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We're delighted today to have a guest post from author Diana Kimpton, well-known to many for running, with her husband Steve, the website ContactAnAuthor. She's recently started up a new website about self-publishing, and here she tells us why.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make. I knew I already had two publishers eager to see my first novel for older readers. I knew that if I went with one of them, I’d be likely to get a good advance and good sales.
But I also knew that the world of publishing was changing fast. Self publishing was now a viable option - I’d already tried it with two backlist titles so I knew what was involved. And I also knew that There Must Be Horses was the best book I had ever written. Did I want to hand it over to someone else or did I want to stay in control?
In the end, I decided to do it my way, and I published There Must Be Horses myself in October 2012. The ebook came first, closely followed by a print-on-demand print version and a few months later by a short print run organised and distributed by Troubador because I’d discovered that I hated handling orders.
Almost two years on, I’m convinced I made the right decision. I probably would have sold more copies initially with a traditional publishing deal, but I make more per book so I don’t mind. Despite being self-published, the book has been reviewed in PONY magazine and The School Librarian, and it’s still selling steadily, often featuring in the best selling list for its genre. (It’s topped it once or twice.)
Of course, there was no advance and I had to pay all the up-front costs myself. But these were much lower than I’d expected – £650 for the ebook and POD edition, plus about the same for the print run – and I’d covered all those costs by January of this year so all the money I receive from the book now is pure profit. Plus I still hold all the rights to the book so what happens to it in the future is entirely up to me.
Would I do it again? Now’s a good time to ask that as I’ve just had the latest in my Pony-Mad Princess series, published traditionally. On the plus side for the traditional route, the advance for Princess Ellie’s Perfect Plan was very welcome. I’ve enjoyed working with a very pleasant bunch of people and the final book looks good. On the minus side, I’ve had to give up the rights to my book for many years to come. I’ve missed the fun and satisfaction of self-publishing and, right now, I’m missing the instant access to sales figures that I get when I use Kindle Direct Publishing and Createspace.
That's why I’ve decided to stick with self-publishing for the foreseeable future. As I work on the final rewrites for The Green Sheep, I know that the book should be in the hands of readers before the year is over. The cover is already underway thanks to a brilliant bit of drawing by illustrator Jonathan Allen and I’m already working on a marketing plan.
There’s only one thing I’m going to change. I published There Must Be Horses under my own name because I didn’t want to hide the fact that I was self-publishing. But that looks odd when written in a magazine review so The Green Sheep and the books that follow it will be published under my own imprint – Kubby Bridge Books.
I’ve been asked so many questions about self-publishing that I’ve started helpwithpublishing.com: a website with a growing list of articles as well as a database of freelance editors, designers and illustrators who are willing to work directly with authors.
0 Comments on Why I've switched to self-publishing: Diana Kimpton as of 7/25/2014 12:59:00 AM
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Hi Diana, What an uplifting post! Having recently decided not to wait any longer for my own 'big break' I self published two novels on Kindle, am in the process of publishing them in paperback, and I have had such fun! <br />Unlike you, I don't have a history in mainstream publishing to draw upon or compare my experiences to, but after several near misses, I too decided life was too
Thank you from me too, Diana. Like Wendy, I've had several near misses. I've had an agent and lost an agent, almost had the deal, not had the deal, and now I wonder - is this how I want my career to develop? So many ups, so many downs and I'm thinking about my age too. <br />So, I have decided to follow the self-publishing path for my non-picture books (before your post, it's
Thanks so much for sharing all this Diana and thanks to the slushies for arranging it too. I've been wondering about this ever since the back end of last year. My husband and teen son and pushing me too and I think, reading this, you may have just tipped me over the edge. Good luck with There Must Be Horses.
A really interesting post that had me clicking the link to buy the book! However, the link appears to be broken. I will go and search it out, but I thought you'd like to know about the problem.
Thanks for the heads up! I've corrected the link.
And I've checked it because I was correcting it too! It works.<br />
Fantastic post - you are very brave as most writers dream of finding an agent let alone a publisher to help them achieve their dream and you are privileged to have been published in the traditional way but seeing the changes in publishing first hand. I think you are an inspiration and a brilliant role-model for those of us trying really hard to get our work out there, showing that knowing what
Hi Diana, I love the premise and the cover. This is a fascinating post. Did you attempt to interest bricks and mortar booksellers as well as selling the paperback online?<br />I wish you loads of luck with it!
I agree - a great cover! Who designed it?
