Publishing Your Two Cents On a Two-Cent Budget

New, aspiring and enthusiastic writers—people like you and me—once required the support of well-funded, well-connected and archaic institutions to reach audiences.  However, in the age of globalized information democratization, the publishing paradigm is now increasingly driven by the most rightful determination: passion.  Thanks only to my passion and a trial-by-error relentlessness, I now have two published novels (That Freak Kid, The King of the Sun) and approximately 200 readers across 3 countries; a comparatively modest, but hugely fulfilling reward for a young, passionate writer with no professional training, professional backing and $0 budget.  Like most beginning writers, I work other jobs to support myself and my writing habit, and the only reinvestment I’ve been able to make is with my time.    I have found a way to reach readers and publish my work without cashing in my life-savings—and so can you. 

Step 1. The Obvious: Finish your piece

Your cook book, children’s story, romance novel, autobiography—you have to finish it first.  This is the only part that is completely reliant on you and that is most easily completed without a cash budget.  You do need a budget of time, however.  Designate a special chunk of your day or week—an hour before bed, before breakfast, before leaving work or class—or even just steal a few minutes where you can.  My favorite writing breaks were at work between tasks, on my lunch break, during the boring parts of college lectures or, of course, in the quiet solitude of the bathroom.  Waiting for oil changes, appointments, traffic jams (be careful!), bus or train rides or boring parties are all great places to turn a stolid yawn of a situation into written genius.  Write because you want to share your ideas, not because you “have” to.  If you find yourself consistently procrastinating, ask yourself if it’s because you’re seeing writing as a second “job,” or if it’s because you’re not ready to share your ideas.  Locating the honest root of procrastination will help you overcome it.   

Step 2. The Nitty-Gritty: Editing

This is where most publishing tutorials will tell you to find a good editor, which can cost thousands of dollars.  There are alternatives for 0-dollar budgets, though.  Friends, family and colleagues can be good editing resources, if they have solid writing skills and will return your manuscript within a reasonable time frame.  However, you don’t want your work languishing in another procrastination pit.  Crowdsourcing your proofreading efforts to an online network is another inexpensive alternative.  Put your manuscript on an open format like Google Docs or Live Journal so third parties can easily read, edit and comment on it.  Find the quality beta-readers and copy-editors hiding in your online networks or in communities such as GoodReads or Reddit to get numerous opinions and editors.  Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson validated this method when he used Medium, Scribd and LiveJournal for his new novel.  Be sure to read your digi-friends’ writings or blogs for quality before accepting their offers.    Other low-cost (but not 0-cost) alternatives worth mentioning are sites harboring successful freelancers such as Freelancer, Fiver or oDesk.  Many computerized programs such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, Soylent and others can give you an unbiased technical eye as well. 

Step 3. Make it Pretty: Artwork

Finished artwork by my DeviantArt
digi-friend, Joesph van der Vlugt

For a self-published novel, covers are often the first decisive factor for prospective audiences.  Consult with your editors and plan out your design with the people who know your book.  Your cover page is essentially your greatest advertisement, so use the tenants of proper print design when considering your artwork.  To bring your draft to life, again leverage your networks.  Many aspiring artists will take on the task for free to receive credit or to advance their design portfolios.  I found an experienced digital artist on the online art community DeviantArt for my second novel, who redesigned my original, novice rendition perfectly.  Local colleges, art schools or even high schools harbor hundreds of art and photography students who often exhibit the same polished skills of a professional without the cost.  These introductory masters will work closely and enthusiastically with you to create appealing covers, children’s illustrations or stage photographs.  Make sure the artwork is their original work (not using copyrighted images) and that you receive written permission from the artist to use them.

Step 4. Build it...: Publishing

Findings of a 2012 consumer survey

You now have all the elements of a proper book.  It’s time to publish.  The Information Age gives us access to more readers worldwide than any single publishing company can, when it’s utilized efficiently.  22% of all book sales are now conducted online and online networks are the ultimate independent publisher’s resource.   Publish directly to Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes and Nobel’s Nook at zero cost and let readers decide the worthiness of your book.  For many writers, only physical copies give true publishing validation.  I crowdfunded my physical copy production through the site Kickstarter, though book-oriented crowdfunding sites such as Pubslush, Authr and Unbound are also available.  Giving your book as a reward in the campaign essentially allows you to efficiently gather a list of pre-orders that can be fulfilled upon completion.  Be sure to factor the sites’ processing fees (usually around 10%, including credit card fees) into your book costs.  Lulu.com is an convenient, albeit more expensive option for smaller orders  (5 to 30 at a time) but, if you’re looking at hundreds or thousands of orders, contact a local printer and you should get paperbacks anywhere between $4 and $15 per copy, depending on the amount. 

Step 5.  …And They Will Come: Marketing

2013 Social Media users in Millions and Billions in a survey by HootSuite

It’s time to get the word out about your book.  Online sales calls for online marketing and successful self-published authors utilize social networking to attract readers.  Talk about your book—good reviews, quotable moments, good messages, characters, developments and sales—on twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+, LinkedIn and others.  Always include a direct link to your book’s Amazon or Barnes and Nobel page so interested readers can find it.  Link your book to pop-culture events and trends if possible and heavily use the media most frequented by your target market.  Contact book bloggers, reviewers, upstart e-zines and literary journals to review your book—even bad reviews will generate some attention.  When gathering physical copy sales, go through your contacts list and send email, phone and, if possible, face-to-face invitations to everyone you know; friends, family, co-workers, dentist, mechanic, local library, teachers, students etc.  A well-known advertising slogan goes something like, "When you've beaten it to death and you're sick of talking about it, you're just getting people's attention;" so get ready.

Self-publishing can be a difficult and also intensely gratifying experience.  For all your efforts, working smarter and not necessarily harder will give you more readers; vet every site you use, see where your readers dwell and pursue interested leads.  Don’t waste time on people who are too busy, too stubborn, or too old-fashioned to read your book; streamline your strategy and make the best of your time which, in this case, is your money.