Is self-publishing the better option?

A friend called the other day with a question about publishing with a mainstream publisher, as opposed to the option of self-publishing.

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question, well ... let's just say I could live pretty well as an expatriate in, say, Costa Rica.

I'm one of those publishing types that believes the fluidity of the current publishing climate is exciting. I can afford to be that way; I'm not the publisher of a large company trying to maintain market share and the jobs of my employees. For folks like that, these can be scary times.

Publishing has always been a crap-shoot. But in the old days, meaning a decade ago and beyond, established companies could survive just fine with only about 15 percent of their lists actually making money. I've written before about the tendency among publishers to produce several dozen book projects per year, knowing that only a handful will generate revenue. It's a particularly weird quirk among book people: you go into a publishing season that is built on guaranteed failure, yet you know enough books will make money that you can keep the doors open.

This goes for large New York houses, as well as small Christian publishers.

In working for and consulting for publishers, I've been frustrated over the years when I tell them that it's better to trim their lists (“Do 40 books instead of 120”). My idea is, fewer books will result in better books. You will also have the added benefit of developing new authors who have the ability to become part of a strong stable.

Yet too many publishers either want to promote only Celebrity Author A, or chase such an author. The most comical scenario to watch is the publisher who wants to pry the author away from a bigger house ... somehow. But when you can't compete with the larger house, due to bigger advances and bigger publicity departments, what are you gonna do?

You're gonna find some weird security in publishing a bloated list because there seems to be safety in numbers. Something will stick to the wall and make money, right?

Does this make sense?

All this to say, this week a writer friend called with some questions. He is a writer of rare ability, in my opinion, but through a series of odd circumstances (less-than-stellar agent, etc.), he is still fumbling around as a virtual unknown.

He has produced a niche book that is garnering some serious interest from the market he knows. On his own, he has generated some nice publicity, and book sales.

I was dismayed to find that he had signed a one-year contract with a mainstream publisher ... who is merely publishing his book online. The publisher loaded the manuscript onto Amazon and is raking in some revenue, as is the author. But the publisher flatly refuses to publish it outright, meaning printed, warehoused copies along with some promotional effort.

My friend wondered what he should do.

My advice is to wait out the year-long contract, then take it all back for himself. He will then gain all the royalty sales from Amazon. By the way, you do understand that the publisher who is handling the Amazon stuff for him recognizes that he, the publisher, is doing nothing ... right?

Frankly, although I'm aware that the publishing business is often cold and ruthless, this specific example is quite cold.

In effect, the publisher is saying, “Look, I don't want to publish you and invest in building you as an author. I want to skim as much profit from your efforts as I can, without actually doing anything.”

Honestly? I hope this publisher gets a non-life-threatening infection somewhere painful (and temporary!). Such treatment of an author is inexcusable.

So my advice to this author is the same I'd give to you, the reader, if you are in the same situation: Self-publish. Build your own platform.

My friend is now doing the right things. He has a plan.

Step One is to spend this year showing sales results with his own printed copies (the goofy contract he has with the publisher allows him to own the rights to printed copies). He is also generating some publicity, interviews, etc.

All this can then be used to go to Step Two, next year: either take control of the whole enchilada, or find a serious publisher who will co-invest to build his career. Then, both win.

My friend is also asking questions to find a distributor for his book. The local brick-and-mortar chain has promised to carry his books indefinitely, and he has a book signing scheduled.

All very good. Very, very good.

At the end of the day, as an unknown author, you have to take control of your own writing career. No one will do it for you. Think through each phase of your plan to establish yourself. Read contracts thoroughly. Ask questions of anyone you can find who will listen. Don't rush things. Settle on a model that works for you, then pursue it aggressively.

Then, you'll be getting somewhere.

Discover how real and relevant Bible prophecy is to you with Jim Fletcher's "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine): How to stop worrying and learn to love these end times"