Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results

biographies of ordinary people by nicole dieker

Today’s guest post is by freelancer and novelist Nicole Dieker (@hellothefuture).


On May 23, 2017, I self-published my debut novel: The Biographies of Ordinary People: Volume 1: 1989–2000. It’s a Millennial-era Little Women that follows three sisters from 1989 to the present; the second volume, which covers 2004–2016, will release in May 2018.

There’s a lot about my book that is, shall we say, extraordinary. (Someone had to.) I funded the drafts of both volumes through Patreon; 61 supporters contributed $6,909 over eighteen months in exchange for two draft chapters per week. I queried the first volume in the traditional publishing market, and after hearing multiple agents say that the writing was very strong but that the book was “too quiet” to be marketable, I started asking myself whether I could market the book on my own.

This wasn’t as ambitious an idea as it might seem; I was in my fifth year as a full-time freelance writer, which meant that I had a large network of media contacts and an established group of readers and followers. My freelance work also meant that I knew how to pitch and promote myself, and I had the social media outreach and community-building skills that come with contemporary freelancing.

Plus, I’d already “earned my advance” through Patreon. I knew that I had readers who were both excited about this book and willing to pay for it.

biographies of ordinary peopleSo I spent several months researching the self-publishing process and planning my own marketing and publication strategy. It turns out that there’s a lot of information on how to self-publish a book, and a lot of advice regarding marketing, social media, and so on—but there aren’t as many case studies showing how well these publication strategies work.

Which is why I’m giving you my own case study. Everything I’ve done so far, along with the costs and the results.

I’ll start with the most important statistic first: as of this writing, I’ve sold 167 ebooks and 118 paperbacks, and my royalties and earnings total $803.90.

Here’s how I got there.

Social media

I currently have 3,439 Twitter followers, 1,303 Tumblr followers, and 20,000 Medium followers. (I’m also on Facebook, but it’s more of a personal space than a professional one, and I’m just starting to build a platform on Instagram.)

I’ve been actively promoting The Biographies of Ordinary People on all of my social media streams, first with the Patreon project and then with a weekly Medium column titled This Week in Self-Publishing, in which I quantify the publicity/marketing work I did over the past week and tally up my expenses.

Despite my large—or at least Medium-sized—platform, only a small percentage of these followers ended up buying my book. Like, less than one percent small. And, although I continue to actively promote my novel on my various social networks, I find that the same small group of people are always the ones liking, retweeting, and commenting. As much as I hate to admit it, the vast majority of my followers don’t seem to be paying that much attention to what I do.

That said, many of my readers are very supportive and have done the work of buying my book, sharing my book on social media, reviewing my book on Amazon and Goodreads, and requesting my book at their libraries. It’s worth noting that I didn’t find these readers through social media; they’re either part of my in-real-life social network or they follow my freelance writing on The Billfold or The Write Life. Which means that social media, in and of itself, isn’t as useful of a promotional tool as everyone makes it out to be? I’m not sure.

Email list

My TinyLetter has 105 subscribers and a 74% open rate. When I launched my TinyLetter, the majority of hits to my book’s sales page either came directly from TinyLetter or from my website; I no longer get hits to my book’s sales page through TinyLetter, probably because everyone on the list who wants to buy the book already has. I do, however, use the mailing list as a way to communicate upcoming readings and events.

The people who interact with me on TinyLetter are the same core group of supporters who interact with me on social media. Although my mailing list undoubtedly drove some sales, I’m still marketing to the same group of people who would very likely have bought the book through a Twitter link if it hadn’t been available through a TinyLetter one.

Professional editorial reviews

I paid $924 for three editorial reviews: Kirkus Indie Reviews, BlueInk Review, and Foreword Clarion Reviews. (I also submitted my book to Publishers Weekly, but they did not elect to review it.)

