Why I self-published my nonfiction books
Honestly, I didn’t give much thought to trying to get my nonfiction books traditionally published. Here’s why I self-published:
- I’d worked at two book publishers, Texas A&M University Press and Marlowe & Co., so I was familiar with the publishing process.
- I knew platform size is the primary determinant of nonfiction book success and that I already had a solid platform.
- As a former managing editor at a magazine, I was confident in my page layout skills.
- I knew Amazon had 70% of the book market, so being present in that one store would give me exposure to the majority of book buyers. (That made publishing through KDP a no-brainer.)
- I knew self-publishing would be much faster.
- I also knew I’d have much more control and already had a clear vision for the book.
Thankfully, all of those things turned out to be true. In less than a year, I was able to write the 214-page first edition of Email Marketing Rules, have it edited by some of my trusted industry friends, get it professionally copyedited, and publish it.
But there were additional benefits of self-publishing I didn’t realize until later. For example, a traditional publisher would have never allowed me to publish a 322-page second edition 18 months after the first edition. And they definitely wouldn’t have allowed me to publish a 677-page two-volume fourth edition.
Did all of those decisions maximize profitability? I’m sure they didn’t. But I don’t regret any of them, because those decisions capitalized on my excitement and allowed me to create books I’ve always been proud to put my name on.
Self-publishing gives you lots of control. Make sure you’re using it to maximize your vision.
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