Money or Merit- Part II

by Carol McNairy Wight

The yearning to see our books in print is a great one. Is there any sound reason why we should not publish our own book? Monetarily, yes. But. if we can spare a few hundred dollars, is it wrong to make a book a reality? Some would say so. I was told by an editor that all self published books are no good. I can only assume she was thinking that a self published book had been first rejected by publishers, and therefore not fit to print.

This assumption, though possibly right, has too many loop holes to be true all the time. Generalizations are usually not true anyway. First off, if the book was rejected many times, that still does not mean that it was not a good work. It simply means it was not material that the publisher wanted. Secondly, perhaps the book was never submitted to a publisher and the author just took a different route to seeing his work in print.

The biggest problem that I can see in self publishing is marketing. If an author does not have the expertise to market his own material, he may find it extremely tedious. At the same time, I have been told by authors that even house published works have to be marketed by the author. Publishers do not do enough, they say. One advantage a house published book has is that it can be sold by chain book stores. Self published books have a hard time getting into these. Mom and Pop book stores, while more willing to deal with self published authors, are few and far between these days.

I would like to point out that more and more authors are turning to self publishing. I have published a chapter book and sold over 100 copies, before I got tired of marketing it. These sales paid for the cost of publishing, so I was not out any money, and I got to see my book in print. I had the pleasure of sharing my work with enthusiastic readers. I may do it again. I have heard that hiring a distributor is the way to go. I am looking into this.

As far as the mechanics of self publishing, my experience has been that local publishers are the best route, because they can deal with you on a one to one basis. They do not offer the bells and whistles that you may find extravagant and unnecessary. They are affordable.There are two reputable publishers in Utah Valley. If you want to know who they are email me and I will give you their addresses.

In conclusion, whatever route you take to become published, always bear in mind that your work is worthwhile and deserves recognition.