Foreword Clarion gave me five stars and called The Biographies of Ordinary People “deeply satisfying.” Kirkus and BlueInk also gave very positive reviews, and I was able to use sections of all three reviews in my promotional and marketing copy.

I’m not sure these editorial reviews increased my sales, but I’m pretty sure not having the reviews would have hurt my sales. A self-published literary fiction book needs a set of editorial reviews the same way it needs a good cover or a well-designed interior. It’s just part of the package. (However, if you’re writing genre or more commercial fiction, it may not be worth the cost.)

Book blogger reviews

I reached out to 17 book bloggers who were actively requesting literary fiction books for review and got two responses. I’ve heard that it’s a lot harder to get book blogger reviews than it used to be; the most popular bloggers are inundated by review requests, and self-published authors are also competing with traditional publishers that can offer advance review copies of the hottest new book.

It’s also harder to get book blogger reviews because so many book blogs are abandoned or dead; I scrolled through lists of “best book blogs” and “most popular bookstagrammers” only to find that at least half of them were now defunct.

One of the bloggers who agreed to read my book lived in the UK, so I spent $38.87 to send her a paperback copy. Many of the bloggers I contacted preferred paperbacks, which I am happy to provide but which is also an additional expense; every time I purchase a case of 20 books from IngramSpark, for example, it costs me $156.90.

When I start doing pre-release work for Volume 2, I’m going to skip the individual pitches to book bloggers and pay to put my book on NetGalley instead. I skipped NetGalley this time around because it isn’t cheap—it costs $699 for a six-month listing plus a space in the NetGalley Newsletter—but I’d like to figure out how I can make it worth the listing fee.

Media placement

I was able to write articles and guest posts about The Biographies of Ordinary People for five different publications, all of which were already part of my freelance network. I also appeared on four podcasts. (If you’re interested in the emotional side of my self-publication process, you should should read the essay I wrote for The Awl: Never Write a Novel With an En-dash in the Title.)

I can directly correlate sales bumps to nearly every post or podcast. They aren’t very large bumps—two sales here, five sales there—and I’m guessing that’s for two reasons: first, because I was still working within my established network, and second, because I was writing more about the publication process than about my book. This attracts a slightly different audience: writers instead of readers. Not that writers aren’t readers, but they aren’t reading these types of posts to find new books to buy; they’re reading them to learn how to sell their own.

Bookstore appearances

So far, I’ve been able to book three bookstore appearances:

  • A well-attended launch at Seattle’s Phinney Books
  • An August 4 reading at Portland’s Another Read Through
  • An August 11 event at Missoula’s Fact & Fiction that also features author Kayla Cagan and musicians Marian Call and Seth Boyer

I also tried to book a reading in New York City, but got turned down by every bookstore I contacted.

The Phinney Books launch cost me $207.10 to put together, which includes the celebratory cake and wine and the “co-hosting honorarium” I paid musician/podcaster Molly Lewis to record the event and lead the Q&A. Phinney Books has sold 15 copies of Biographies so far; most of them at the event, plus a few to people who couldn’t make it to the book launch but still wanted to buy their copy from Phinney Books. (We love our independent bookstores in Seattle.)

The Another Read Through event cost $40 in event fees and $140.27 in book printing and shipping costs. Like many indie bookstores, Another Read Through accepts self-published books on consignment: I pay to get the books printed and shipped to the bookstore and we share the profits. There’s also the cost of getting to Portland, which is $40 roundtrip by bus, and I still have to figure out whether I’m providing snacks.

The Fact & Fiction event has cost me a $214.40 plane ticket to Missoula and a $97.37 hotel room so far; there will also be a $60 Lyft ride to and from the airport, meals on the trip, and we’ll very likely have snacks at the event.

I’m giving you all of these numbers to illustrate that I’m not making any profit on bookstore appearances; I’d have to sell 50 books at the Fact & Fiction event just to cover the cost of the hotel. But doing readings is a good way to connect with readers and to support an independent bookselling community—plus it gives you a lot of great photos to put on social media.

