9 Huge LIES about Self Publishing Nobody Talks About

[@beescheeseandwineplease889]

I recently read a book from a local author that was so clean and well edited, and the cover was so well done I assumed it was traditionally published, but to my surprise I later found out it was self-published. That is when I changed my mind about self publishing.

[@vinyoung1883]

What book was it?! Can we know?? :)

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

It do be what it do be. Marketing is all that matters, unfortunately. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@YanisNiederegger]

Never stop making videos. You are so criminally underrated

[@Bookfox]

Thank you! I'm having fun and doing my best.

[@murphcallahan5892]

Underrated? Not by me anyway! I'm hearing more from him in one video than many other teachers combined.

[@kuhpunkt]

If he's so underrated, why doesn't he answer simple questions to backup his claims?

[@AlienSpaceCat123]

I'm a self-published author who struggles with marketing. Your "Your First Best-Seller" course has been a game-changer for me. I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

[@Bookfox]

Oh, thanks for the kind words! So glad you enjoyed it and it helped you.

[@Falconlibrary]

I have two friends who are published authors. One is a traditionally published author of crime thrillers. The other is a self-published author of crime thrillers. Both pay for their own marketing, but only the second one makes a full-time living from writing, because self-publishing allows her to keep 70% of the revenue her books generate.

[@Bookfox]

I've heard stories like this quite frequently! Traditionally published certainly gets you more prestige, but if you're just after money, self publishing is the way to go.

[@authorericar.stinson4849]

This is the way!

[@carololiveira4831]

Both copy editing and cover design are extremely important for self-publishing. As a reader, I never judge a book by its publisher, but I do judge it by its cover, because that’s what the cover is there for (however, as a book designer, I might be biased)

[@Bookfox]

No, I agree with you. There's no sense in wasting money on marketing if you don't have a beautiful cover.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Some of us lack the funding for marketing, but everything else is exemplary (including storytelling, color palettes, thematic underpinnings, cover designs, editing, videos, original music, etc.). But none of that stuff matters, LMAO! 😂🤣😂 If you ain't rich and popular, then you ain't sheet. No exceptions. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@trishamessmer2610]

Such a great video! Break those myths! What's sad is that so many people think going trad will take care of marketing, and getting a contract will land them on the morning talk shows or get lots of press. Not true unless you've had a proven track record of selling lots of books for the publisher. I'm glad you brought that one up. Plus there are some people who think all publishers are created equal. There are some small publishers who do more harm than good for the author. I've had friends who've been burned like that when they would have been better off self-publishing. I made the decision to self publish six years ago and haven't looked back. It's been good to me.

[@dorysmith2776]

As a reader, I never look at the publisher before I choose a book. However, I expect self-published books to have editing errors I will have to overlook.

[@RedbeardJack]

That is a weird thing, I don't typically look at it either and it has no bearing on what to read. It ONLY seems to be the service they provide in getting your story polished and published. However, just because they edit it doesn't mean it's perfect. I'm currently reading the Shannara series on my channel, and wow, especially the first book is loaded with huge sentences and weird structures that really should have been changed. It's a fun series, but better listened to than read yourself I think.

[@dorysmith2776]

@@RedbeardJackI know what you mean. I published my first book with a publisher, and his edits were terrible! He honestly made things worse. I self-published the rest of my books, and as a retired HS English teacher did a far better job of editing than the original publisher.

[@unhommequicourt]

@@dorysmith2776 i ve read traditionally published novels with tons of typos

[@RedbeardJack]

@@dorysmith2776 I have a suspicion, too, that the more popular authors receive better support in this. Stephen King will have a small team of editors maybe, while a new author gets the intern. Haha

[@jamesballard42]

A quick kudo out to you for making super tight videos with almost zero fluff. Even when you pitched your course in the middle, it was over before it started. Oh, and your content kicks ass!

