Self-publishing - The Benefits

Years ago, the idea of being self-published was frowned upon, and often considered a disadvantage if you were ever to seek an agent and go the traditional publishing route thereafter.Today, it can only be considered an advantage if you go about it the right way!
Funny how things go full circle.

Why do I say this when there's a fair amount of bad press between self-published/indie authors and traditional publishing (agents/large publishers)? From what I have read, and I can cheerfully say, I have not read everything, so I stand to be corrected, it seems that opposition raises its ugly head when the mud slinging gets in everyone's eyes on both sides of the fence.

With the global pressures on profit and turnover, you can increase your chances of securing a deal with an agent and traditional publisher (if you choose to), by self-publishing and playing an active role in the marketing of your book.

Your book is the seed from which the tree develops. Your marketing efforts form the branches/networks through which your promotions flow, and eventually the tree should be strong enough to grow unattended.

There is space for everyone out there, so do what works for you and allow everyone else to do the same. Trust me, no one is out to get you personally (unless you've been doing some serious mud slinging of your own).

So, lets look at those benefits of self-publishing:
1. Sense of achievement: You get your book out there in a published format even though you may have had a gazillion rejections. You've done it! If you never do another thing with your book, and you never make a single sale, you are still a published author. Its a great sense of achievement.
2. Additional income: The vast majority of us are not going to spend many hours slaving over our book only to stop when it gets published, sit back and say, that's it, I'm done. We want to generate income with it. This requires marketing (more on that later), but the option to earn additional income is there.
3. Change of career: Publishing a book may give you the opportunity to change direction in your career. You may think I'm talking purely of a runaway best-seller, but there are other reasons at play -  it could be the platform for a lucrative copy-writing career; you could use it as a promotional tool to local press or a magazine to become a columnist; or you could discover a love for editing and proofreading.
4. Building your brand: Marketing yourself and your book is a sure-fire, rapid way to learn about digital marketing and social media. If you have loads of money to throw at marketing then you can employ the best of the best and have them do it for you. If not, then you need to do it yourself, until the time you've made enough money to hire the best of the best and have them do it for you! Ultimately, as a writer, I want to write. That is my passion. But I also love people and I enjoy marketing and the creative energy that goes hand in hand with it.  So for now, I market myself... who knows what will happen down the line.
5. Honing your craft:
Learn, practice, improve - learn, practice, improve - learn, practice, improve. Your work is never done. With writing there is always more. That's the beauty of it. The trick is not to let the quest for excellence prevent you from taking the next step - getting it out there.
6. Getting noticed:
Some writers write because they don't want to be on display. Its a way of hiding out of sight from the world behind your books and your characters. But if you want your work recognised, and purchased, this is something you have to do. In the digital world, its called 'Know me, Like me, Follow me.' In fact there is a book by Penny and Thomas Power entitled exactly this. In the writing world, it could be 'discover me, read me (and enjoy), become a fan. This is what you want - people who know who you are, like you and what you do, and become fans. Ultimately, they become your very own marketing and advertising agency.
7. Closing the big deal/making a good living: I alluded to this in the beginning of this post: writers like Amanda Hocking who has just secured herself a $2,5 million publishing contract is a shining example. She is a prolific writer and she has built her own dedicated fan base. With these two elements, you're as close to success as you'll ever be because even if no million dollar deal comes up, you're making the big bucks on your own anyway!


I'm not touting one route as any better or worse than the other: they are both effective and both lucrative.

This post is meant for you, the writer, who wants to write and to share their work with the world, however you find your way to market.