Bookstore distribution

Even though I just wrote about the importance of supporting indie bookstores, I haven’t yet started to focus on bookstore distribution. I do have a list of bookstores that I’m planning to reach out to—all indies—and I hope that my sales history, my appearance history, and my reader reviews will help convince them that The Biographies of Ordinary People would be a good addition to their shelves.

I anticipate that I’ll be fronting a lot of consignment costs as I send my book out for distribution, and that I won’t necessarily make a lot of money—which is why I’m going to be strategic about the bookstores I choose and not try to paper the entire country with my paperbacks. If my book becomes popular enough that additional bookstores want to distribute it, they know how to contact Ingram Book Group.

Library distribution

I published my ebook through Pronoun, which offers library distribution through both OverDrive and Bibliotheca; I also signed up for distribution through Library Journal’s Self-E program.

My readers have also been reaching out to their home libraries and requesting my book, and I keep getting emails and social media messages letting me know that another library has elected to stock my paperback. The Multnomah County Library in Portland recently started lending my book, which I find particularly touching because that was my first library as a child.

Library distribution, like the use of libraries themselves, has come at no cost to me—and it gives readers who might not buy the book the chance to read it, which I appreciate.

Awards

I’ve submitted The Biographies of Ordinary People to be considered for three awards:

  • The Foreword Indies, because I already know that Foreword likes my book
  • The BookLife Prize, because Publishers Weekly is an industry leader
  • The Pulitzer, because they are specifically looking for large-scale literary fiction about American life (and yes, they accept self-published novels)

I also plan to submit to the Independent Publisher Book Awards and the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Awards.

So far, I’ve spent $228 on award submission costs, plus $34.43 to ship my books to the Foreword Indies and the Pulitzer; I’ll spend another $300 on the IPPYs and the IBPA awards, plus shipping.

I won’t know any of the awards results until next summer, although I have already gotten my Critic’s Report from The BookLife Prize, which includes the following blurb that I can use in my book marketing:

Dieker writes with unrepentant honesty about the human condition, crafting the story of the Gruber family with subtle narrative tension and the central claim that every life is worthy of a biography.

And yes, after sharing that blurb, I got a few new sales.

Advertising

I’ve spent $637.80 on advertising; I sponsored the Seattle Review of Books twice, and was in the BookExpo issue of the New York Review of Books’ Independent Press Listing.

The New York Review of Books approached me almost immediately after my five-star Foreword Clarion review, and I was flattered by both the source and the invitation. I hadn’t yet realized that having a well-reviewed book—and/or having enough money to pay for editorial reviews—meant that I would be approached by multiple publications looking to fill advertising slots. (I have turned all subsequent invitations down.)

I don’t believe the NYRB advertisement resulted in any sales, even with the BookExpo distribution. The first Seattle Review of Books sponsorship correlated with a little over 20 sales, and the second sponsorship correlated with 5 sales. I didn’t earn enough to pay for the cost of the ad in either case, but my sponsoring the Seattle Review of Books is more of a community-building thing, the same way that reading at indie bookstores is a community-building thing. I’m not in it to earn money; I’m in it so we can both get more readers.

Giveaways

I ran one Goodreads Giveaway, during which I gave away five signed paperbacks. I followed the advice I had seen online and made my giveaway global, which meant that I spent $126.83 to ship books literally around the world.

My Goodreads Giveaway completed very recently, so I haven’t seen any reviews from the giveaway winners yet. (Reviews aren’t guaranteed, but people who receive giveaway copies often choose to leave reviews.)

I do plan on running another Goodreads Giveaway on Volume 1 shortly before Volume 2 releases, but I will probably limit entrants to the U.S. and Canada to avoid another $100+ shipping bill.

Paid email promotions

I paid $35 for a BargainBooksy promotion that included my book in a daily email sent to 93,000 readers interested in literary fiction.

