The Writing
Measuring Success
What drives me to write? Why would I ever want to spend my free time shackled to a keyboard?
For me, writing is a compulsion. All day, every day, my head is buzzing with ideas, clamoring to be written down. Writing serves as my release valve, relieving this internal pressure. There is nothing comparable to the rush I get from releasing all those ideas onto a page.
Reality Check about the Paycheck
I’ve done my research. I’m a realist. I’m not expecting to make money from publishing THE END OF THE WORLD. I expect to spend money on this passion project. I compare it to someone with a hobby car that they poke and prod at, do a new paint job on, maybe drive it around for a bit… They don’t get all that time and money back. They do it because they love it.
Here’s the reality check: the typical self-published author sells about five copies of their book. The average self-published novel sells about 200 copies a year. Keep in mind, those numbers include hot-to-sell genres like romance. Science fiction is not a hot-to-sell category. Most authors don’t start seeing a return on their investment until they have released around 4-5 books.
THE END OF THE WORLD will be the first in a five-book series called THE PRIMORDIAL ENGINE. I have already created a detailed outline of each book, leaving room to add one or two other books if I feel the interest is there. The good draft of Book 2 is already underway (hoping for a Fall 2024 release).
If you’re interested in more complete overview of book publishing stats, I recommend this blog article: How Many Books Are Published Each Year? [2023 Statistics]
The Cost of Passion
Completing THE END OF THE WORLD in April 2023, I stood on the brink of the self-publishing world with no map in hand. My understanding of self-publishing was nonexistent, and my relationship with social media barely stretched beyond keeping up with friends and family on Facebook. Now, I’m neck-deep and watching the waters rise…
Time
No question—if I could spend 100% of my free time writing books, I would. I’m thrilled to be working on a good draft of Book 2. Slightly less excited to do a final proof-read of THE END OF THE WORLD before I send ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) to reviewers in November. Grammar and typo checks are no fun.
Unfortunately, I also want other people to read my books. And that’s where marketing comes in.
Marketing is time-consuming. Starting in August, I had to build a social media presence from almost nothing. Even now, managing followers and creating content consumes 50-75% of my free time. A single piece of art or blog post takes me around 5-10 hours to complete. It can be a little demoralizing, because being an 'unknown' means the time investment isn’t bringing me noticeable value. And I can expect less than 1% of my social media followers to buy my book. So, why bother with social media at all? Well, it’s all about laying a foundation, so that when I’ve proven my books are worthwhile, the content is there for fans to explore.
For more on social media stats for authors, check out: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR AUTHORS: WHAT DOES THE DATA SAY?
Money
How much does self-publishing a book cost?
Short answer: nothing if you publish through Amazon.
Long answer: Potentially a lot if you want to publish and market a quality product (whether through Amazon or other distributors). Costs for cover art, formatting, editing, and advertisements add up pretty quickly. You aren’t required to pay for any of these things, but your sales will suffer if you can’t put together a quality package.
Cover and Social Media Art
Let's be honest: the cover art is the first thing a reader notices. It's your most impactful advertisement, and it deserves full effort. While I possess some artistic skills, I didn’t want to take any risks on this critical element. Ensuring I had the most outstanding cover within my budget was a priority.
I entrusted this task to Gene Mollica Studio, LLC, who crafted not only my cover art but also a comprehensive social media kit. Their portfolio boasts covers for renowned authors, including two of my favorites: Joe Abercrombie and Brian McClellan. This top-tier service, however, did come at a significant cost of $1500.
Website / Social Media
I created my own website, hsgilchrist.com, using Wordpress.com for $8/month. Opting for the Premium Plan allowed me access to an enhanced theme and the ability to customize CSS code.
Apart from buying Twitter’s premium plan for a higher character limit, I haven't paid for extra features on other platforms like Mastodon, Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook.
Yet.
Editing Services
Although I’m confident in my grasp of English, I wanted to ensure I wasn't overlooking my own shortcomings. So, at the end of 2022, before I decided on the self-publishing course, I began exploring editing services.
For the uninitiated, there are four types of editing:
editorial assessment - broad overview of strengths / weaknesses in your plot, characters, or structure
developmental editing - detailed feedback on narrative, plot, "big-picture" issues
copy editing - things that affect readability - grammar, word choice, character inconsistencies
proofreading - last check for spelling / grammar
For more details on types of editing, see this Reedsy article: Types of Editing: An Inside Look at What Editors Do
Editors typically charge by the word, and with THE END OF THE WORLD coming in around 450 pages, the costs can quickly mount. A quality editor might quote anywhere from $1500 to $3000 for a book of this length.
Working with a tight budget, I decided to forgo an editorial assessment and handle the copy editing and proofreading on my own. My priority was to ensure the book’s overall quality and coherence, leading me to invest in a developmental editor for an expert opinion on the book's content and structure.
The editor I picked had twelve years experience as a literary agent and has worked for authors published by the Big 5 (Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster). As you can imagine, it cost me an arm and a leg: $2500 to be exact.
Was it worth it? Hah! That’s for next week’s post!
That said, as the deadline looms with ARCs set to be sent out in November, anxiety nudges in, making me reconsider investing in a copy edit. Do I really need that additional assurance and polish? Stay tuned!
Formatting
Formatting pertains to the internal structure of the book, including layout, fonts, and spacing. To both minimize expenses and retain the ability to make last-minute changes without involving a third party, I opted to handle this task myself using a software called Atticus. Atticus only cost me $147 for a lifetime license. Atticus and I don’t always get along, but it does the job and their support team is great.
Advertisements
I won’t be investing in formal ads until January 2024. Based on prevailing trends and recommendations, I will likely focus on Facebook and Amazon ads. The suggested daily budget ranges from $10-20 for Facebook and $30-50 for Amazon, so I’m treading ground cautiously. Debut novels, from my research, rarely recover the ad costs, leaving me contemplating the value of this particular investment. Should I continue to throw my money into the blackhole?
Conclusion
As I navigate the vast world of self-publishing, I'm eager to hear about others’ journeys as well. What have been your biggest challenges and triumphs in writing or self-publishing? Are there any tips or resources that have been invaluable to you? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, or connect with me here or other social media platforms. I hope my stories offer some encouragement and insight as well. What's the next step on your writing journey?
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