The facts about Self-Publishing a novel

      Hoax of Self Publishing

An author is born of suffering. How someone can become an author unless society has grilled him in all possible ways, sucked off all the marrow and threw wastage to be chewed by dogs. If something less than this has happened be bold, invite troubles and then wait patiently. There is no room for timid and cowards, who looks around twice before calling a spade a spade.

 If destiny has put a mouse in his hand and fingers have enjoyed playing on the keyboard to jot down words in the sequence in which they have never been written before, an author should be  prepared for next most hateful, torturous part of journey of accepting rejections from famous publishers till one fine morning he would decide to self publish his work.

Almost all self publishing houses use the same format of the agreement which traditional publishing houses use. Most of them have never heard about "Berne Convention'. They don't know the procedures of sending a copy of the published book to national libraries which is mandatory by law. All they know is they can hire a printer, a friend to copy edit, cover design and typeset for paltry amount and rob the author for all this heavily.

Moreover, they would boast to get you an ISBN...wtf. I mean, how mean someone could be.

When an author is paying money to publish a book, how could publisher give credits to cover design, copy editors who are paid for doing it. The publisher is charging authors for paying them and still author does not hold copyright on these works. Can a printer put his own ad and other important cards that he has printed on your marriage card. It is ridiculous to that extent, if you give it a serious thought. Every published document should bear the name of the printer, is required by law, but just a name or one phone number at the most and that too at some inconspicuous place, where the customer desire.

Self published books are seldom picked up by good distributors. At the most they are made available through online stores to the friends and relatives of the author. Even the so called big and traditional publishing house puts a condition that you would have to buy 300 copies at the rate of 150/- Rs per copy suppose, they have indirectly robbed the author.

Most of them print on demand. Initially they print hardly one hundred copies to give to authors and keep reserves in the online store, which cost publisher few thousand bucks and a major chunk of author's money goes to the pocket of the publisher.

As if that is not enough, if the published author (?), wants a ceremony to launch of his book, that gives another opportunity to the publisher to extract more money from the pocket of the author.

So what is the remedy?

The remedy is
1.Kindle Direct Publishing,

https://kdp.amazon.com/dashboard?prefLanguage=true

2.Createspace

https://www.createspace.com/pub/member.dashboard.do

3.Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vipingoyal

The beauty of these publishers is:

1. Transparency in all dealings

2. No expenditure at all

3. Very helpful and cooperative

4. Understand international laws on copyright and publishing

All you have to do is understand certain technicalities in submission of your book, for which they provide you a user friendly guide.

Encourage eBook reading in youngsters and readers of all age groups.

Believe me, this is definitely going to work.

Take my advice and begin now.....Contact me if you still have any doubt.

Also read "An author, Salesman and artisanal publisher"

© Vipin Behari Goyal