I'd like to have an actual self-publishing thread. Why wouldn't new authors go this route...

I'd like to have an actual self-publishing thread. Why wouldn't new authors go this route? The only reason I can think of as to why someone would look for a publisher is because they can help promote and advertise the book - but I see a lot of bookstores closing down, and people ordering online more often. Why is there a stigma against self-publishing on Veeky Forums?

Because if you self-publish, it means you weren't good enough to get published.

Worth pointing out there is a difference between quality and marketability

>but I see a lot of bookstores closing down, and people ordering online more often
It's not like there are online ads, newspaper articles and interviews, and of course, traditional publishers don't offer ebooks. Oh right.

Besides marketing (and translation rights, cover, editors, etc), it's manly for recognition to me. An agent/publisher buying the rights of my book, means someone with actual credentials, though it's worth it. Which is pretty cool. With self-publishing that doesn't exist and just have "some guy" buying it.

A very small one. Besides, quality leads to marketability. And if something is marketable, it tends to have some level quality, otherwise it tends to sink into irrelevance pretty soon.

Dunno.

I will self-publish and continue to self-publish because I can write and proof and edit and rewrite fine.

I can not, and have never been able to, write a cover letter, even following the formulas already set out in guides online.

I guess it's a recognition thing.

Yeah it's not like any artists died poor and unknown only to become famous posthumously...

How many of these actually got some level of fame during lifetime only to waste it, while spending their cash on booze and hookers?

>The only reason I can think of as to why someone would look for a publisher is because they can help promote and advertise the book
I just don't understand how a random book online (even a excellent one) can get any traction, unless you do the whole bullshit social media thing and parade on reddit/facebook/twitter to create a "brand" or get some kind of viral traction.
That seems annoying and boring as fuck and really detached from writing itself.

Or: save money, integrate yourself into the industry, gain some business skills and market yourself (NOT through social media)

>Why wouldn't new authors go this route?

Because getting published by an actual outfit guarantees you a small sum of money (the advance), immediately puts a marketing department behind you, and gets your manuscript read by a professional editor, which makes you much less likely to embarrass yourself. Most people who think they can edit themselves, can't edit themselves.

Most importantly, if you fail, you have the ability to rewrite and try again. A book that never gets printed doesn't tarnish your reputation, so there's next to no risk in sending something out to a publisher unless it's repugnant enough to get you blacklisted. A book that you self-publish online, though, will haunt your reputation forever, especially if it sells poorly. Most agents/publishers don't care if you've been rejected by other agents/publishers. If you self-publish crap, though, they won't touch you with a ten-foot pole. The risk is much higher.

There is a downside to traditional publishing — you'll probably make less money per copy sold — but this is mitigated by the marketing you get, and the risk you avoid. And if your writing really does sell millions and millions, you'll get a much better deal on your next book. Probably even better than self-publishing companies will give you.

>tl;dr
Respect + risk mitigation + establishing a career.

To be fair, if it's not a big publisher, the marketing budget tends to be

fewer than you'd think...I bet you couldn't name 5

OP ask yourself this; would you ever purchase a self-published book?

Yes, I've bought Varg and his wife's books, along with a few others.

how could a slender japanese nymphet like this exhibit such enormous mammaries? surely she has inserted some pillows into her dress???

t literally read no part of this thread

I have a related question. I'm writing a novel that I intend to submit for traditional publishing once it's complete and presentable. However, I now have a large body of short stories, all loosely connected to the same setting.
I was thinking about selecting the best 20 and putting them on the Kindle store as an anthology.
Do you think that a Publisher might see that and be put off of my manuscript? Or could it serve as an advertisement for my writing style?

That's a doll, nigga

>Most importantly, if you fail, you have the ability to rewrite and try again.

This is above all a merit of self-publishing. You have full control over your work, you're able to edit, rewrite it, or remove it altogether, whenever, wherever, immediately.

It does not work like that with traditional publishing. Once your book is sent out to the world, it's there and there's nothing you can do about it, exept submit changes for future editions and pray they won't be ignored. There's absolutely no guarantee that whatever the publisher lets through is a masterpiece. It's hardly ever is. But it's too late for regrets when the readers shit all over it.

I self published a novel in 1999. I have writer friends who have self published more recently.

Most people who self publish do so because their books aren't very good. I self published because I was impatient. Had I waited, my book would have been much better.

Many writers are also confused or suspicious about the publishing industry. Getting an agent and a publisher is an opaque and mysterious process. It's not fun. It takes a lot of time.

If you choose to self publish, you will need to market your book. No one will ever find or buy your book just by browsing Amazon or whatever.

Even successful books published by real authors in a traditional format only sell 1000 - 2000 copies. This is a successful book. Not a shit book. Most books don't sell this much.

Your self published book will sell in the tens of copies unless you market it.

Maybe? What we see in publishers/literary agents sites is that they don't want you to send something published elsewhere or featured online at all so, if they like your novel, having "official" stories in the same setting floating around could be bad I guess.

what's this cutie's name?

You misunderstand. I don't mean that traditional publishing lets you revise your work once it's out there. That's just not a thing — even if you self-publish, the first edition of your work will be looked at by the industry as definitive. I mean that if you put garbage in front of a publisher, they'll tell you "no," and you'll learn from that without suffering.

If you put garbage on the internet, it can haunt you forever.

Bet you'll be loving all the fame when you're dead

>If you put garbage on the internet, it can haunt you forever.

No it won't, because nobody will give a fuck and you can take it down whenever you want, before trying again. Unlike if a bad book gets published through big name companies. And simply being told "no" like they do will teach you nothing at all.
And I didn't misunderstand anything.