[@asquirrelplays]

I paid a "copy editor" $3,000 to edit my book (120k words, fantasy). She supposedly worked at some big places like Penguin as a lead editor and had been doing this work for a good long while. Man oh man. Either she lied out her rear end or she let the dog do it because there were so many typos/issues still present. Even after sending it back and pointing out all the issues she still managed to miss them again then just disappeared. I need to get it re-edited, but man paying for an editor twice really sucks.

[@grooviechickie]

We had this exact problem! 😢

[@cloudycloudy5340]

Your videos help me a lot! I plan to self-publish a book in the future, and your videos seem to help my anxiety about not being able to gain any readers. Keep up the good work, I’m sure it’s helping a ton of people.

[@PanicPixie]

“Your platform is your books.” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@lilyduarte5298]

I've never been this early omg. As someone who is still heavily leaning towards trad (or at least wanting to try), this came at a good time because I want to keep self publishing open as an option as well.

[@NewJapanDan]

I just self-published my first novel because I wanted to get my book to market and start getting feedback sooner rather than later so I can write a better book next time. I plan on reaching out to agents and pursuing traditional publishing after I build a foundation by self publishing a couple titles. I did hire a beta reader as a contractor to assist with editing and proofreading. In the gig economy, you have access to a lot of tools that self published authors of the past would’ve had a harder time finding.

[@Falconlibrary]

Check agents' pages. Almost all of them say they won't accept self-published authors.

[@NewJapanDan]

@@Falconlibrary Most won’t accept work that has been self published or intends to be. But it doesn’t mean they won’t look at a new, unpublished manuscript for traditional publication just because an author has, at any point in the past, self-published a book.

[@scottyvanantwerp]

I appreciate you. Every single video you have put out has been so informative! Thank you for what you do, who you are, and that you share it!

[@J.D.Paterborn]

I discovered your channel a while ago as I'm dipping my toes into a career in fiction (or at least for now, a sun side-hustle). I wanted to explore self-pub more and more in recent weeks, just came to KZbin to look for an evaluation of viability less than 3 hours after you posted this video. Talk about perfect timing! Thank you for spelling out so much of what I've suspected in my recent research. This was great stuff. Keep it up.

[@Bookfox]

Welcome to the channel! Good luck with your book.

[@ZeljanaMiljevic]

Every single traditionally published book that I’ve read has half a dozen grammatical errors and at least one or two plot holes.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Exactly. It's all about marketing, not storytelling, editing, character arcs, thematic underpinnings, world-building, etc. 💪😎✌️ Wealth is the primary factor in product promotion and success; no exceptions.

[@joletapetty6706]

I think I need to set a reminder to watch this video every single month. Thank-you so much, this is exactly what I needed to hear 🥰

[@ronaldlabelle9264]

👏🏼 I love this point of view. Another great one! I’m a bit of a unicorn in that I was an artist and a graphic designer *before* I put serious effort into writing. Sometimes i consider hiring a really high end pro to do my covers, but then I have to balance it being less personal. I’m all about the realtionship between my story and the reader. I’m not worried at all about prestige, i want to entertain. :) I appreciate that you brought up these points. The split between my friends who loved my first books and praised them, and the friends who thought I had forfeited any hope of being taken seriously and refused to read my books purely because i self-pubbed … it’s really striking. It does show that alot of what the reader experiences is in their own head and is only loosely tied to your book, until they read it of course.

[@Johnny5477]

I think I’ve decided to go tradpub for one reason: I’m not really a series writer. I want to mostly focus on standalones.

[@salientrogue3117]

It took me almost 2 years into my writing journey to find your channel. I picked up your book about linchpin moments, have written more and better ever since finding it, and this video cleared up the trad vs self-pub. I have an extensive marketing background but I thought trad would do the work. This just convinced me to self publish. Thank you.

[@Bookfox]

Glad you found me, and thanks for picking up a copy of Linchpin! And yes, unfortunately, the marketing help of trad publishers is limited -- I know a lot of people who hire a publicist to do what the publisher doesn't have time to do.

