You know how musicians have always been able to make music, sink a little money into a demo tape, and then distribute it amongst their friends, family, and local music lovers to get their name out there? And you know how club owners, agents, and people in charge of booking talent would hear about these up-and-comers through their slowly growing fanbase, then offer them a chance to open for another, bigger band? And you know how that used to be a stepping stone to building your own musical career?
Well, that's exactly what self-publishing now represents. At least, to me it does.
Some are already forgetting that just a few short years ago, if you wrote a 700-page fantasy epic (like I did) and you wanted to get it published (like I tried to do) and nobody wanted it (like what happened to me and most of you), then that book just sat there, collecting dust. Nobody got to read it or review it. Nobody could give any feedback, which is all-important in improving quality. You were lost, and the months or years you put into researching and writing that story were for naught.
Back in those days, the writer had no way of putting together his/her own "demo tape," no way of showing off what they could do to others, no way of getting feedback on which "licks" worked and which didn't. A musician got to get on stage, humiliate himself at times, see which songs carried a crowd and which ones were stinkers. He got experience. Not only that, but the musician got to collect a fanbase, starting it off grass roots style.
By and large, book publishers are no different than movie or music executives: they abhor risk, and gravitate naturally towards a sure thing, like people in a dire situation will always go towards the firefighter or the Marine in uniform--this guy's definitely got a way outta here, and won't let us down! "Minimize risk" ought to be the motto of any studio or publishing company.
Because you were a nobody, with no demo book to pass around to locals and to garner you a small fan following, you had absolutely no way of establishing yourself. You weren't a surefire bet to the publishers. Being a nobody, you can't "open" for Stephen King at a book signing, because, well, who the hell are you? Nobody knows you. You don't even have a single demo they can listen to.
Add to that the fact that publishers, always reticent to bet on a new, untested horse, have now started to ask for your "social media footprint" somewhere in your query letter, and you see you have a humongous problem. You can't have a social media footprint when NOBODY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER!
Here's where self-publishing has come to save the day, in amazing and unprecedented ways, and I will point them out to those of you who are still on the fence with whether or not to pursue self-publishing. (HINT: the short answer is that you must do so, and as soon as possible, or at least as soon as your book is finished and as polished as you can get it.)
Let's reverse-engineer this problem: You want sales. That's where we HOPE it ends, right? So, to get sales, you feel you need a real, big-time publisher. To get a publisher you need to be recognizable (something worth betting on). To be recognizable you have to have people pointing you out: i.e. followers. To gain followers you need to have something for them to follow: i.e. an actual book they can read. To have such a book, your ONLY option is to self-publish.
I can't make it any simpler than that.
Do not hesitate to self-publish. I have found far too many people who sway indecisively on this. They said, "Yeah, but, what if I wanna get a real publisher later?" First of all, I don't know why you don't consider yourself a "real" publisher if you publish it, because those big companies are just made up of people like you, too, but whatever. Secondly, when you self-publish YOU STILL OWN THE RIGHTS. You can do whatever the hell you want with it.
So get out there, make your demo tape, tell your friends and relatives about it, start a Twitter and Facebook account completely dedicated to your book(s), start a blog, go to conferences and lectures, join a writer's group, and make yourself someone worth talking about. I did so, and gained 38 reviews for my novel Psycho Save Us, all of them 4/5 and 5/5 star reviews from people I've never even met, as far away as Australia and parts of Europe I'd scarcely heard of.
You need to stop hesitating and get out there and get it! Learn the tricks, such as finding cover artists to help you--I found Marvel Comics artist Axel Torvenius by happenstance, he did my amazing covers, and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken the leap.
Who am I? I'm a nobody. But now people are talking about me, my sales are going up, and as the sales go up more people are talking. That's the name of the game. But first thing's first: Make your demo tape.
Follow the author on Facebook and Twitter: @ChadRyanHuskins
Check out The Psycho Series, starting with Psycho Save Us: http://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Save-Us-Chad-Huskins/dp/1482064731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372882233&sr=8-1&keywords=psycho+save+us
Check out the website: www.chadhuskins.com
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