Self-publishing success by Robyn Jackson

Self-publishing success

by Robyn Jackson

In less than a year, Monica P. Carter has sold between 1,500 and 2,000 copies of her self-published novel "As If Nothing Happened," ($14.95, RootSky Publishing) and the story about three girlfriends in crisis is in its third printing.

That's pretty good, especially when you know that a fiction book is considered successful by national publishers if it sells 5,000 copies, according to the Author's Guild.

Is it any wonder, then, that so many frustrated authors are choosing to start their own small publishing companies or use print-on-demand Web sites?

Both options require money upfront, you have to hustle for publicity, sales and distribution, and you don't have the prestige of having your book published by a big name house, but many writers these days would rather self-publish and sell a few copies than leave their manuscripts in the bottom desk drawer.

Monica Carter, who is an editor/columnist at the Shreveport (La.) Times, operates RootSky Publishing on a tiny budget, but she's become very skilled at setting up booksignings and appearances at everything from football games at her alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, to sorority conventions. She's also found some inexpensive ways to promote herself and her novel, including offering branded products like T-shirts and mugs on her Web site.

QUESTION: Why did you decide to self-publish?

ANSWER: "As If Nothing Happened" was released in August 2002. I decided to self-publish, in short, because I felt that I could. I originally explored the idea of self-publishing with a friend, then realized I didn't have the money, so sought the traditional route of looking for agents. I sent out about a dozen or so letters to agents in October of 2001, that got me nowhere. By the end of the month, I was back to trying to find a way to self publish. So I formed RootSky in January 2002.

Q: Talk about the way you promote the book and yourself.

A: Being a salesperson is a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I'm learning. I try to do other things that aren't necessarily related to selling, but they help keep my name out there. I write a weekly column for www.soulsistasunite.com, and am about to submit a short piece for an anthology due out next year. And of course I write a weekly column for my daily newspaper here - my job as a newspaper editor and columnist is my real gig - the one that pays. I am also a public speaker.

Q: You make a lot of appearances at a variety of events. How do you line up so many signings and speaking engagements?

A: I am trying to hustle! After "As If Nothing Happened's" release in August of 2002, I had a book signing somewhere almost every weekend, or certainly three weekends out of the month in the fall. I've rethought that approach this spring and am spacing the signings out a little bit more because the travel can get expensive and tiring. But I think it's so important to be out there doing the signings so I can get a chance to meet the great bookstore owners and the wonderful readers.

Q: How important is it to have a Web site?

A: I don't see how anyone who wants to sell basically any product can do without one. The Web site speaks for you when you're not there to speak to someone personally. It's a 24/7 representative, with the potential to make a sale at any moment. When you think of it that way, you realize the small cost it takes to set one up and maintain it is well worth it.

Q: I am curious about the products you offer, from "I read Monica Carter" T-shirts to coffee mugs with your book cover reproduced on them. You're creating the Monica Carter brand. How did that come about?

A: I can't take credit for the idea being original. I saw someone else with it, and checked it out. I saw the www.cafepress.com Web site and thought, "how cool!" I thought I wouldn't be able to afford to offer T-shirts, bags and whatnot with my name on them, but found that cafepress.com has a no upfront cost option. Basically, what you do is design the merchandise, and they sell it and cut you a check, based on the sale price. They do have a more upgraded program if you want to spend more money, but I figured I'd work with the free side for a while. If there is one thing I've learned how to do with starting a publishing company, that's economize.

Q: Explain the process you went through to self-publish your novel.

A: I went into self-publishing not knowing a whole lot. I relied on The Complete Guide to Self Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in self-publishing. It's one of several guidebooks that can give you insight and suggestions - as well as perspective - into self-publishing. It's a lot of hard work, but most things are.

Q: Where'd you find a cover designer?

A: I look in the mirror at her every morning. I ended up -- with the help of a very good friend -- designing and producing the cover myself. It wasn't on purpose, though. I sought out a local graphic artist to design my cover but that didn't really work. I guess he figured I was too much trouble for the few hundred dollars I was going to pay him, so he fired me. Or, I guess he suggested I might look elsewhere. So we parted company. Time was of the essence, so I just figured I would do the cover myself. I drew some headshots of the three main characters and scanned them into the computer. My friend, who had way more experience in Photoshop and Quark than I, showed me how to do some things on the computer and helped me with the technical details. Somehow we managed to produce something.

As for finding printers, I sought local bids as well as those from book manufacturers in other parts of the country. I decided to go with a book manufacturer, Morris Publishing, because the price was much more affordable than any of the local quotes I received.

Q: Would you recommend self-publishing to other authors?

A: I am such an advocate and proponent of self-publishing. It's a lot of hard work and isn't for everyone, but to me, it's certainly been worthwhile. If you're not committed to putting in long hours and lots of your own money, this might not be the thing for you. But if getting your words out there is, and you don't mind the sacrifices, you should certainly consider self-publishing.

Q: What's the biggest lesson you've learned?

A: Oh, that's easy. It would certainly have to be that "write it and they will come" should never cross your mind. For some crazy reason, I thought that I'd write this book and I'd sell a million copies and that would be that. Yeah, I've awakened from that dream. Writing and selling are two totally different things.

Many wonderful books get dusty on bookshelves because no one knows about them. So I think that marketing and promotion is the single most important combination when it comes to book selling. It's about hustling. Day in. Day out.

Robyn Jackson has 20 year's experience as a reporter and editor for daily and weekly newspapers. She is the author of "Lakota Moon," the story of a girl who is captured by warriors while traveling on the Oregon Trail with her family. You can read more of her work at www.robynjackson.com.