In August I headed north to Georgian Bay. While spending time at the Harvey Family cottage in Tiny, I was invited to Georgian Bay Books in Midland for a “Meet the Author” visit, and to the Pinegrove Estate Book Club in Penetanguishene. A week later I was invited to Collingwood to join the August Book Club meeting of the Collingwoodland Readers. There’s something very special about sitting out on a back deck on a summer evening with a group of smart and curious women and I got to do that twice this month! Thank you Lorna and Jill, and thanks to all who’ve booked me for Book Club visits in the fall and winter. I’m looking forward to meeting with you!
During Book Club visits I’ve been asked about how I began writing novels and when I explain I self published my first book, The Girlfriend Book, I’m inevitably asked “how does self-publishing work?” For this newsletter I thought I’d address that. While it was magical when The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace was picked up by RE:BOOKS Publishing, it’s great to know that through self-publishing, whether you write fiction or non-fiction, there are accessible options out there to turn your manuscript into a book.
How does Self Publishing work?
Self-publishing is when the author independently takes on all the costs of publishing and distribution and retains full creative control. Back in 2021 when I finished writing The Girlfriend Book, I researched self-publishing options. I was a new author and had heard it was very tough to find a publisher, so I opted not to. My goal was to turn what I had written into a physical book and share it with family and friends. Self-publishing fit well with that objective.
The options I came across seemed to fit into three distinct categories. (1) Print & buy all books now, (2) Buy a concierge package with distribution assistance, (3) Buy a formatting and aggregator service with distribution assistance. All are considered “vanity press” options, as it’s the author paying for the product to be produced.
(1) Print & buy all books now is as it sounds. Depending on your desired number of books and the discount on volume available, you provide the manuscript (they can usually help you format for printing) and you pay for all the printed copies. You will walk away with boxes of books to keep in your garage until all are distributed/gifted/sold.
(2) Buy a concierge package with distribution assistance is a great route if you want help with services such as editing, cover design, marketing, publicity, audiobook, formatting, printing and distribution (to online sellers and physical book stores in Canada, US and globally). Firms such as Friesen Press, Tellwell and I-Universe offer a wide range of packages. Caution is recommended when a package sounds “too good to be true”. For example, be wary of a supplier touting a paid plan to get you on the New York Times Best Sellers list. It’s not a pay to play list! The charge for this option is usually a lump sum up front for all the tailored services plus an ongoing annual fee or % of sales charge. This ongoing fee provides the aggregation and payment of royalties to you, and making your books available to buyers – this option has each book printed on demand when it’s ordered and paid for (you don’t buy the books as in option #1). Note: You can order author copies at a preferred price to gift or sell.
(3) Buy a formatting and aggregator service with distribution assistance works well for someone with a finished product. If you aren’t looking for an editor (maybe you have your own) and you have your book cover ready, working with a firm who will format the book and then act as an aggregator between you and the online and physical book sellers (in Canada, US & globally) can be a great solution. The charge for this type of service varies. The upfront charge is either nil or small. The fee tends to be an annual fee or a % of sales as the relationship is ongoing. This provider continues to ensure the print on demand service is available to those buying your book and the royalties are aggregated and paid out to you. This option is similar to option #2 above and you can order author copies. The key difference is that you aren’t involved in a pricey package of services before you enter the printing and distribution stage.
My self-publishing path involved two versions of option #3.
