Part 6: Why I Decided To Self-Publish
This 10-part series captures my reflections on publishing my memoir How I Lost My Eyebrows and Found Myself. It’s a mix of visual essays and text-based reflections. Scroll to the end for link to Amazon.
“Do you need a publisher?”
“I didn’t know you can do it yourself!”
“What exactly is “publishing”?”
Publishing is a black box to most people who were curious about how I gave birth to my book.
In the beginning, I was prepared for it to stay a black box where my engaged publisher will do their magic, then voila! My book will be ready.
When I discovered that the black box came with a steep four-figure price tag, I tried to unpack what was inside it. It contained services to edit and design the book, followed by the printing of a few hundred copies.
What I struggled with was less of the price tag, but more about the necessity of printing so many copies. I really didn’t believe anyone other than myself cared about my absurd musings. The landfill didn’t need more books.
I also worried about who I would be working with during the process. Would they understand my vision for the book? Would they pressure me to adopt a voice or style that I disagree with? What recourse do I have on these issues? How much guidance would they give me as a first-time author?
With all these concerns in mind, I did further research and found that the price for hiring a book editor and designer on Fiverr was only a mere fraction of what the publishers proposed. If I self-publish with their help, I could also defer the decision to print the books by first publishing them via Amazon. It would be print on demand, and I would not need to carry any inventory.
The low upfront investment in this DIY option secretly gave me confidence to undertake this project myself. Even if it was a huge flop, I could write it off as an inexpensive experiment. Worst case, I could go back to the publishers whose proposals I had so bravely declined.
So, armed with an ungrounded sense of security, I embarked on a journey to self-publish.
Fast forward 4 months, I published my book on Amazon, with the help of a book editor and a book formatter hired on Fiverr. While the learning curve was steep for me, working with them was extremely smooth.
I feel like I should give myself a pat on the back for a job well done. Or should I?
On the surface, it may seem like I’ve successfully decoded the black box of publishing. In reality, I’ve barely scratched its surface. While my experiment worked, I also realised that there’s a lot more to know.
This first book was my way of peeking into the black box. The second will take me deeper inside.
