Dr. Robert Wack of Westminster finds some of his most creative moments are in his car with a long commute to Frederick Memorial Hospital where he is head of pediatric services. Photo by Phil Grout.
Written by Alan Feiler, Jr., Photos by: Phil Grout,
Todd Burrier is at a crossroads. The author of three self-published books, he is now hard at work on a new manuscript – a series of fictional stories based on actual experiences in which Burrier, a Westminster motivational teacher, helped different people with personal growth issues.
Burrier thoroughly enjoys the self-publishing process because of the independence it affords him, especially regarding the creation and marketing of a book.
“They think they own you,” he says of publishing houses, “This is what we want you to do – book signings for six months around the country.’”
But he feels his next book could greatly benefit “millions of people,” not to mention sell millions of copies. “I think self-publishing is fabulous,” said Burrier, “but I’m considering [shopping the book to publishing houses] because it would be selfish of me not to go that route and make that sacrifice, all to keep my freedom. So I am considering it. I’m just not sure yet.”
Increasingly, however, authors are opting for the self-publishing route, preferring to bypass the major publishing houses and their smaller counterparts so they can call their own shots and avoid the endless waits, constant deliberations and frequent rejections. The stigma against self-publishing has greatly diminished as self-published books have increasingly hit the bestseller lists (ever hear of a novel called 50 Shades of Grey?).
In addition, the rise of e-books and the proliferation of self-publishing outfits and websites – such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (kdp.amazon.com), CreateSpace (createspace.com), Self-Published Author (selfpublishedauthor.com) and Writer.ly (writer.ly) – have made self-publishing more accessible and affordable (in some cases free, through such sites as smashwords.com).
Although some estimates are far lower, the average self-published book costs about $4,000 to produce, according to Guy Kawasaki, co-author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur – How to Publish a Book (Nononia, 2012). Meanwhile, the average self-published book sells fewer than 100-150 copies, according to an Aug. 15, 2012, New York Times article.
Still, according to Bowker Market Research, a firm that provides data for publishers, booksellers and libraries, the annual number of self-published print and e-books has grown 287 percent over the past seven years.
“Self-publishing is a true, legitimate power to be reckoned with,” said Kelly Gallagher, vice president of Bowker. “Coupled with the explosive growth of e-books and digital content, these forces are moving the industry in dramatic ways.”
The arguments in favor of self-publishing are legion, according to The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing (Writers Digest Books, 2010) by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier. Besides enjoying complete control over their work, self-published authors have the potential for huge profits without having to share the pie with publishing houses and agents, the authors contend.
Furthermore, self-publishing provides a good tax shelter (i.e., deducting expenses related to writing and marketing), can be achieved part-time while working at a full-time occupation, and is often accomplished in a fraction of the time normally required by publishing houses.
Also, a self-published book can wind up being a calling card for an author, either for future literary endeavors or for work to be picked up by publishing houses or the small print movement.
The latter was the case for Dr. Robert Wack, a Westminster City Council member and director of pediatric services for Frederick Memorial Healthcare Systems. Wack recently self-published the e-book In Apple Blossom Time, a “what-if” novel based on the life of Dutch mathematician and “father of time travel” Willem van Stockum, through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. Wack recently reached a deal with a small New York publisher, Boissevain Books, to publish a paperback version. (It should be noted Boissevain is owned by van Stockum’s nephew, John Marlin.)
Wack believes the publishing field is rapidly evolving as a result of self-publishing. “The old model is going away, with all of the agents and editors, because of these alternative channels,” he said. “That’s good, but also negative in some respects. People like me don’t have the editorial resources. My editors were my friends. But publishing houses today don’t have editors as much as they used to for cultivating authors. So a lot of bad stuff and mistakes are getting through.”
Wack said he spent approximately $1,400 to produce the e-book, mostly for professional advice and graphic art. “It’s beautiful, I love it,” he said of the e-book, “and because of its success this small publisher approached me about publishing it.”
Wack says he never pitched In Apple Blossom Time to publishing houses because “it’s an exhaustive process and I have a full-time job.” He does not expect the book to become a bestseller.
“If I even break even, I’ll do cartwheels,” he said. “But there’s credibility in saying, `Yes, I’ve got something on Amazon and a paperback.’ … Just being a good writer today is not enough. You have to learn marketing – going to book fairs, working on social media.”
Wack warns that there are some negative threads running through the self-publishing movement. “There are a lot of scams, just waiting to prey on people’s dreams of being an author,” he says. “You’ve got to be careful. But there are things out there that are low-cost and helpful. It all depends on how much you work at it. You can do it for almost nothing if you go the electronic route and have time and know the software.”
In The Naked Author: A Guide to Self-Publishing (Bloomsbury, 2011), Alison Baverstock cautions self-published authors against having high expectations. “While it is very seldom a direct route to riches,” she writes, “it can be a route to self-fulfillment, and this may be just as important.” That sentiment resonates with Finksburg resident Peggy Alden Stout, a retired educator who self-published Letters from the Trail, a series of correspondences she sent to friends and family members while hiking the Appalachian Trail between 2000 and 2010.
“I was determined to have handwritten letters and graphite sketches in the book, and I think that’s why the several publishers I contacted decided not to tackle this project,” she said. Eventually, Stout signed a contract with the self-publishing company Xlibris to release the book. She says that was a far better experience than when she co-edited Wise Women Speak to the Woman Turning 30, a gift book published in 2002 by now-defunct Capital Books.
“We weren’t happy with their marketing because we had to do a lot of the legwork ourselves,” said Stout. “They only did marketing for us for three months. … We originally thought we were going to get wealthy from it, but quickly saw that wouldn’t happen.”
Stout has no similar illusions about Letters from the Trail, for which she paid Xlibris about $1,700 to help produce. “This was a labor of love, not about making money,” she says. “But [Xlibris] really worked with me, and I don’t think another publisher would’ve done that. Because I was paying, I felt I had the right to say how it was done. And I really liked being part of the process.”
Stout’s advice to aspiring authors is to query the publishing houses first, but “I wouldn’t waste too much of my time. With self-publishing, you know it’ll be done in about half a year and it’ll be a collaborative effort. … [Being an author] shouldn’t be an elite profession. It’s just good to open up the process.”
