Great article, packed with info and insights. Timely, as well, given the subject matter of the still new dynamic that is the comingling of trad pub and self-pub. Still but a flicker, as you say, but there is life there, as one would expect there to be. Perhaps you’ll consider speaking with some agents and doing a piece like, “How to Pitch a Self-Published Novel to an Agent.” I wrote a piece last month on the traditional query process and how most industry observers should not be surprised that, given a chance, any chance, like self-pub, writers would take it. I also noticed that in your reply to a comment you mention how a lot of writers may not realize just how different marketing and promoting their novel is from writing it, which I’ve also written about. Interesting times for publishing. If one does not feel the change in the air, one must not be breathing. When it comes to the industry itself, there lots to write about. In fact, I also wrote an article about publishing in which I wonder why I’m writing so much about publishing.
Many of us are self pubbing select projects because we are not waiting for permission to bring these projects into the world. In my case, it's a beautiful WW2 novel, THE CHILDREN'S VILLA, that missed the trad window. Many people seem to try to discourage authors from the “work” of self publishing. Well, it's work writing manuscripts and throwing them into the void too. I'm multi-published, btw.
I absolutely agree…it’s a lot of work, and choosing to self-publish is a fantastic choice for some, but it’s not the right choice for everyone. I want writers to have as much info as possible so they can make the best choice for themselves. I haven’t self-published a book, but I have run a small press, so I know what goes into publishing a book and putting it out into the world…the editorial process, the production, the marketing, and the distribution are not easy, and these are different skillsets from writing. I hate to see writers who have been told it’s “easy” to self-publish feel like they’re failing because it’s not coming easy to them. Self-publishing is totally doable AND it’s a great choice for some AND it’s not an easy path. All things are true.
Great article! I want to clarify though, that women's fiction can actually be excellent for self-published authors. When I shifted into women's fiction in 2019, my first book, The Nantucket Inn sold much better than expected, and a few months later I went full-time with writing. That book climbed onto USA Today and spent a few weeks there and the rest of the series landed there, too. That led to signing a 3 book deal with St. Martin's Press at auction in 2021.
It was my self-publishing sales in women's fiction that made that possible. After that, I signed with Sourcebooks for backlist and new books and retained the ebook rights. So now I'm doing both trad and indie. The main reason I added trad was to expand print sales as that is one thing we cannot do well as indies--getting our print distribution into the big retailers.
It's still possible to do this as a new indie author. Building up a social media platform will make it easier. I didn't have that when I started and advertising helped. I just recently saw an Instagram lifestyle influencer, Chassity Evans, self-publish her first women's fiction book, Pink Sand Summer--and it is doing extremely well. Great cover and lots of social media attention.
Most creators focus only on posting, but real growth usually comes from proper account optimization, subscriber conversion systems, monetization strategy, Notes engagement, and consistent content positioning.
I work with Substack creators on newsletter growth, subscriber acquisition, monetization, content strategy, and publication optimization — and your page already has a really strong foundation.
If you're looking to scale this publication further, feel free to send me a message. I'd be happy to share a few ideas that could help increase your growth and engagement
Great piece!
Thank you, Karin!
Great article, packed with info and insights. Timely, as well, given the subject matter of the still new dynamic that is the comingling of trad pub and self-pub. Still but a flicker, as you say, but there is life there, as one would expect there to be. Perhaps you’ll consider speaking with some agents and doing a piece like, “How to Pitch a Self-Published Novel to an Agent.” I wrote a piece last month on the traditional query process and how most industry observers should not be surprised that, given a chance, any chance, like self-pub, writers would take it. I also noticed that in your reply to a comment you mention how a lot of writers may not realize just how different marketing and promoting their novel is from writing it, which I’ve also written about. Interesting times for publishing. If one does not feel the change in the air, one must not be breathing. When it comes to the industry itself, there lots to write about. In fact, I also wrote an article about publishing in which I wonder why I’m writing so much about publishing.
https://brutusmac.substack.com/p/lot-of-bookfolk-out-there-reading?r=6aexdu
Many of us are self pubbing select projects because we are not waiting for permission to bring these projects into the world. In my case, it's a beautiful WW2 novel, THE CHILDREN'S VILLA, that missed the trad window. Many people seem to try to discourage authors from the “work” of self publishing. Well, it's work writing manuscripts and throwing them into the void too. I'm multi-published, btw.
I absolutely agree…it’s a lot of work, and choosing to self-publish is a fantastic choice for some, but it’s not the right choice for everyone. I want writers to have as much info as possible so they can make the best choice for themselves. I haven’t self-published a book, but I have run a small press, so I know what goes into publishing a book and putting it out into the world…the editorial process, the production, the marketing, and the distribution are not easy, and these are different skillsets from writing. I hate to see writers who have been told it’s “easy” to self-publish feel like they’re failing because it’s not coming easy to them. Self-publishing is totally doable AND it’s a great choice for some AND it’s not an easy path. All things are true.
Great article! I want to clarify though, that women's fiction can actually be excellent for self-published authors. When I shifted into women's fiction in 2019, my first book, The Nantucket Inn sold much better than expected, and a few months later I went full-time with writing. That book climbed onto USA Today and spent a few weeks there and the rest of the series landed there, too. That led to signing a 3 book deal with St. Martin's Press at auction in 2021.
It was my self-publishing sales in women's fiction that made that possible. After that, I signed with Sourcebooks for backlist and new books and retained the ebook rights. So now I'm doing both trad and indie. The main reason I added trad was to expand print sales as that is one thing we cannot do well as indies--getting our print distribution into the big retailers.
It's still possible to do this as a new indie author. Building up a social media platform will make it easier. I didn't have that when I started and advertising helped. I just recently saw an Instagram lifestyle influencer, Chassity Evans, self-publish her first women's fiction book, Pink Sand Summer--and it is doing extremely well. Great cover and lots of social media attention.
Your writing style stands out, honestly.
Most creators focus only on posting, but real growth usually comes from proper account optimization, subscriber conversion systems, monetization strategy, Notes engagement, and consistent content positioning.
I work with Substack creators on newsletter growth, subscriber acquisition, monetization, content strategy, and publication optimization — and your page already has a really strong foundation.
If you're looking to scale this publication further, feel free to send me a message. I'd be happy to share a few ideas that could help increase your growth and engagement