Thank you for your honesty and wisdom. <br /><br />During my long journey into publication, self publishing niggled at the back of my mind. It would certainly have resolved that burning need to hold my own book in my hand. <br /><br />But in the end, having put so many years into it, I had to stick it out. Unlike your long years of experience, I had no track record which meant that it would have
Seth Godin's recent blog post <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/01/whats-it-for.html" rel="nofollow">What's It For?</a> resonates: <br /><br />"If, seventy years ago, you asked Henry Luce, "What is Time magazine for?" he'd probably talk about setting society's agenda, capturing the attention of the educated and powerful and most of all,
... just to add - I should have said SOME of us writers ... there are those of course who will publish without revision, without care of craft or reader. To these writers, the answer to what it's for ends at being published.
Hi Diana - thankyou for this brilliant post. I'm like you, a published author with a long track record, including experiences of problems with contracts, rights reversions,publishers going to the wall etc - and like you, I'm seriously considering self-publishing a couple of books I care about, even though one of them has found a publisher who likes it but wants some major edits. Have you
Thank you Diana for this interesting post. Currently I am busy writing a Memoir on interracial adoption of two sons - one as a baby and one who came to us as a four-year old. I feel sure that it says some interesting things and really want to get it "out there". Your post has made me think about Self-publishing, but not as a last resort. I too have had a few books traditionally
A great post! Having self-published three children's novels, I have really enjoyed the experience and it's a real learning curve. I followed a great book by Peter Finch and found a reliable and friendly printer in York. The difficult part has been the marketing with book shops unwillingly to take the books although they appear on their online sites. At the SCBWI conf I asked the rep from
Thanks for the intelligent and honest insight into the world of book publishing. People very rarely talk about publishing contracts, my understanding is that it is because they are restricted from doing so.<br /><br />Though I was tempted to get a kindle version (instant gratification!) I have just ordered a hard copy of your book because I would like to keep it for my daughter to read one day
Thanks for sharing this Diana - you've clearly made the right decision for you. I think self-publishing always niggles at the back of our minds. Family and friends often suggest it to me - 'but you've done all this work, how long are you going to wait?' I'm in the same position as Candy was before she was published by David Fickling and it's a hard place to be - like
I think it all comes down to motivation. Luckily my scoobie/writing friends seem to be determined to write a book to be proud of, to entertain children with a professional product appropriate to the age group.
Really interesting - maybe Diana could run a SCBWI_BI conference session on the nuts and bolts of the process? Not forgetting the costs - which may be prohibitive for many. Getting the book professionally edited - as Kathryn says, working with a great editor is something to hope for - must be a bit of a challenge.<br /><br />This sounds like a great read!
Thank you for sharing Diana, I found it very interesting to read your reasons for self publishing. I'm sure There Must be Horses will sell well.
Mind you, there are some brilliant editors who've gone freelance - my editor at DFB Bella Pearson is setting up as a freelance editor. And then there's the <a href="http://www.goldeneggacademy.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Golden Egg people</a> and <a href="http://www.cornerstones.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Cornerstones</a>.
Yes, it's becoming a bit of a rush. There's definitely a gap for experienced independent editors, both in self-publishing and refining work before approaching traditional publishers.
"Not yet" has been my mantra for a while! I ummed and aahed about self-publishing my last book, but I think my current work-in-progress is likely to be the last one I try to get published traditionally. Probably.
Maureen, I'm watching your progress with interest! Good luck.
A great post, Diana – and the story sounds wonderful! Like many here I'm a self-published children's author who had a few near misses (one with Bloomsbury and then with a couple of agents). I then put my writing in a drawer and went back to the day job (also writing!) for 10 years. <br /><br />By the time I took a sabbatical two years ago the landscape had dramatically changed and I
Thanks for your comment, Karen, I'll follow up your links.
I originally commissioned a cover designer but that didn't work out. So in the end, Steve and I did the cover ourselves using artwork from istockphoto.com - I'd had that image of a horse's eye in my mind the whole time I was writing the book. We struggled a bit with the font for the title so a friend who is also a cover designer helped out by choosing that one to make it look as if
Diana - I just received my copy of the paperback version. I love your logo!
Glad you liked it and thanks to everyone who posted comments. I will be writing more about self publishing on my blog and on the new website that's currently under development.
Thank you for this Diana. Living in South Africa, the system works differently here in that we don't have agents but submit directly to publishers. The market for picture books is tiny however as the focus lies on educational materials (as this is what the government pays for). After years of doing bread-and-butter writing I've self-published a picture book, Perfect Place, which I'll
A children's book publicist once told me that it's word of mouth recommendation that sells books and the best way to get that started is to give books away. Sometimes you can tie the giveaways are tied to an interview or review in a magazine, newspaper or blog.