In 2021 I signed up with Tablo from Australia, who at that time had great reviews. They had easy software that allowed you to create, print and publish to over 40,000 retailers globally. The cost was an annual charge and 100% of the royalty was paid to my PayPal account. I was with them for three years – happy for the first two years and then frustrated (along with all their clients) as their service people disappeared – in fact all the people disappeared – and a chat box ran in circles trying to find help. Royalties also became stuck inside Tablo, as their transfer system to PayPal didn’t work and no one would respond to requests for help. Since I owned full rights to my book, I terminated my contract in November 2023 (sending an email that got no response) and moved onto another platform. Curiously, The Girlfriend Book (with the old green cover) is still marketed through Amazon and all proceeds continue to be paid to Tablo. Since the account with Amazon was set up with Tablo, Amazon will only take direction from Tablo (who as mentioned doesn’t have people working there to give direction). Amazon in turn doesn’t have staff in place to trouble shoot this and “see through the issue.” My royalties remain trapped inside an AI loop – basically one AI system (Amazon) continues to pay another (Tablo). When Tablo managed to pull it’s annual fee on my VISA (even though I’d had it blocked with VISA), the banks on both sides (Canada and Australia) got involved and squashed that action. Great to know the banks have power. They still have people!
In December 2023 I “re” self-published The Girlfriend Book. I worked with Indie Publishing out of London, Ontario to format my manuscript and upload it to (1) KDP for Amazon and to (2) Ingram Sparks for all other retailers. It was so refreshing to be in the hands of a knowledgeable and service friendly provider. Hats off to Chrissy Hobbs for making the experience exceptionally easy and enjoyable. And a huge thanks to Joyce Ho and Rose Sauquillo for your help in the design of the new “pink” version of my book.
While moving from one platform to another took time, it was a great learning experience. A big thanks to all who weighed in with advice along the way.
Summer Writing Course
For a week I became a University of Toronto student again, visiting the same lecture hall where I took Commerce back in the 1980’s. As a student in Joy Fielding’s class, I learned to add greater clarity and spent a week gaining insight from Joy’s journey and the critiquing of each participants’ submitted work. An excellent experience & some great class mates!
Georgian Bay Books
Thanks to Sarah for the invitation to your store and to all who dropped by. It’s a very therapeutic feeling spending a few hours surrounded by books. I enjoyed meeting folks in search of something specific and those poking around shelves in a discovery mode. Thanks to all who included one of my books within their purchase that day!
Pinegrove Estates Book Club
Thank you to Lorna and friends for your invite to join you for an evening out on Lorna’s back deck talking books! It was a pleasure to meet each of you and hear your thoughts on my book and to answer your questions. Thanks too for buying so many copies of The Girlfriend Book. I hope you will enjoy it too!
Collingwoodland Reads
Thanks to Jill for hosting and thanks to all who joined in. I so enjoyed your questions and appreciated your suggestions around LinkedIn and marketing. It’s always wonderful to learn from smart women! Thanks too for all your warmth and support.
Indigo
Great to see The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace popping up on Indigo book shelves. We’ve had an interesting few months seeking to have it categorized as General Fiction or Historical Fiction. They have it shelved in Romance. We think the cover may have been the culprit. We’ve been told this will be corrected soon.
Thanks for your posts!
Thank you to so many of you who have sent me posts of The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace. She’s been having a wonderful time with you this summer on boats, beaches and beautiful outdoor settings! Please do share posts of either or both of my books with me and your friends. It truly helps to lift them up.
Summer Reading
I enjoy exploring different writing styles and genres and tend to read in an eclectic manner. Having been a student of Joy Fielding this summer, I read 2 of her thrillers. However, my favorite reads so far this summer have been The Details – poignant and beautifully written – thanks Jennifer! & The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store – a great example of fiction increasing awareness of social issues through characters we care about & a well crafted plot.
Coming up on September 26th
I’m being interviewed in an on-line event at 2pm by Cece Scott, author, book blogger & a feature cover writer for print and online publications. This “in discussion” format is one hour and you can register here. A big thanks to Cece. I’m looking forward to our conversation!
Are you in a Book Club?
If you’re in a book club, please reach out if you would like me to attend for a Q&A about either one of my books &/or the writing process. I’m open to attend in person or by Zoom, depending on dates and location. I can be reached at gwen@gwenkharvey.com Thanks to all who have “booked” me for the fall and winter. I’m looking forward to meeting you! I can be reached through email at gwen@gwenkharvey.com.
Enjoying the Newsletter? Scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up!
You’ll get each monthly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox!