Harold Underdown on Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing

Should you self publish your book? That's a big question that's not easily answered. Harold Underdown, an experienced children's book editor shares his thoughts on the matter. With Harold's permission, we've posted an excerpt from his article here, with a link to the full article on his web site. While some authors have seen wild success as self-publishers, the success they achieved only came after many long hours of marketing. That's not to say that you can't be a successful self-publisher, even if you publish your first dozen books through Lulu. But, before you decide to mortgage your home (please don't do this) to publish your book, read what Harold has to say. Then, give it your best shot. 

Says Harold, "Why do people self-publish instead of working with a publisher? If you don't see yourself as making a career from writing, but want to create a book for a very specific or limited market, such as a local market, or your family, or for a small niche market that you know exactly how to reach, then self-publishing the 100 or 500 or 1,000 copies of a book that you want may be the best approach. The only question you have to settle is what the best way to go about that is, as there are more options to choose from."

This may be the perfect approach for a consultant who wants to use his or her book as a 250 page "business card." But, the novelist or children's book author will have a tougher time making headway as a self-publisher.

Harold adds: "My advice is that you do not consider self-publishing until you have spent at least a few years working on your writing, making submissions, and learning about the business of publishing. That won't be wasted time, because even if don't get published, if you do decide to self-publish later you will be much better equipped to do so successfully. You will have a more polished manuscript or manuscripts."

We encourage you to read the full article, which provides valuable links to other resources that will help you to decide whether or not to self-publish your book. Please take the time to read this article before you jump out and publish for "free" at Lulu, or pay thousands of dollars with another self-publishing company (print on demand publisher).

Read Self Publish or Not? by Harold Underdown