This has been my single most effective marketing tool. On the day the email went out, my Amazon sales ranking hit #16,507, which is the highest it’s been since the day I announced the pre-order. My sales ranking stayed at or just below that level for two days as people continued to open the email and purchase the book. I never made it into the Top 100 in any category, although I did make it to #120 in Literary Sagas.

The campaign correlated with 28 sales and $75.18 in royalties, which means it’s the first marketing tool that’s actually earned a return on investment. (It also means that being at #120 in the Literary Sagas category doesn’t necessarily mean selling that many books.)

I’m allowed to run one BargainBooksy campaign per month, and I have already marked my calendar for the next one. I also want to take advantage of similar email promotions like the ones offered by Reading Deals, BookSends, The Fussy Librarian, and—of course—BookBub.

BargainBooksy was the first big out-of-network step for me; the people who ordered my book online were already fans and followers, and the people who will attend my readings are likely to know me in some aspect. It’s clear that I need to continue to work out-of-network if I want my sales to grow, which means I need to do some more strategizing.

What have I learned?

Maybe that this is what success looks like for a debut literary fiction novel from a self-published author with a medium-sized online platform. The only thing that hasn’t been successful about this process are the (relatively) low sales; the editorial reviews have been great, the reader reviews have been great, the bookstores are happy to host me, the libraries are happy to stock me, and nearly everyone who’s read the book so far has asked me how soon they can read the second one.

When I started my “how to self-publish” research project a year ago, I knew that it was going to be a volume game—which is one of the reasons why I divided my novel into two volumes. The more books you publish, the better you get at the publication process; you also make more sales, in theory, because now you have a backlist.

I’ll publish The Biographies of Ordinary People: Volume 2: 2004–2016 next May, and I’m already excited to see how I can revise my publication strategy. I don’t see myself spending less money—I’m still going to purchase editorial reviews and buy cases of books—but I do see myself spending less time on stuff like “checking book blogs to see if they’re still active.” The biggest work I need to be doing right now is expanding my readership, because that’s what’s going to keep Volume 1 sales active until it’s time to release Volume 2.

After that, I guess I’ll have to figure out what to write next.

Posted in Guest Post, Marketing & Promotion.

Nicole Dieker

Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer, a senior editor at The Billfold, and a columnist at The Write Life. Her work has appeared in Boing Boing, Popular Science, Scratch, SparkLife, The Freelancer, The Toast, and numerous other publications. The Biographies of Ordinary People is her debut novel, if you don’t count the speculative fiction epic she wrote when she was in high school.

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59 Comments on "Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results"

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Lori Narlock

Thank you, Nicole for this incredibly detailed–and impressive!–account of your foray into self-publishing. It is incredibly helpful and interesting. I hope your book takes off and sells more copies than you can imagine!

CathyS
Thanks for sharing all these details. Self-publishing a book is brave and sharing details about the “profits” also takes courage. I also went to the Awl story and appreciate knowing that Pronoun was a good publishing experience for you. I had a traditional publisher for my niche photo history book (with sales of approx. 1,200 copies) and learned a lot from that–mainly how difficult it can be to sell books. My editor insisted on a title that fit the brand, and I’m grateful. But I’ve been jealous of my self-published author friends who switch out their titles and book covers… Read more »
Scott R. Cyre

Nicole, thank you for the article. Very frank and realistic account of self-publishing. Everyone talks about success stories like Andy Weir’s The Martian, but your story is what people need to read more of. Thanks again.