[@AlexanderMartinez-kd7cz]

"self publishing is for authors that can't get traditionally published" how is that still a thing considering the poop that still gets traditionally published?

[@iama.k1080]

Because they want money and not just good stories

[@3dchick]

As a genre writer who mostly does series, I'd never go trad. Once you sign over those rights, if the publisher decides not to publish the later volumes you can't do it yourself, because of non-compete clauses.

[@sethlowen2303]

I definitely regret going with a traditional publisher. There was so much back and forth on the editing process that the book hardly sounds like my writing style anymore. They pretty much flat out said all the advertising would be on the author (this was after I already signed the contract). And it took almost three years to get the book published. I’m only a year into the publication and it’s been such a terrible process. Thankfully there’s an exit clause in my contract, but the publisher is being stubborn about it. There’s a good chance I may need to find legal help to get out of this. Needless to say, I’m definitely going the self publishing route next time.

[@blossom357]

Curious, is this a big or small publisher?

[@sethlowen2303]

@@blossom357 it’s a smaller publisher

[@blossom357]

@@sethlowen2303 Hm. And I thought small publishers might be a good choice. Maybe I should consider self-publishing then, despite having a poor opinion of it. I could try to be part of the change.

[@SpanishEclectic]

Really great updated information. Understanding the options, but also the why and what are your goals makes the difference.

[@awakz100]

Awesome vid, cleared up a lot of my personal misconceptions

[@AuthorMostafa]

I have an idea. I’m worried my book might not be accepted by a traditional publisher and I’m only 13 so don’t have the money to self publish (my parents might give me some, but not enough to make it big). So my idea is to put the first chapter of my book up on the internet and make people pay for a link to the book. I’ll edit myself, hire a cheap cover designer, and me and my entire family (some of which have very good social media followings) are willing to market all over social media and through word of mouth. If the book gets decent sales I might print a few copies and pitch the idea to local book stores. Everyone who’s read my book has said it’s amazing and believe it’s on the league with best sellers. What do you think? Is any of this a good idea? Any advice? I love writing and believe I’m good enough at it to make a career. If I start early, I can make a name for myself so that when I grow up I’ll already have an audience and reputation.

[@Bookfox]

Love your ambition. Wish I had it at your age. I say go for it!

[@NancySherer-t9v]

Great info. I thought publishers would help promote my book. What about getting libraries to pick up my book?

[@3dchick]

You can do that yourself although it's somewhat complicated. The benefit of doing that work, though, is you control the library distribution, and can offer libraries a lot more flexibility. Trad publishers tend to be very stingy with libraries, sigh.

[@nebezial1]

this was a shockingly useful video. thank you so much for this! have a like, comment and subscription cause i was actually considering self publishing my upcoming novel and this really clarified some stuff for me!

[@Bookfox]

Glad it helped! And thanks for the sub.

[@ericwaugh3971]

Great video would love to see more on self publishing from you

[@grooviechickie]

Perfect timing. Thank you for your very helpful and informative vid. About finding a good editor... it's decidedly tricky! We went onto Reedsy, found an editor who really looked the business, paid $5k(AUD), and got back a half-arsed attempt that took him... oh, maybe a day? When I pointed out all the stuff he didn't do (some painfully obvious), Reedsy ended up refunding us a percentage. Not nearly enough. He was a shonky editor. I hope they got rid of him because that was a very expensive experience. So, we did the rest of the editing ourselves. Took us 7 months to make it as tight and perfect as we could. Good news is we uploaded it to Amazon yesterday. We paid a friend (graphic designer) to do the splendid cover. I really can't wait to have my partner's memoir in my hands! The best thing about this experience? I'm enrolling in a postgraduate degree in editing and digital publishing. ❤ Now we just have to work on the marketing. 😂

[@Bookfox]

Yeah, I never recommend Reedsy. I've heard too many experiences just like yours. But congrats on the book! And good news about the postdoc degree as well. Just spoke to a publishing MA class last night about being a developmental editor.

