Has anyone tried selfpublishing a novel?

NanKate
I really admire anyone , who tries to make a living selling their art or writing or acting .
It's so difficult.
I know a couple of out of work actors - one tutors children or the other waits tables.
They are both approaching their forties.

You are right Esmay writing isn’t for the faint hearted. It’s like being a contract worker, whilst working you have to be preparing what you will write next. It is especially hard when you have a family to support.

Writing for pleasure and self publishing is the way forward imo.

NanKate
Congratulations to your son on being a successful published author .
I think that it can be a difficult field in which to work .
Literary agents are very useful in getting published ,but charge a fee .
Each agency has a speciality .
I know a writer who made the mistake of asking a well known published author to review his book .
She wasn't encouraging .
I don't rate her highly,though her work has been made into TV dramas.
He was quickly discouraged and abandoned his efforts.
Self publishing seems to be easier than it was before -perhaps it's the way forward for some people .

I belong to a creative writing group where several members have published novels and children’s books. All have self published and sold on Amazon. Group members have proof read and advised. Maybe there is a local group you could join.

Hello Esmay my son is a published children’s author for the last 16 years, so he definitely knows the ups and down of the publishing world.

I agree that anyone who wants to make a profession out of writing must get an agent. However they need to find an agent who deals with their genre of book.

Anyone lucky enough to be taken up by a publisher should know that if they have a successful first novel, they are then told by the publisher that they want a second and they are given a date to hand in the manuscript! To be honest it is a relentless business and you have to be up for keeping to their timetable.

My advice is to get someone you trust to edit the book for you because we often don’t see our own errors, then self-publish.

Finally if you go on a local writing course they can give you all the advice you need.

My brother did, he self-published a Recipe Book. Sadly he is no longer with us so I can’t ask him,
but wanted to wish you Good Luck Alie20

Having written the above there are many books on the subjects that I mentioned !
So there we are.
I'm full of admiration for any published author.

kittylester

BlueBelle

Ask ClareAB 🤣

You got there first Bluebelle.

Love it!

It also depends on the type of book you're writing .
And possibly there are books on the following already existing -

If I were to write and illustrate a book on arranging flowers for church -I'm not sure that it would be that easy to publish and might consider self publishing.

If I wrote a book which I was hoping to be a block buster and a money spinner ie : how covid was designed to change world order I'd go to an literary agent .
If they liked it they'd want to know if and done a prequel and a sequel .
At my age now I'm not sure how good a bet I'd be .

Most of the writers that I know and know of have literary agents .
But I know of one lady in the US who self published a book on flowers .
It's become an expensive rare edition .
Some of us would be more than happy just to see our name in print !

I have no idea about self publishing. Esmay I have a contract, part of which stipulates I have to offer them my first three books. That is now completed as I am on book 4. I could now choose another publisher if I wish.

I have self published three books, it was fairly straightforward.

JamesandJon33
Having met people,
who write for a living I know that literary agents take a fee .
They often pay you an advance up front and take a risk on publishing your work.
They are interested in you producing books in the future.
And for that reason you don't always get accepted by them.
It sometimes depends on the type of book you're producing.
I've had the run down on several agents.

But perhaps self publishing is better that it used to be.

There is always the hybrid system. A friend of mine did it. You pay the publishing company a certain amount. I believe it was £2000. They edit and proof read the book. Design the cover etc, but you keep complete control. Publicly is also part of the deal. I think….and she had all royalties immediately.
The books were on Amazon, Waterstones and all sites.

Esmay a literary agent takes 15%.

I know x2 people who have self published.
On both they were dire, I don't think they will make money one is on Amazon. You could tell they had not been through the editoring system. Good effort though.

BlueBelle

Ask ClareAB 🤣

You got there first Bluebelle.

DS1 used to Amazon to publish an autobiography and it was quite an easy process I think but it was a fair while ago

Cold

Amazon has a self publishing site that allows you to publish both actual books and electronic editions

My partner self-published two books with Amazon, a novel and a non-fiction book. Both look good on Kindle and in print but he says it is very time consuming, getting the formatting exactly right so the electronic version doesn't look amateurish and the inclusion of photos or other illustrations can be problematic. And, of course, with self-publishing you have to do all your own publicity which can also take up a lot of time.

It's a while since I knew people intent on publishing a book.
I've known a few authors in the past.
They all used a literary agent.
I was given the impression that self publishing costs a great deal and isn't the way forward.
Perhaps things have changed.

Amazon has a self publishing site that allows you to publish both actual books and electronic editions

I have published 2 books with another with the publishers. There are so many ways to publish these days that you have to keep your wits about you. For example if you get a traditional contract with an advanced payment, you get no royalties until that is payed back.
Some vanity companies publish anything with no editing or proof reading.
Amazon I have heard a good for self publishing.
Whatever you choose good luck . It is an achievement just to write a book. You will also find, book shops, libraries and even groups like the WI will love you to do a talk or book reading for them. Very nerve wracking at first, but I have done several now and the people who come are very generous and enthusiastic .
Well done 👏👏👏👏

Ask ClareAB 🤣

Not a novel but a craft book.
I went to a local printer who was very helpful with advise about margins, paper weight, cover pages etc. those sort of technical issues.
The thing that came next, after the book was printed, was the promotion and marketing. I was lucky in having contacts at craft magazines I had written for. They wrote positive reviews for my book with contact details of how to buy a copy.

Have you written any short stories for magazines that could help you in this way?

I also put my book on Amazon, which made it easy for people to just click on there after reading a positive review, and buy a copy. I would then get an email from Amazon and I would send out the book.
The other thing I did was offer myself as a speaker at local groups for my particular craft. I would talk about past work and how I came to write the book and take copies with me to sell.

Do you know of any writing groups where you could do the same?
Could you offer to do a talk at local libraries?

I hope I have been of some small help with my experience.