Para hindi naman kayo scared of self-publishing, kasi parang puro babala na lang yung previous chapters:
I LOVE BEING A INDIE/HYBRID AUTHOR AND WILL NOT DO IT ANY OTHER WAY NOW.
Ano yan?
INDIE - Author na nagse-selfpublish.
HYBRID - Author that self-publishes, but is also traditionally published.
I started self-publishing with my second book and ngayon lahat na ng books ko (I have 10) are self-published FIRST. Sinusulat ko, then binebenta ko sa Amazon as ebook, then gagawa ako ng paperback. And then kung magustuhan ng publisher ko (Summit, sa Pilipinas), mago-offer silang mag-print for Philippine distribution.
When you work with a publisher, madalas ay wala kang control over the editing, cover design, book design, marketing, number of copies printed, at distribution. Sila ang nagpa-plano ng launch, kung meron. Sila ang nagaasikaso ng signing, kung meron. Sila rin ang nagde-decide kung magre-reprint sila.
Sa maraming author, OK na yon. Gusto lang nila magsulat, at hayaan na ang publisher na gawin lahat ng iba. That's perfectly fine.
Pero ako, hindi. Gusto ko ang control that I have when I'm a publisher too. Ako ang naga-approve ng covers, ng design, alam ko kung ilang copy ang nabenta, ako ang nagdecide kung magkano, kung may "sale", kung libre, at kung kailangan pa ng reprint.
Kapag ang publisher, nag-decide na hindi na nila ipi-print ang libro mo, yun na, tapos na ang writing career mo. At business ito - publishers decide NOT to continue printing books all the time. Baka mahina ang benta, o mas malakas lang talaga yung iba. It's a reality even in other countries. Businesses will decide what makes good sense for them.
But since I self-publish, I also decide what's good for me. And I decided that I want as many readers as possible. Kaya mahilig akong magpa-raffle, mag-giveaway, mag-tweet at lahat na. Sariling sikap yan pero yan kasi ang goal ko. At dahil control ko ang rights sa mga libro ko, wala akong hinihintay na approval.
Again - hindi lahat ng author ay dapat maging publisher. Pero kung gusto mo itong gawin, ay sobrang fulfilling niya. Feeling ko rin natututo ako with each book kasi publishing puts me in direct contact with buyers/readers/fans. So alam ko yung click sa ganitong reader o buyer, at kung ano ang hindi.
If you feel this way or want to do this, then I suggest that you read the other chapters so you know the professional practices you have to follow. Nakakarinig ka ba ng mga di mga comments tungkol sa self-pub? Na hindi ito mukhang tunay, na hindi ito legit, na di ka pa rin published kung self-pub ka? If people say that of my work, then I know that they know NOTHING -- kasi tignan mo naman yung pinagdadaan ko, yung ginagawa ko, para lang maglabas ng libro. Masaya siya at mukhang madali, pero I try to make it as professional as possible. I do this to assure anyone who buys my book that even if I published it, they're getting the best version of it that I'm capable of giving.
Haha! It's a labor of love after all. Love, but being smart about it. Good luck to you if you want to do this! And please enjoy it!
BINABASA MO ANG
Publishing and Self-publishing: Advice for Writers
Non-Fiction[FILIPINO/ENGLISH] Advice for writers based on my experience self-publishing (more than 20 novels as of now) and traditional publishing (more than 10 novels with a traditional publisher, and consulting for other fellow authors). Read and learn, but...
