Don’t Start Self Publishing Until You Do This One Thing

Ten years ago, I self-published my first book, Making Love in the Microwave. That decade since the book hit my bookshelves and the virtual ones at Amazon is eons ago in the life of self-publishing (and the life of my life, but that’s another topic for another day). 

There were plenty of self-publishing gurus in the game even back then, but many times we newbies were left outside to navigate the self-publishing wilderness, walking miles in the snow with no shoes all on our own. 

These days, there is no shortage of self-publishing advice or support. From do-it-yourself books to done-for-you services, you have countless options when it comes to publishing your book at just about every level of effort and price point. 

As you’re doing your research on what self-publishing method works best for you, you’ll undoubtedly come across many “must-dos.” But there is one “must-do” that you should do before all others to save you a ton of time, heartache, headache and money. 

Before you plunk down one penny or spend one minute in a self-publishing course, you need to ask yourself this one simple question. 

Why are you publishing in the first place? 

This advice might seem easy or even trite, but spending some time digging into your why will guide you in making much better decisions about your publishing journey and which road to getting your book published you should take. 

To show you how this works in the simplest of terms, I’m going to use some scenarios based on something we all know and love and, at the very least, tastes better than a book: cake. As an editor, pretty much everyone I’ve come across falls into one of these camps.  

1- The Bake Sale Seller, a.k.a. The Hobbyist

You enjoy baking cakes. You bake them at home for your family. You take cakes to your friends. Sometimes you donate some to a bake sale or sell one here and there and earn a few dollars, but ultimately, you just like baking cakes. You bake because it brings your heart joy.  

Your Why: If you’re a “Hobbyist” as a writer, you may love to write, or maybe you just have an idea and want to get a book out into the world so you can hold your idea in your hand. Money isn’t your motivation. You just want to write a book. If it ends up just being a keepsake for your family and friends, you’ll still be happy just to say you did it.  

You can find plenty of free information on blogs, social media and in books to help you DIY for cheap. If you have more money than time, you may want to elicit some “done-for-you” services from an editor or formatting professional, but unless you have money to burn, you’ll want to keep your costs low. As a hobbyist, it’s unlikely that you’ll rake in a lot of money from your project, but you might want the satisfaction of publishing your book with the bonus benefit of breaking even.  

2- The Pastry Chef, a.k.a. The Traditionalist 

You love to bake and are a serious baking artist. Maybe you even went to school for it. You enjoy taking advantage of the resources you have available by working for a restaurant or hotel and would rather spend your time focused on your craft than managing the whole place. You don’t want to own your own bakery and deal with HR and accounting, etc. You bake because you want to get paid to do what you love. 

Your Why: Authors have plenty of reasons for pursuing traditional publishing, and some authors do a mix of traditional and self-publishing all at the same time. These days, especially if you’re a new author or one without a platform, you may have to spend a lot more time working on the background stuff than you used to. Still, traditional publishing offers support through the process that you may not be easily or inexpensively able to create for yourself, so if you want to pursue publishing without being mired in everything that goes on behind the scenes, pitching to traditional publishers may be the path for you. 

3 - The Party Planner, a.k.a. The Done-for-You-er

You plan parties, and party planning is your business. You know that you need a good cake to have a good party, but you don’t want to become a baker. You just know you need the cake there, and you want it to taste good.  

Your Why: You want or need a book to support your other professional efforts. Maybe you’re an accountant, a life coach or a business strategist and you want a book to help support your brand, but your focus is on the career path you’ve already set out for yourself. If you fall into this category, you may try a “done-for-you” service. You can pay someone else to handle as little or as much of the publishing as you need so that you can keep making moves on your own path. 

4- The Bakery Owner, a.k.a. The Self Publisher 

Much like the pastry chef, you like to bake, and you want to make money from it, but on your own terms. Whether you’re interested in opening a bakery full time or doing it from home on the side, you would rather be a business owner, even if it means taking a financial risk. 

Your Why: You want to publish a book and make money while controlling all of the aspects of the book’s publication. As a self-publisher, that means you need to do all of the things. Courses reading books, joining groups- you have to find the mix that works for you. As a self-publisher, you are running your own business, the success or failure of which is all up to you. 

What’s your why? Do you see yourself in this list?