[@grooviechickie]

@@Bookfox I did not know how bad they were, sadly. The thing is, we're far from being rich people. That was a LOT of money for us to lose. If I had known about Reedsy... At least it forced us to do a lot more work and we have both grown - he as a writer and me as an editor. This combination was explosive at times, leading to very heated discussions, but we worked it out. I'm so proud of him, especially considering that English is not his native language.

[@arnehemingway6063]

6:15 "You're goal really, is to get better at both" (writing and marketing) I hear what you're saying, but I don't WANT to be better at marketing. I could care less about it. Instead, I'll continue to focus on my writing and the quality of my prose and if none of you read it, that's your loss. *sniff*

[@Bookfox]

I think a lot of writers feel that way. In that case, it's best to try to hire people who can do that marketing work for you.

[@marcossantaengracia2862]

I honestly have no problem with selfpublishing, the issue is that this past month i have seen a lot of people talk about their selfpublished books and it looks like they have done it "wrong". By this i mean, they seem to not have put in the effort in having their work exposed to the world, seems like they did not have an editor, like they did not pay for a book cover and all the important steps that your book should take before being published in any shape or form. At least that is what i have seen; people that only put their writings in amazon kindle and nothing else, without any kind of work other than the writing itself, which is a huge work of course but without the correct amount of polishing it just looks raw. This, the fact that you have to pay costs on your own and not having a target audience yet as a novice, is making me inclined to traditionally publish at least my debut book and maybe a couple of the following before taking the leap.

[@Bookfox]

It's easy to self publish badly. It's hard to self publish well.

[@judithstrachan9399]

I have an email friend-I-haven’t-met(-yet!) who is a successful writer in the niche in which I write (never published - so far). Would it be unforgivable to ask her to read my work? I would ask her first, of course. At what stage should I ask her advice, or for her to read it? I’d expect 2nd-book-almost-ready-to-publish would be the best time for 1st book, just before publishing. I do NOT want to stretch the friendship.

[@brantjustilian3791]

With me, I can’t afford traditional publishing and I don’t want a sensitivity reader saying, “ get rid of the offensive words like fat, black, or humongous.”

[@unhommequicourt]

Thanks for the videos. Could you give your experience about how you balance your writing work and your social life and the rest?

[@Bookfox]

Well, I tend to write in the early mornings, and then work from 8 - 12 on Bookfox. Afternoons are for reading/family.

[@Indhel9957]

Not me realizing eragon was self published from this video lol

[@tamathacampbell4985]

Also, I've seen a surprising number of traditionally published books that would have seriously benefitted from a copy editor. Certain traditional publishing houses who shall remain nameless still have trouble making a readable e-book. I bought -and returned- one e-book recently in which less than a third of the content was visible. The readable sections looked like they were badly scanned from a hardcopy. The unreadable sections were either blank or partially covered in opaque rectangles. The hardback copy is both complete and lovely, though. The noobiest of noob first-time self-published novellas I've purchased on Amazon/Kindle did better than that.

[@sirguy6678]

Excellent video!

[@Yeshanu]

My 64 year old heart hurts hearing you call 2010 "old echool " 😂😢😂😢 Thet being said, self-publishing has changed so very much in the last ten years and it's definitely more profitable now than it was. My concern is that the proliferation of AI authored books is going to destroy the viability of the form before it really becomes mainstream.

