa is getting the last laugh, and probably laughing all the way to the bank:

Ms. Genova paid $450 to iUniverse to publish the book and sold copies to independent bookstores. A fellow author discovered the book and introduced Ms. Genova to an agent, and she eventually sold "Still Alice" for a mid-six-figure advance to Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which released a new edition this month. It had its debut on the New York Times trade paperback fiction best-seller list on Sunday, at No. 5.

That $450 initial "investment" in her own book eventually landed her a six-figure deal and a book on the best-seller list! Not too shabby.

Yes, Lisa’s story is still a rarity. For every Lisa Genova of the world, there will be a thousand other self-published writers whose books will never see the outside of the garage they are stored in. But at the very least, Lisa’s story gives us hope.

Stigma still attached to self-publishing

Even with people like Lisa Genova, there is still a negative stigma attached to self-publishing. Many people will say, without even giving it a second thought, that self-publishing is for writers who can’t hack it in the real world of traditional publishers.

For sure, there is a lot of crap produced in the self-publishing world. Then again, I also see a lot of crap coming from the world of traditional publishing as well. I guess it goes both ways.

Traditional publishers taking notice

Perhaps the good news about self-publishing is that traditional publishers are taking notice:

Louise Burke, publisher of Pocket Books, said publishers now trawl for new material by looking at reader comments about self-published books sold online. Self-publishing, she said, is "no longer a dirty word."

Think about it: You self-publish your book, market the hell out of it and manage to sell a modest 2000 copies plus gain a small following. You not only have a market for your book, but it has proven to be salable in a very competitive market. A traditional publisher or literary agent is much more likely to take a chance on you than on someone with just a manuscript and a dream.

There’s almost something romantic about the self-published author who fills his trunk with copies of his book and sells them wherever he can. Flea markets. Craft fairs. Parking lots. Sneaking into bookstores and placing a few copies on the shelf.

I think self-publishing taps into that entrepreneurial spirit that so many people have – striking out on their own without being tied down by a contract. Sure it’s a lot riskier, but the rewards can be huge (and not just monetary either).

What’s your opinion of self-publishing? Is it still something for those who can’t hack it in the real world, or is it gaining the recognition it deserves? Why or why not? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

One Response

I am a self published author with over 1300 copies sold and will probably hit 2000 + by May. I have a sequel coming out in April. I have found my self publishing experience a lot of hard work but fun and exciting. I found your article very interesting. You see, I never really tried to find an agent because I lived in Alaska when I wrote the first book and most agents, at the time, still wanted chapters mailed to them. Doing that from Alaska would have cost a lot of money. I did the research and decided to create my own company to publish my book. I hired a professional editor and published my book in September of 2007. My book is a young adult fiction and now visit a lot of schools because the kids love the book. I know it has been requested by several teachers for the AR list. I have wondered at about what point I should approach an agent and your article has given me a good starting point.
Thanks.

James Todd Cochrane 2/24/2009 11:54 am