Alexis Dubief
Nicole, I love everything about this post 🙂 I wish more authors would share details, numbers, warts and all! As a way of saying thanks I’ll share a few of my own… Non-fiction self-published book launched 2 weeks ago. Fully admit I botched the launch (too much going on, kids at home for summer, blah blah blah). I still haven’t created a good book landing page nor redesigned the website to focus on the book. The only positive is that I have a large platform (substantial FB following, 18K email subscribers). Didn’t pay for reviews but got some great blurbs… Read more »
Diana Stevan
Thanks Nicole for being so honest and generous about your self-publishing experience. Everything you’ve written sounds a bit like my story. I have two novels out, one in 2014 and the other in 2016. Both have garnered excellent reviews. Each took a decade to write and polish with editorial help. Unlike you though, the only promotion I did was through Fussy Librarian with no results. So, I’m reluctant to spend more money to make none. 🙂 I’ve now been sitting on a third novel wondering what to do with it. I’ve been pitching to agents and a few publishers that… Read more »
Thad McIlroy
This is fascinating, Nicole, and very generous of you to share. A couple of questions: 1. You are very explicit in describing your book as “literary fiction.” Many readers of literary fiction is defined mostly by what it is not, genre fiction, or, more broadly, “commercial” fiction. It floats in some rarified air. I’ve come to see literary fiction as its own genre, to be marketed with a set of rules that mirror (though differ from) the rules for, let’s say, science fiction. Thoughts? 2. Could you tally the number of hours you spent promoting your book? The “advance”, in… Read more »
Jim O\'Brien
Nicole, excellent rendition of self-pub. The to do and not to were very helpful to this old guy. At 87, I hope to publish my 1st book before number 88 in February. I’m not worried about making a profit, though that would be a big plus. I just want to shout, Hooray—like I did when my kids were born. (never made a penny on them, just the love of having them…same with my book. I wish you the best of health and spirit…maybe even a best seller? Hell, why not? so many others have. You’ve many years ahead of you… Read more »
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SK Figler

This is the most helpful and informative piece I’ve ever read regarding the outlets, process, opportunities, costs, and rewards of self-publishing for a newby fiction writer. It can be discouraging if your primary objective is fame and/or fortune as a writer. But if your main objective is to write and get your stuff “out there” come what may, it is extremely helpful.

OkieWriter
Wow — what a most excellent post!! I am very impressed with your stamina and fortitude and I have yet to see your book, well, except for seeing it in the photo above. Nice cover, by the way. Yep, I am one of those folks who is attracted to books by their covers. If you do not mind, I plan to share your post with my writing group. Several of the members are self-published authors, but I do not think any of them have done the behind the scenes work that you have done. Kudos to you and the best… Read more »
Jeanne Grunert

Welcome to the world of book publishing. You can write a wonderful novel, package it professionally, do all the right things to market it…and still have lousy sales. Thus speaks the voice of experience. Good luck with your project.

Vandana

Congratulations! And, thanks for being straightforward about all the little things that count in self-publishing. I hope all this hard work brings due rewards to you.

Jayne
Hell, I just bought your book (kindle version) to support you and say thanks for this article. I published, edited and did all the marketing for a literary novel (Kirkus Indie Starred Review! Great read!) my husband wrote in 2012 and it was absolutely the most frustrating professional endeavor of my life. It was pretty damn expensive too. In the end, we have no regrets and we had some fun with it, but he’s not writing and I’m not editing anymore. There was no info like this out there back then. An article like this is worth its words in… Read more »
John Grabowski

Congrats on your self=pubbed novel. I think this is the future trend. Publishers are becoming more cautious–and more boring/predictable. And while self-pub used to be mostly stuff that was so bad no agent or editor would touch it, today’s there’s an impressive crop of indie and self-pubbed authors who I feel represent the future of the novel and short story.

Wm. Anthony Connolly

If you don’t mind, I’d love to share this with my MFA students. I think they would get a lot out of it. I’m teaching a community-building course Writers’ Lives where I’m introducing students to the idea(s) of what it means to be a writer today.

Meghan

Wow, this is overflowing with helpful information to consider. Thank you and congrats! I hope sales continue to rise for you over time.