[@oldguyinstanton]

Lots of food for thought here. It's rather depressing, frankly. First, I'm 75 and not sure I have the energy to do the marketing for my book. Besides that, over the last... decade (??, yep, damn, decade) the book has morphed into a monster. Its currently 80% done and already at 660 pages. It started as a simple science fiction tale of human abduction by an alien as metaphor for mass bird abductions by pet suppliers. It has evolved into a cautionary tale against hubris in many of its guises. New characters insisted on butting into the story (because they filled a plot hole and for background justification for many of the good/bad decisions the protagonist (who is also the villain, depending on reader POV) makes. And the damned characters INSIST on doing things I never thought of them doing, and making life complicated for other characters, which then has to be resolved. It's become a soap opera. It's been through multiple revisions. It started as a typical boring newbie gee-whiz/exposition/narrative dump. After it justly got reamed by a writer's group, I completely revised it with lots of dialog and more character development, and ended up exploring the sheltered/broken childhood of the alien protagonist/villain and his long-suffering AI implant. Yeah, a soap opera. And this is supposed to be geared to a YA reader. But my gut feel is that it would be a "cult" favorite, if anything. I ask you: what student, these days, is gonna lug around a 700 page book? I'm at the point where I think the only option is to publish the novel on a website for people to read for free. Is there one where I can hyperlink the ToC* to the text Chapter titles? * I'm old fashioned. The book also has a DM. Just because I like them. The one theoretically bright side I see is that I think this 'Verse is made for both continuum and episodic books (and stories). I've already got the sequel thought out. And there is room for a ton of related novels (and stories). I have one short story set in this 'Verse** published in an anthology and I just learned that a second one has been accepted in the same anthology series. But I think all that is gonna be too much in the time I have left on this Earth. ** It's actually a slightly modified chapter from this book I'm ranting about. Sorry about the length of this. I value your video advice, and I'd appreciate your thoughts on the above rant.

[@pickwickkennedy9550]

Can you do BOTH at the same time ????

[@3dchick]

Great video, but I will quibble on one point. Long self-pub books do really well in Kindle Unlimited, if they're well done, and tend to do better as audio books than shorter ones.

[@The3dge]

What is a reasonable budget for self publishing a book? Edit, cover, layout, marketing?

[@Bookfox]

Edit: $2000. Cover: $500 Layout: $100 Marketing: Spend as much or as little as you want.

[@meursault7030]

The more I learn, the more I think my book isn't gonna make any money when it's published lmao

[@VinnyTheory]

From what I’ve learned, a lot of these lies (especially #1) flips to a truth if you have the potential to be a publishing house’s lead title

[@3dchick]

The quality of editing as a division is shrinking as trad pub has begun to cut back on that. More new authors are being expected to provide a lot of that themselves, with only copy editing being provided. I'm seeing it in the books I'm reading, too.

[@OccasionallyAPrincess]

This video was very eyeopening, thanks! I’m not too good at marketing, I don’t use or like social media, I’m not really a person to put myself out there, and I’m one of those people that was kind of banking on traditional publishing to do the marketing if I ever got to that stage. You say a copy editor is important, would you say hiring someone in marketing (idk any job roles lol) to help market your book would be important too? I know a lot of marketing is luck, nobody can control what goes viral, but do you think it would be more effective than doing it alone?

[@Bookfox]

It's really expensive to hire a publicist, even more expensive than an editor, but of course a good one can help your book!

[@yvesgomes]

The thing about trad pub not covering much marketing surprised me.

[@robertrdbrooks7658]

Thank You. 👍💥

[@andrewteichroeb8886]

Being a self-published author is no different than being an independent musician.

[@fox7378]

Okay 😭 but my biggest concern is being unable to format my own book. I tried it once (from microsoft word to a .epub format) and that was so hard. I always make so many errors that it scares me I won't get things right. Anyone else?

[@sarahsander785]

I have self-published several books in pretty niche genre-combinations (also two of them are pretty bad 😅) before. When I finalized my latest book and hired someone for the marketing to go self-publishing after no agent wanted that book (even though Victorian crime isn't that niche), I found a publisher and given my record as a self-publisher directly got contracted for a series of three books. So yeah, self-publishing cutting your chances is a lie 😊

[@Gaywatch]

Trad pub doesn't put huge amounts of marketing cash behind a lot of books, but they still do more than your average self pub can afford and have distribution in roads still hard/impossible for self pub to break into.

[@Bookfox]

Very true.

