Last month I released my first indie novella, Flare Up (yay! 🥳). In so doing, I joined the body of authors who have dipped their toe into (or for some, plunged right in!) hybrid publishing. Hybrid refers to an author who has some books released by a traditional publishing house, and some independently (self) published.
Some readers were super excited—not in the least because there
was finally a story featuring Jett Faraday, a much-loved character from my
Blaine Colton trilogy.
Various writing peers offered encouragement for venturing
into the brave new world of indie publication. (And those with wisdom beyond my
own kindly answered panicked questions as I stared at yet another gatekeeper
option blocking my goal.)
I also had questions of whether I’d abandoned traditional
publishing. Er, no. But I can assure you this process has given me renewed
respect for my publishing house’s team.
So why go indie?
Simply, Flare Up as a novella wasn’t a
suitable length for my traditional publisher. So, I decided to embark on the journey
of indie publication. Sounds breezy, right? But no. This story had been latent
in a file for a while, waiting for me to decide what to do with it. It took a
lot of mustering for me to pluck up the grit to launch down this path.
The indie publishing market is growing incrementally and I can appreciate the appeal, especially for those who have a story that doesn’t quite fit with the majority of publishing houses. However, I can also see the pitfalls of temptation that could lure a writer to release their work too early or launch out without taking upon themself sound advice, such as a need to kill one’s darlings or restructure etc.
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| Image Credit Hermann Traub, Pixabay |
As for the indie publishing process, I’ve bumped up against
the “how hard could it be?” attitude. I’d even tiptoed down the self-publishing
road a few times before, but swiftly found myself with more questions that I
knew how to answer. For every step
forward, there seemed to be even more blind stumbles back and questions I’d
have to go away and dig into further.
It was only after my fourth (or was it fifth? 🤔)
workshop on self-publication and after talking to numerous writing friends that I
finally felt competent enough to at least give it a shot. Was it what I
expected? Yes and no.
After my most recent self-publishing skills training, I felt
reasonably confident I could bring a book to market—as to what quality it would
be, well … The advantages I had included having my manuscript professionally
edited and a beautiful cover designed by my talented friend, Kirsten Hart. However, on launching in, I was promptly required to consider production, distribution
and market-related aspects I’d not even heard of, let along thought about.
I had no idea about distribution restrictions based on book
dimensions, which also dictated the production options of paper type and finish.
If releasing the book on multiple platforms, you could inadvertently double up on distributor
for certain regions, and if the wrong box was ticked, it
would make other distributors unhappy. (Insert stern emails about said book.) For
example, agreeing to make your book available on Kindle Unlimited on
Amazon means you cannot have it released on Kobo or other such e-sites. I also learned there were different breakpoints for pricing in relation to
royalty rates.
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| Photo Credit: Bruno, Pixabay |
My experience with traditional publication had at least given me knowledge of key words, catalogue descriptions and category codes (BIC, BISAC, Thema). Yet, just when it seemed I'd succeeded and the book was published, I’d receive a notification that something wasn’t right. For example, one time the cover wasn’t the correct dimensions—yet it was. The difficulty was that the way the layout is done means the file is not centred. Would it not make sense to centre a document designed to align from the mid-point out?
I’m still wrangling with Ingram Sparks, but slowly, slowly
I’m creeping through the minefield of braille-like learning points. What I do
know is I’ve figured out a lot and made some notable mistakes. Successful indie
publication is not as straightforward as it sounds, but I’m certain with practise
the process will get smoother. Most of all, I have a deeper appreciation for my wonderful
traditional publisher. Thanks Rhiza Edge team!!! 💗💗
Adele Jones writes fringe and near young adult "Science fiction for the real world". Fuelled by her passion for family, faith, music and science, she tackles complex teen issues including self-worth, disability, loss, domestic violence, youth crime and more. To learn more visit: www.adelejonesauthor.com
