Authorpreneur Magazine Issue 3 | Page 20

Interestingly again, Andre’ s self-publishing success has been the catalyst for interest from major traditional publishers. Tellingly, Andre has recently signed a groundbreaking 7-figure printonly deal with publisher Harlequin MIRA which will see Andre embark on major global back-toback releases of her existing novels throughout 2013 and 2014.

Whilst there are plenty of arguments for and against self-publishing, perhaps the most accurate indicator is that of consumer interest and support. In August 2012, Barnes and Noble’ s Retail CEO Mitchell Klipper reported that E L James’ 50 Shades of Grey had“ the biggest impact on numbers” inadvertently indicating that James’( initially self-published fan-fiction) novel had significantly helped reduce Barnes & Noble’ s losses.

It is important too to note, that reader satisfaction with self-published authors such as Day, Andre, and James is also breathing life into the domain of traditionally published authors, as is the case with Anne Rice’ s Sleeping Beauty erotica series. Whilst you’ d be forgiven for having repressed the decades-old series, the consumergenerated interest in erotica stemming from James’ novel was the key motivator for Penguin Books to re-release Rice’ s series. The decision paid dividends, with Rice’ s series becoming a New York Times bestseller for the first time.

With readers voting with their downloads, it would seem that self-publishing is certainly a viable and consumer-accepted method for delivering your product to the marketplace. Australian author, Ainslie Paton has long championed the method of self-publishing yet is also realistic about the challenges selfpublishing entails.

Citing discoverability as the single most challenging aspect, Paton certainly has a point. With millions of books( and growing by the day) flooding the marketplace, authors choosing to plot a course on the self-published route must consider a plethora of factors. Speaking on the importance of discoverability, Paton notes,“ If you are an indie writer and you have not already built a tribe of followers it is very difficult to see sales of your book happen, even if it is a truly breakthrough or remarkable story”.

Whilst self-publishing offers an incomparable level of creative control to that of traditional publishing, this control significantly increases the workload. Paton notes that further to writing your novel, tasks such as,“ editing, content, blurb, cover( art and design), pricing, and monitoring your sales” need to be addressed either by yourself or outsourced help. Additionally, you must be prepared and appropriately competent in marketing, advertising, and promoting your product across several, ever-changing mediums encompassing traditional and new media.

Whilst the workload associated with selfpublishing seems arduous and insurmountable, Paton remains optimistic,“ Once upon a time you’ d write your dream story and put it in a drawer somewhere for lack of opportunity to publish it. Now( with accessibility to digital selfpublishing) you can take control and bring it to market yourself”.

The financial benefits also resound; selfpublished authors listing their product with Amazon are privy to a royalties rate of 70 % compared to 15-20 % of royalties offered by traditional publishing houses. Furthermore, if the success of Day, Andre, and James is anything to