[@riesminnegal8343]

love you man

[@Bookfox]

Love you too, bro.

[@billyalarie929]

Just solved the question for me within 0:40 so thx for that ig

[@BlairLSK]

So if you are a contemporary (at a stretch, literary) fiction writer who could probably turn out a self-contained book every 12 months at best, what are the self-publishing strategies? So many of the tips you suggest just don't apply, but from what you say, there doesn't seem to be any allure to traditional publishing either.

[@holyoakhall5249]

PLEASE turn down the background music. The information you consistently share is fantastic. The background music in this one made it very difficult to stay focused on what you were saying.

[@JorgeSerranoCobos]

Is there an official source of data around this? Because when they say "it's a bestseller" you just have to believe the publishers. No open data here, right?

[@Bookfox]

It's a bestseller can mean any number of things. Perhaps it's been listed on the NYT list, which means it's sold roughly 5,000 copies in a week, or perhaps they mean it's just a bestseller in a niche category in Amazon, like Steampunk Fantasy or Cozy Romance.

[@no-secret-chart]

Good to know!

[@trevorcarterva]

Most traditionally published novels don't make any money anyway.

[@malosprime4910]

I'm writing a superhero episodic book series with serial elements. Can it still be self-published?

[@judithstrachan9399]

IMO, *anything* can be self-published. The hardest part will be finding your market, it’s pretty niche. Success may well depend on how many people you know who already want to read it. And how many they know. (BTW, my market is even more niche than yours: Christian Regency romance. It’s still huge.)

[@malosprime4910]

@@judithstrachan9399 Cool. But can my series be both episodic with serial elements, a hybrid of the two?

[@judithstrachan9399]

@@malosprime4910 , Absolutely. If you like it when it’s finished, there’s a good chance someone else will like it.

[@judithstrachan9399]

@@malosprime4910 hopefully, lots of someone elses.

[@the_haylien]

Does this hold true for graphic novels as well?

[@austinccolton]

Printing is harder for graphic novels and the print on demand options available for books don’t work as well. There are people who have been successful on platforms like Kickstarter, but that is a whole other beast. I’m sure there are amazing options and depending on what you have in mind, web comics and digital options are totally great ways to get your story out there.

[@penrilfake]

I know this isn't necessarily your niche, but do you have any experience w trad vs self publishing when it comes to graphic novels?

[@NorisSpecter]

I plan to publish my first book for free for the first month to hook as many readers as possible. What are the cons of this approach? I write in a series, and I'm almost done with the first draft of the second volume, so I thought getting more people to read my first book would be an investment.

[@Bookfox]

I would release the second book before you offer the first one for free.

[@adriang6259]

Okay, so I'm interested in your Academy. Not sure if I have the money. I think. Not sure what I still have to learn I know, I don't know enough. However I have a self published online book. It's a $1.50 AU. It's called "Last Fight" By AJ McKenzie. (I didn't know there was a real writer of a similar name,) If anyone's keen to give me feedback. Just remember I'm a untrained hack before you really start to kick. It's an action based alien invasion battle set around WW2.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

My work is better than 90% of all books out there. Unfortunately, marketing is pretty much the only thing that matters... and that requires coin, crews, connections, clout, control, etc. (which I lack). 💪😎✌️ If you ain't wealthy, then you ain't healthy. No exceptions. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@AbraWhiteBoy]

Do self-publishing authors want an agent right away? Or only if they see some success?

[@Bookfox]

Usually agents only want self publishing authors if they sell a ton of copies.

[@AbraWhiteBoy]

@@Bookfox thats what I thought, thank you

[@anikagray4714]

So just to clarify, you genuinely think literary fiction belongs in traditional publishing? My novel is literary fiction and I want to do what's best for it.

[@Bookfox]

I think it's much, much harder to market literary fiction in the self-published realm, compared to any genre like sci-fi, fantasy, crime, etc. It's not impossible, though. There are some people who do it.

