But Why Self Publishing? by Savannah Chase
I want to start off by saying thank you to Lisa for inviting me to be a guest on her blog. It is a pleasure to be here. For those who don’t know me, my name is Savannah Chase and I’m an author.
You’ve probably heard a lot of chatter about authors venturing off and taking on the self publishing route. Why are they doing that? Aren’t they happy with their publishing houses?
Well I can’t speak for everyone but I’m happy with the houses I’m at. For me the choice to self publish is not about happy or not happy. It is about doing something different. It’s about taking another step in a new direction. I’ve talked to a lot of people about self publishing, and the most common answer is control and freedom. Another answer I hear was they wanted to branch out.
There are also people who have said they’ve decided to self publish because they were unable to find a publishing home for their book. So does that mean that every Dick or Jane who gets rejected can self publish? Well honestly, yes they can, but it’s not as easy as you might think.
Just because you decide to take the self publishing road it doesn’t give you the right to publish something unprofessional or half assed. Self publishing means you have a responsibility to make your work just as good as if you were putting it out with a traditional publisher.
You have to edit and check over to make sure that your finished product is as perfect as possibly can be. You have to put in a ton of time and effort into your book.
If you’ve followed my official blog you probably read about my publishing journey. If you haven’t let me take this time to give you the short version.
This year I decided to try my hand with self publishing. Instead of releasing a book you can buy I decided to put out a very short story for free.
Why free?
I wanted to put something out for readers that they could get as a sort of thank you. I appreciate all the support and hard earned money people spend on my books. I wanted to do something special.
This was also my way to dip my toe into the water and see how things work in this whole indie world. Lovers Moan, the short story I put out has been out for a little over a week and so far most of the feedback I’ve gotten back from readers has been wonderful. That means a lot because putting out something on your own there is a bit more pressure. Or the author feels pressure to measure up and as one would say bring it on because they are stepping out on their very own.
Self publishing has been something new and amazing. It’s taught me a lot about what I’m capable of doing and taking on.
It is a scary thing to get into when you’ve never done it. You have to find your own editor, and hire people to create a cover and proof read your work and so much more. It takes time and a lot of patience.
I’ve put out free reads on my site before, but have never done it in the self pub format.
The time came and I knew I wanted to refresh old stories I’d put out on my web site and bring them to life again, but this time make them accessible in more places.
The first venue that I released Lovers Moan was Smashwords and I hope to have it out on Amazon and other places soon.
With self publishing something for the first time there is a learning curve. The biggest one is getting the story file ready for all the different venues. That means having the format right. Everything takes time.
So far I’ve been lucky enough to have people who have taken the time to answer my questions and point me in the right direction.
So you might ask, is the control worth all the extra work and possible stress? Yeah it is because once you get the hang of the little things the rest is just getting everything in order.
Publishing traditionally you still have edits and proof reading to do. You are still responsible for your book. So that doesn’t change when you publish on your own.
The difference now is that your responsibility is a bit larger and involves learning some new stuff. Through all the confusion and my multiple questions I’ve learned so much and hope to pass it on to the next person who comes around needing help. I’m no expert, far from it on self publishing but the knowledge I’ve gained I can always pass along.
I look forward to publishing more free stories and non free. Oh and don’t worry I’m not going all Indie. You will still be seeing books from me via my publishers.
Lovers Moan by Savannah Chase
Publishing Date: March 12, 2012
Publisher: Savannah Chase
Genre: erotic romance, contemporary
Format: eBook
ISBN: 978-1-4658-3368-6
Price: FREE
Seduction never sounded so good.
Karina places an ad in the classifieds in the hopes of fulfilling a fantasy to bring pleasure with only the sound of her voice. But when a caller responds and engages her in a stimulating conversation, will she break the connection, or answer with a lovers moan?
If you would like more information on me and my work I invite you to come on by http://www.savannahchase.com or my official blog at http://www.savannahchase.com/blog
Lisa Fox Romance 
Lisa, thank you again for letting me be a guest at your amazing blog..It is an honor to be here…
Thanks for hanging out today Savannah! It’s a pleasure to have you over.
Lisa, you know I always love coming over to your place. It is so much fun here…
Hi Savannah & Lisa
I too have ventured into the self-publishing world. I totally agree with you Savannah about maintaining quality work. Self-publishing can make or break an author. If you don’t take the time to do so properly and put out unedited work with a shabby cover, you’re not going to get the response you were hoping for. Readers are brutally honest when a book doesn’t make the cut, especially a self-pubbed book. Readers and reviewers read our self-pubbed books ‘looking for errors’. All in all it’s a new chapter in publishing, one I will embrace whole-heartedly, and like you, I will still keep my work with the publishers I have.
Thanks for sharing your experience Savannah. I wish you much success!
