The #1 Thing You Need to Know in Order to Survive Self-Publishing
The “number one thing” has nothing to do with writing craft or editing or marketing and promotion, although all of these things are crucial to the pursuit of successful self-publishing. It’s not about book covers or sales descriptions or which social media platforms you should show up on. So, what is it?
What you need to know is that not everyone is going to like your book.
I know that you secretly hope everyone will like and/or love your book. Especially if you are publishing your first book. Because you love it. And if you love it, it has to be lovable, right? Plus, there are some books in the history of mankind that seem to appeal to just about everyone: Harry Potter, The Color Purple, The Hobbit, to name a few.
I can understand why writers hope they might have written the next Tale of Two Cities. They’ve put in the work—as well as their hearts and souls—and they’ve educated themselves, studied, researched, followed the rules of marketing and book selling (click here for The Basics). But readers have high standards, so putting in the time and creating a quality product are expected. Readers want all of that and more, and each one of them has an opinion on what makes a great story.
There are a gazillion readers out there, and no possible way to please them all.
This is something you need to understand now so that you can move forward in a smart way. The fact is, your book doesn’t have to appeal to all of humankind.
You don’t need to please ALL of the readers out there.
You only need to please SOME of them.
NEW BOOK!
Staked: A Vampire’s Tale
Can an angel also be a monster?
Surrounded by four walls, without light or space in which to move, Gregorie Babin has become what he envisions as a mollusk inside a shell. Is he alive or dead, or perhaps in some kind of purgatory or hell? The answer lies in a past he no longer remembers. It is only when random forces break him out of this perpetual darkness that he can begin to know the devastating truth—and what it means for his future.
Staked is a young man’s desperate journey to get back home to the ones he loves.
In order to find your readers (those who will appreciate your work), you must also figure out who your readers are. If you don’t know, you’re going to market the book to people who will NOT like it, and you could end up with a bunch of bad reviews. You don’t want that. Even if you figure out who your readers are, you’ll likely encounter a few non-admirers along the way. Everyone gets one- and two-star reviews, and that’s when we have to learn to shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh, well.”
So figure out, to the best of your ability, who is going to like your book, and market it to them. In your book’s description, tell them what they’ll find in the pages of your book: which genre, which tropes, what type of characters and conflicts and pace. For example, for Staked, I have to make sure readers realize that, yes, Staked is a vampire tale, but it’s not horror, not so scary that it will keep them awake with the light on all night.
Everyone gets a few bad reviews. Why? The wrong readers will, on occasion, be attracted to your cover and/or summary, and those people will open your book and start reading it. They may quickly understand that your book is not a good fit for them (they absolutely hate llamas, and OMG, you have one on page 5). Or, it may take them a while before they realize that your book is not a good fit for them (one of your characters falls in love at the midpoint, and damn it, the reader is going through a divorce right now, and don’t you know that love sucks?).
Go look up your favorite book on Amazon, and you will see that I am right. Every book known to man has its share of one- and two-star reviews. And that’s okay. The books survive. Readers continue to read them and love them.
When you market to the right readers, you’ll receive more good reviews than bad ones.
But what if you get more than a few bad reviews?
If you’re getting many bad reviews, you cannot ignore them or talk them away or say that all of those “mean” reviewers are out to get you. You must consider that perhaps you are ahead of the times and readers simply don’t understand your humor or your out-there concept. Or maybe you should have hired an editor like everyone told you to but you wanted to save the money so you didn’t. Whatever it is, accept it and carry on. Continue to write. Continue to learn.
Writers are not born with the rhinoceros skin (thickest of any mammal) we need, but if we truly love writing, we can accept our missteps, and decide to improve upon them. In this way we become better writers.
As you continue to write and receive feedback, believe in yourself enough to stand on your own two feet and accept your weaknesses and flaws. Listen to that inner voice that loves your ideas, your work, your style, and embrace them. Listen to those who tell you “You’ll get where you want to be one day.” Keep searching for those readers who “get” you. You don’t need everyone to love your book, you just need some people out there to love it.
As self-publishers, when we chose to run the company ourselves, we appointed ourself the CEO, and agent, and talent, and marketing department, and sales force. We have to play all of those roles. And while we love our product with all our heart, we must remember that not everyone else will. And that’s okay. We need to write books that appeal to SOME people, and then we need to find those people and let them know our books exist.
That’s really all there is to it. Focus on that, and see what happens.
Kim Catanzarite is the author of Staked: A Vampire’s Tale as well as the award-winning Jovian Universe sci-fi series. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft. Kim lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
