No Write Way 5

So, let’s suppose that you’ve written your novel. You’ve pulled your hair

out on the editorial process (and probably received an inordinate amount of

contradictory advice), and burned your eyes out on layout.

Now, after the headache from your “celebratory binge” wears off, it’s time to get your first edition out to the world. Note that at this point, the trajectory for self publishing differs from approaching an agent or publishing company, and it is the former case that we’re going to be dealing with.

There are quite a few self publishing options out there. A google search

will avail you just fine, when it comes to hunting them out. But how to compare them side-by-side with that nagging, throbbing hangover?

I’ll help a bit by comparing two of these services, Lulu and Booksurge. I’ve used them both, so I’ll be speaking from experience. I will also show you how they can actually be used in tandem to maximize their upsides.

Lulu is to my knowledge one of the first somewhat successful print-on-demand

services for independent authors. (Except Cafepress, who actually – gasp! – prints decent books and

are covertly used by some publishers you may have heard of, such as

Disinformation.)

The biggest pro of Lulu’s

service is that for small runs their per-unit costs are reasonable, if not

excellent, they have a wide range of book formats that they can print, and

the book quality is also passable. Interestingly, the highest quality

product they seem to offer is the full color comic version- you’ll be hard

pressed to come up with a better quality for the price- although as is

always the case with full color printing, it’ll still cost an arm and a leg

per unit unless if you get a huge run done with another printer.

The con’s with Lulu are legion, though most of them are fairly minor. The

help files on the site, at least last I checked, were about as confusing as

the documentation that accompanies Japanese-made pro audio equipment. (The

information is in there, but finding it can be like the proverbial

needle-in-a-haystack.) The input they give you on preparing your PDF for

print is simplified, for ease of use, but as a result you oftentimes will

find issues with your first attempt, so it’s highly recommended that you

order a copy or two and tweak it as necessary before releasing it. If you

buy your ISBN through Lulu, you’re going to be stuck with their brand

through other online retailers, and though it will be available through

Amazon, it may take customers forever to receive your books.

Finally, there is an immense amount of complete and total rubbish available

through these services. This is an issue with all print on demand: because

“anyone can self publish,” there are fewer, if any, guard dogs monitoring

production quality.

As a result, some customers may assume your product is also rubbish, as

otherwise “you would have gone with a real publisher.” Lulu carries this

stigma nearly as much as Cafepress, at least for some potential customers.

Of course, these people don’t understand that a “real publisher” often

treats first time or niche-market authors like slaves in gimp masks, (only feeding them

on Wednesdays, whipping them when they get out of line, etc). They don’t

usually put any, or nearly any, budget or effort into promoting your work.

Really, the only thing they can offer that print-on-demand can’t is

competent editorial, layout, and instant access to in-store distribution,

although it is still up to the bookstores/chains in question to actually

make the orders.

As I’ve discussed in the previous “No Write Way” articles, if you can cover at least some of those bases yourself, or for reasonable

flat rates, you’re better off with print-on-demand. Still, the stigma

remains.

And for this reason, among others, I now point your attention to Booksurge.

Booksurge is an Amazon subsidiary more or less in the same business as Lulu.

They offer similar services, in addition to quite a few pricey

“bundle packages” which might be worth it if you don’t have the means

to produce a professional cover, do professional layout, or promote your

work.

Even their basic package ($100 for a B/W book) includes an ISBN, and online

availability through major retailers such as Amazon, Waldenbooks, etc. So far so good, though you shouldn’t expect to see your book on Barnes & Noble bookshelves anytime soon.

Their specifications for setting up your PDF are more specific, which means

there is less of a chance for error if you follow it exactly, but there’s

also much more room for confusion.

You will be given a personal rep when setting up your book with them, which

has its pros and cons compared to automated services like Lulu, but it is

nice having a person to ask questions to rather than wading through

well-written but poorly organized help files.

The major cons with Booksurge: your per unit royalties are likely going to

be lower than with Lulu (though still much higher than with most

“real” publishers), and when they sell you the books “at cost” it is about

20% more expensive per unit than buying them through Lulu unless if you are

buying in runs of several hundred or more at a time.

However, both of these services, and most other print-on-demand services

worth any consideration, are non-exclusive. What that means is that along

with claiming no creative ownership of your work, as it should be, you can

also use another service to print your hard copy books. So, in other words,

if you are willing to do layout to two slightly different printing

specifications, you can release a book through Booksurge and get your

individual books printed through another service if you can find a better

per unit price than theirs.

A final note about first editions: a big benefit of print-on-demand is that

it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to release a second edition. This doesn’t

mean that you should ignore the editorial process. But trust me, once you

get that first edition out there, all of those people you asked for

editorial assistance with your manuscript back when will suddenly crawl out

of the woodwork with red pens and an evil glint in their eyes. Maybe it’s

just me, but this usually happens after you release your first

edition.

Don’t fear. My next article will cover more of what you should consider in

late-stage editorial. I’ve actually been spending the past several weeks

hard at work on the Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning second edition, so these

issues are at the top of my mind at the moment. It’s been taxing but the

results will speak for themselves.

From there we will move on to promotional techniques, and then, I’m

guessing, it will be a free-for-all covering the countless topics I’ve

missed in the process of trying to create a linear thread.

ADDENDUM – the con’s list for Booksurge continues to pile up. I’ll no longer recommend them.