[@Soonzuh]

Barton Fink? 🔥

[@stephenlogsdon8266]

8. Start a KZbin channel, garner lots of subscribers, ;-) but seriously, I enjoy your videos.

[@blossom357]

Purely as a reader, I refuse to read self-published books. There is no proof, no guarantee that these books have even had a second draft. Anyone can publish anything. If there were some kind of ratings board, I'd consider it.

[@unhommequicourt]

aren t there user reviews on platforms selling self published books?

[@blossom357]

@@unhommequicourt Well, sure... but as someone else commented, he expects self-published books to have more errors and is more lenient on them. I would imagine this mentality extends to reviewing everything about the book, not simply typos. If I read reviews, I'd have to assume a 4-star self-pub would be a 3-star trad-pub because of this unwarranted generosity.

[@mariano7107]

@@blossom357 I wouldn’t generalize one random internet commenter’s opinion. Most people don’t know how the books they’re reading are published, so there’s no reason they would review them any differently.

[@blossom357]

@@mariano7107 If that's true, what incentive is there in self-publishing to go past a proofread first draft? They're not going to notice anyhow.

[@saxbend]

That's why serious self publishing authors create imprints. If they're producing good quality books, their imprint will signal that just as any famous traditional publishing imprint would. Of course some authors who take shortcuts do that too, but their imprints will signal poor quality just as clearly. It's better to identify books by the imprint than by the publication method.

[@bartcharlow9807]

I'm surprised. You rave about self-publishing, but right in the beginning you state that it's not for literary fiction. Unclear on that latter....

[@psychedianic]

Suspect he means literary as in literature. J. K. Rowling's books are entertainment. Virginia Woolf's are literature.

[@Bookfox]

What are you unclear about?

[@bartcharlow9807]

@@psychedianic OK, I can see a difference there from commercial fiction, if that's what he means.

[@bartcharlow9807]

@@Bookfox Did the guy above get it right? Do you mean the "literary fiction" category as distinguished from more commercial fiction, or something else entirely?

[@Bookfox]

Yes, that's correct. Literary is a genre like Crime and Romance and Sci-fi and Fantasy are genres. Self-publishing is rarely the right path forward for the genre of literary fiction.

[@burrru007]

One lie about traditional publishing nobody really talks about: if you are a straight white man and your fiction book has no woke elements, then your chances for traditional publishing is practically zero.

[@Bookfox]

Have you read Alex Perez in The Free Press? He shares similar concerns, and has some helpful ideas to move forward. www.thefp.com/p/the-fight-for-the-future-of-publishing

[@LynneSimpson-mm3us]

I would think it depends on the genre, the quality of the story and the writing. Check what types of books certain publishing houses put out, and go from there.

[@saxbend]

It's pretty hard to have no woke elements at all given how easy it is to label things as woke these days. Can you name one book written this decade that doesn't have any?

[@shawnamelva583]

Copy editors are expensive and make uneccessary story changes. I have tried 2 of them and found changes and grammar errors. Be careful.

[@gamingtime468]

have you by chance had a stroke at some point? your mouth's curve is a bit off. if so, best of wishes! kudos for still going strong!

[@judithstrachan9399]

I have an email friend-I-haven’t-met(-yet!) who is a successful writer in the niche in which I write (never published - so far). Would it be unforgivable to ask her to read my work? I would ask her first, of course. At what stage should I ask her advice, or for her to read it? I’d expect 2nd-book-almost-ready-to-publish would be the best time for 1st book, just before publishing. I do NOT want to stretch the friendship.

[@Bookfox]

Well, you never know, but you can always ask politely. And you can always offer to do something for her as well -- review a book she published, or be a beta reader for her next book. It's best to trade, rather than just ask for a favor.

[@judithstrachan9399]

@@Bookfox, ooh, I would LOVE to beta-read her books. That would be almost like another favour, to me! I’m not sure whether she has enough, she does thank them in her acknowledgements. Thank you so much for replying. I’m honoured.