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[…] so your graphic designer creates an amazing book cover, and Nicole Dieker relates her experience in self-publishing a debut literary novel: the actions, the costs, the results. You can also put out your own audio book, but Laura Drake asks: SHOULD you create your own audio […]

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[…] Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, the Costs, the Results JaneFriedman.com Nicole Dieker, freelancer and novelist, takes you through her process of marketing and promoting her self-published debut novel. […]

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[…] Dieker has a post on Jane Friedman’s weblog that is essential reading for anybody who is thinking about self-publishing.  Here’s the […]

joannaelm

What a truly, terrific-ally honest look at self-publishing. Thank you, Nicole for all the facts and figures.

Paula Friedman

Very, very helpful, Nicole. Thank you. Mirrors, though with more involvement in multi- social media platforms, my own experience with a first novel. The new one, which is set in the late-1960s antiwar movement in Berkeley, CA, I shall probably market to that era’s and region’s niche audiences as well as to the few bloggers, many followers and e-correspondents, fb friends, etc. I’ve gained online, but it would be wonderful if we could all share our experiences, as you so kindly are sharing yours, to help one another. Thank you again for this—for starting this.

Karen Heckman Stork

The best blog on the “real” truths and insights about self-publishing and personal marketing. Very helpful. I’m about to start the marketing journey for my memoir “Screw the Eggshells — Finding My Self After Verbal and Emotional Abuse.” I will refer to your notes frequently. Thank you from a newbie writer who calls herself “the Grandma Moses of writers.” It’s never too late to complete your dream!

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[…] “Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results”: another super-instructive post on Jane Friedman’s website (this time, written by Nicole Dieker). […]

Evelyn Krieger

“As much as I hate to admit it, the vast majority of my followers don’t seem to be paying that much attention to what I do.” You stumbled upon an important truth–maybe the key to getting more sales. I highly recommend Dan Blank’s blog and new book, Be The Gateway. He’s an expert in helping authors (self and traditionally published) find their audience, engage with readers, and build relationships over time that lead to several good things, one being increased sales.

Brandon
Hi Nicole, I wish I would have had access to this same type of analysis twelve years when I first published. I applaud your courage. I only imagine the big publishers go through the same analysis when they decide whether to publish a new author; how many copies will it sell vs. cost. Although self publishing opens creative possibilities, I still don’t see it as a viable business model for most people. My background was in marketing and writing for 25+ years before I started publishing, so I don’t make this statement lightly. How many authors can afford to live… Read more »
Beaufield Berry

Thank you Nicole! I’m hosting a self-pub workshop tomorrow and I’ll refer to your research! Also, I’ll give you one more sale.

My novel has been out for a few months and my results are very similar to yours.

Childhood Friends on Amazon.

Mary Ellen Woods
Nicole, Thanks for the frank discussion and details of your experience. With all the “Buy my course or software and I’ll make you a best seller” pitches out there, your honesty is refreshing. I self-published a contemporary romance last November as a test. I wanted to learn the ropes so I didn’t make mistakes later on my real project, a historical fiction trilogy. My experience was similar to yours in terms of sales, reader response, advertising, and giveaways, but on a smaller scale since I had no following before publishing and a smaller budget than yours. Like you, I am… Read more »
Tarabella

Hey Nicole – awesome series, I have been enjoying it through Goodreads. Finally purchased your book today! I tried to use Apple iBooks as I have a credit on the iTunes store, but it wouldn’t download to my computer. After an hour and a half of troubleshooting, I was told by Apple Support that it’s only valid for iOS devices and I only have a MacBook.

Just FYI in case anyone has a similar issue – I asked Apple to refund me and then re-purchased through Kobo. Excited to read it this weekend!

Sonali Spiller

Little Women was the first ‘big’ book I read as a child. Just gave you one more sale to support you in hope of a follow-up article in another 90 days? You are so brave.

Jash

Thanks, Nicole this is the first time I’ve read such a detailed account of a self-pubs effort selling their own work. And congratulations on being in the black on your ROI. Interestingly you haven’t mentioned anything about doing ads on social media – fb/twitter? What made you keep it out of your promo strategy?