Adelle, thank you so much for taking the time to come by and leave a comment. Oh yes you are right..I noticed that with self publishing there is more pressure and people are more eager to break you. For me this is just the start, we will see what happens…
Two of my fave babes in one place!
Great points Savannah – selp pub is definitely not for everyone, but you and Lisa have proven it’s possible to do traditional and self publishing, and be successful at both.
eden
xox
Eden, so have you…You did amazing with your book so you should not forget about adding your name to that. You are right, it is not for everyone…You have to be ready to spend a lot of extra time…
I’m like you Savannah. I am not in the least bit unhappy with my publishers. I love them and plan to stay with them for a long, long time. I have dabbled with self publishing as well. I put out some free shorts and then a novel. I liked the control. From the cover art and edits, which I did all myself, to pricing and promotion. A few typos/grammar issues slipped through, but not nearly as bad as the average self pub book I see on Amazon. I also liked being able to fluctuate my pricing, to play with it and see where the price seemed to draw the most attention, etc. I liked not having to fight over my cover design. I really dislike having a publisher force a cover on me when I could do better myself!
On the bad side of self publishing, I had no immediate audience. As a new(er) author, I don’t have legions of faithful adoring fans. Just a few wonderful readers I’m not worthy of… and so the sales and exposure I get by default with my publishers were not there. All the promo was left up to me and that’s my weakest area due to very limited time and a lack of motivation for it. =oP … it was all ALOT of hard work.
I recommend anyone trying to get their books out there, try hard to get on with a publisher. You will learn soooooo much about the industry. Konrath and Hockings are very, very rare instances. Before you self pub, learn the craft and none better to do so than through an established publisher. If down the road you want to self pub, you’ll be armed with the tools and knowledge that will separate you from the gigantic influx of crap books flooding the ebook stores of late. The trick is making your book not look or read like a self pubbed book.
Anywho, great article!!!!!!
Brindle, you summed it up perfectly. I agree with you..It is an experience and honestly doing this I felt like I was just starting in the industry. You are starting all over when you self publish. Thank you so much for taking the time and leave your opinion and view..I truly appreciate it.
I think there are positives to be found with small epubs and self-pubbing. ICAM! Good luck!
Julia, oh yes you are right..I’m happy with my epubs and this whole self pub was me trying to see how it all works and if I could even do it..It has given me a whole new outlook on this side of publishing.
Great post, Savannah. I’m always interested to read about authors who’ve chosen to self-pub in addition to their schedule of published works. Very insightful, thanks for sharing!
Karla, thank you for taking the time to stop on by and read my post. Yes I do enjoy that as well. Every author has an interesting story to tell of what they went through. Plus you learn so much from others and their stories.
I think when you already have an established audience, self publishing will be a rewarding endeavor. You certainly have that, Savannah!
Kayelle, you are so kind…To be honest even with already having an audience you still need to get out there to the indie community..A lot of people who read indie don’t read traditional and same goes for those who read traditional, they might not read indie..You need to work just as hard to get noticed and for people to see you and your books..It is interesting..I’ve said it before and will say it again..This has been rewarding in the fact that I took a step and did something new and scary to me…
Hey Savannah – great post! I also have got a few publishers and have tried self publishing my latest story. Time will tell if it goes anywhere….I am not a marketer, though I keep trying.
PS…I have had the pleasure of reading Lovers Moan….Hot stuff!
Penny, I think it is fantastic that you took the first step, I think you will do well. If you believe in your work keep trying to market it and get the word out. It might take time but you will see the hard work will pay off..
Thank you so much again for reading Lovers Moan…It means a lot coming from you, a fellow author..
I know you will do well with your own book too..
Hi Savannah and Lisa,
Congrats on your new release, Savannah. I think self publishing is such a great option for authors, although so far I haven’t tried it. From the outside, it does look easy, but there are a lot of things to do to make a successful self-pub bed book.
Shelley, thank you so much for taking the time to stop on over..Oh yes people kept saying to me how simple it is and how it is easy…Oh no it is not..I know how much work goes into publishing with a traditional company and expected that self publishing would be just as hard and even harder..
I have learned so much..If you ever decide to self publish and need some help you are always welcome to send me a shout..
This offer goes to all of you..I will help you with whatever I know and pass along my knowledge just like people had passed along to me.
Wow, Savannah, that story sounds so hot. I’m grabbing a copy. I’m thinking about trying to put out a self-pub freebie too, so thanks for sharing your experience.
Nara, thank you as well for taking the time to come by. Oh I hope that you like the story. Look into self publishing and see how it all works and if it is something for you. Like I said before if you or anyone needs help just give me a holler…
I can’t wait to read my copy. 🙂 You are an amazing writer! I’m off to download now.
Ciara, thank you so much…So are you..I hope you like it….Tell me what you think when you are done…
Fantastic post ladies! Now to go and grab me a copy. 😉
Layna, thank you for coming by..I’m glad you enjoyed my post…Happy reading…