Into the Fire

Let’s face it. I only know of one editor who was gracious enough to declare that, although perhaps unusual to see one succeed, a self-published book is not necessarily the kiss of death in the professional publishing arena. That is, of course, if the self-published book is a big seller and gets picked up by a “professional” house.

Well . . . we all know what’s implied by self-publishing. The book is so bad no one in the biz would dream of publishing it. It’s inferior in every way—the writing, the story, the product. The author was impatient and got tired of waiting to enter through the hallowed halls of “real” publishers. (Code for got tired of jumping through ill-defined hoops which varied at each new station along the tracks.) The writer didn’t “fit” with us—or anyone else for that matter—so he/she opted to do it him/herself. The book couldn’t even get the author an agent—smirk. (Do you know how many clients individual agents have these days?)

Several months ago on someone’s blog (I’m thinkin’ it might’ve been Brandilyn Collins’), the question was asked of readers/writers: “How many pages do you give a book before you quit on it?” As you might expect, the answers were quite varied. A surprising number of folks answered they would not quit on a novel—no matter what. I was one of them. Several gave the answer of 50 pages. Others answered anywhere from one chapter to 150 pages. There was a definite diversity in the numbers. As most of you know, the powers that be want a solid hook in the first 20 pages of a novel or they fear their readers will disintegrate, evaporate, or at least disengage. And no doubt some will.

Yet we are told to trust our readers. They’re more intelligent than we give them credit for being. They’re smart, savvy, eager to tackle complexities, symbolism, metaphors. They’re cool. Trust them! However, you better grab them in the first 5 pages and not let go for the first 20 because their attention span will vaporize if you don’t, and then they’ll put down the book and send dastardly e-mails to the publishers ranting about how stupid it was to allow this book shelf space anywhere on planet earth!

But, of course, with a self-published book, those things are a given. The foolish authors think of themselves more highly than they ought, don’t ya know, and ramble on with their drivel, assuming just because they paid some schmuck to put covers around their pages, that it should actually count for anything! Poor saps.

Okay. I’m done with that part.

There are valid reasons to disrespect self-publishing. Some of the above sarcasm is accurate and factual.

However, IF a person has a good marketing scheme, can create real and viable outlets for sales, has the money to produce the book, and assuming it’s a decently written tome, then it would actually be worth it to self-publish your book. But you cannot underestimate the ability to successfully market it with a viable outlet for sales. Those two priorities will determine how gainful a venture you’re going to have.

The Christian book market is booming. The competition is fierce. Yet even with professionals at the helms of marketing teams, the schemes used are failing a lot of first time or slower moving authors. Those of you who have been on the fringe of reading current day Christian fiction have no idea how far the writing has advanced. There are some talented, amazing writers in the field of Christian fiction today in almost every category. A fair number of them are getting very little exposure, and those who would be fans don’t yet know of their work because without something to separate them from the bundles of books on the shelves, it takes time for the favorable words of those who’ve read them to be spread around, but when it does get around, the books will show a spike in sales. If it’s not too late for their publishers to be impressed and not ask for any more of their work.

So, if the professionals are having a hard time marketing books, how are you going to do with the major task? Almost every agent and publisher will now ask how you intend to help market your book. One prominent editor has said that few authors have a clue what will be successful in marketing their work. Apparently, it’s not so easy for professional marketers either. For most writers it’s an acquired taste—some never do and some are good at it. If you self-publish, either you better be good at it or hire someone who is—which means more money invested. However, in this case, more money invested might mean the difference between real sales and zero sales besides your mom, your neighbor, and your best friend.

Most writers yearn for the recognition and stamp of approval of getting accepted and published by a major house. It’s like an award in and of itself. All that hard work gained some attention, some affirmation. You are officially a published author. No demeaning “self-published” aside attached to your novel. Yours is the “real” thing. You jumped through all the hoops, and though you might have come through it with a sprained writer’s wrist or a bruised ego, you survived the editing process and triumphed with that first look at book in hand. It’s no small deal. You did it.

But for those who choose to buck the system, there is the choice you can make to publish your own material. Not an easy choice, and certainly not an inexpensive one, but if you meet the conditions mentioned earlier, it’s doable. It’s an option. Yeah, you’ll wear the black mark, but if you sell a lot of books, no one will even notice you have it.

God, you are above all things. Nothing is impossible with you. While we stumble around on this earth thinking all we want is your will, so much of the time it’s really our own will we desire. You have a plan, and though it isn’t always the “easy button” way, it is the best way. We need your plan above all others. Help each one of us to listen to your voice and obey your plan. True satisfaction, peace, and real blessing of the spiritual kind follow our obedience. Help me, Lord, to do things your way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.