Paul Westley

I just wanted to plagiarize, err, reiterate, what everybody else has said. A fascinating article, incredibly helpful, brave, and having real numbers puts everything into its true perspective. Wishing you every success.

Bron Whitley

Thanks Nicole for sharing. Might be an idea to join some Facebook author groups, as you could have avoided some of the more costly mistakes. And, as a fan of literary fiction and an author, one thing I might mention is that your cover didn’t really pull me in. Your title and subtitle make it sound as though it’s non-fiction. So you’re probably missing some literary fiction readers because of that. Good luck!

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[…] https://janefriedman.com/self-publishing-debut-literary-novel/ I have to say, I don’t agree book bloggers are dead or simply not reviewing like they used to. I suppose it would depend on the blogger, but there are plenty I know that review often. In my own case, I select from Netgalley and my own buys or those that I win in contests. I do sometimes get offered copies from authors or publishers for review as well. […]

Martta Karol
Thank you, Nicole, for this very enlightening post. It’s rare to get such a detailed, step-by-step inside look at the self-publishing process that delineates each action taken and the results generated. You’ve provided much food for thought. If I may, though, echo a suggestion made by another commenter: I believe your title may hamper your sales. I immediately assumed the book non-fiction. Had I seen it on the shelves of a bookstore or on a display table, even in fiction sections, or on such an online list, I would have thought it misplaced and passed quickly over it without any… Read more »
Warren Bobrow
I couldn’t imagine self publishing. It’s not going to be a money making venture for you, the author. But what it leads to is life changing. Just get it straight, upfront and clear to yourself, even with a publisher- no one makes it big. Unless you have big PR behind you. It’s just the facts of life. I have six books in publish. So I can say, with all honesty that only a very select few make it big. Or even make it at all. I’m much happier knowing that the professionals at my publishers can do this job far… Read more »
Eric T. Hasnen

Thanks so much Ms. Dieker, this was very informative and useful, much more so than most, and I am using about 80% of it. All success with your books and keep writing! ETH

Kate Armstrong
I’m really interested to read this. I made the choice to go with a tiny literary publisher for my first novel, very specifically so that I was eligible for literary prizes to drive sales. I have a very small social media platform (though it is slowly growing), so didn’t feel confident that I would make sales if I self-published. I’ve just had the first year numbers through from the publisher, and they sold (with no marketing on their side – because they are NOT good at that side!) 502 copies in print and 96 on Kindle. I am convinced the… Read more »
Cyndy Etler
This one gave me SO much perspective. When I was self-pubbed, and still now, with a traditional publisher, I sometimes have the feeling I’m shelling out cash for the right to be an author. I know, beginner’s mind, expect nothing until you’re somebody, but still! Ouch. Nicole, thank you for sharing your hard work with us. You’re a data beast. Jane, I’d love your take on a publicity investment question…? Assuming an author has studied publicity, and can craft an excellent pitch, does she stand a chance of having that pitch picked up by big media? (Or conversely, if big… Read more »
Jane Friedman

Hi Cyndy – I do think authors stand a chance of having their pitches picked up by big media, yes. Often it just takes persistence and being able to pitch the same media multiple times – the “try, try again” philosophy. As long as you’re professional about it and demonstrate that professionalism to those you pitch, there’s no reason you can’t succeed.

Cyndy Etler

Thanks so much, Jane. Where do you hide that cape.

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[…] Nicole Dieker  (on the website of publishing industry expert, Jane Friedman) attested to just how disheartening statistics for self-published authors can […]

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[…] This week I had a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog, in which I break down my self-pub marketing and promotion process and correlate costs to sales. […]

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[…] Nicole Dieker  (on the website of publishing industry expert, Jane Friedman) attested to just how disheartening statistics for self-published authors can […]
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