Thursday, April 14, 2011

SELF-PUBLISHED AND OVERWHELMED

BY AL KING

You've found many reasons why you refuse to take the traditional route and opted to take the self-publishing lane (I don't blame you). What you didn't take into consideration was all the WORK you would have to put in—ALONE.   What would have been expected of the entity that provides the book deal has now been inherited with your decision to remain independent? With or without a team, you will be responsible, working as your own Publishing Company which entails wearing many hats, all on your own. Whether it be, marketing/promotion, administrative duties, monitoring and controlling finances, distribution, operations, bookings (appearances, book signings), and also the choice of vendors –it all must be done.  Keep in mind, these examples are just to name a few since there will be countless miscellaneous duties that your company/project will require to ensure that it’s proficient and effective. Even when it’s all is in place, it still has to be MAINTAINED so that continuity is achieved.

Unfortunately, none of this is taken into consideration by most authors, who are driven primarily by the monetary benefits of being indie. If you're not savvy enough to put together a solid team to handle these areas, it will all fall on YOU. So while the company has to be overseen, the creative side of being an author is not as easy to cater to as aspiring authors may presume. This can pose a challenge, when asked to juggle these roles as well as respond to inspiration by writing new material. We all desire success but to achieve it there is a rigorous demand for pure excellence at every aspect of the vision. Too often, the work that is required is under-estimated, as we tend to just look at the payback or profit while neglecting to weigh in the entire process. This is why so many projects fail before they even get an opportunity to get off the ground—due to poor planning and poor execution. You must plan and organize your attack with concision to avoid being in way over your head!

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