Self-publishing
Plenty of famous and not-so-famous authors
have successfully self-published, including
Matthew Reilly, Mark Twain, Jane Austin,
Virginia Wolff, Beatrix Potter and Zane
Grey … so you’ll be in good company if
you decide to self-publish.
- whether its five copies or 5,000 it’s going to cost you money
- everything will be your responsibility: the writing, proofing, artwork, production schedules, marketing, distribution and sales
- you need to research your market and your target readership
- you’ll require a good business plan
- talk to other self-published authors about their experiences and to us here at the Centre
- when you find a printer or publisher, ask to see samples of what they’ve produced
- always obtain several quotes
- make sure you have a signed agreement that clearly outlines the terms and conditions of the work undertaken
- for very small print runs you can go to online print-on-demand companies like Lulu or Booksurge, whose print runs range from a single book up to thousands of copies, but as always the old saying caveat emptor applies so it’s worth checking for complaints on the web before making any final decisions
- for details on ISBN numbers go to the THORP-Bowker page ... at the bottom of the page you'll find a downloadable 'publisher's practical guide'
- finally, there are some excellent companies that specialise in self-publishing here in South Australia … please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details
Some notable South Australian self-publishing success stories have been Helen Halstead’s first novel A Private Performance, which was later picked up by Random House and Desert Sorrows: Asylum Seekers at Woomera by Tom Mann, which was taken by Wakefield Press. SAWC member Dave Bell won a Bronze Medal at the 2011 Living Now Book Awards for his self-published book The Gardener's Guide to Growing Money Trees.
For a list of English-speaking Publishers' Associations please go to this page and scroll to the bottom.
