Self Publishing or Small Press, Which is Right for You?

Self Publishing or Small Press, 
Which is Right for You?
Guest post by Michelle Birbeck

A lot of authors are taking the DIY route with publishing these days, and some of them are even making good money at it. There’s a lot to be said for going it alone, too. No editors to ask you to change things. No contracts to sign where you only get a certain amount per book. No one telling you that the cover you want isn’t what you’re getting because it’s not something that’s popular or saleable at the moment.

And perhaps one of the biggest lures of self-publishing; no rejection letters.

I like the sound of that! One of the hardest parts of becoming an author for me was the rejection letters. Time after time I sent my work out into the world only to be told it wasn’t good enough, wasn’t what they were looking for. In some cases it was clear that the work hadn’t even been read.

So I can certainly see the allure of self-publishing. But it isn’t all click a couple of buttons and start making money. If you want to do it properly, then you need to do it right. This is where some of the downsides of self-publishing come into play. It might be nice to not have editors telling you things need to be changed, but if those things really do need to be changed? Plot holes that you can’t see because you’re too close to the work? Spelling mistakes you’ve gone over time and time again but still missed?

I can’t tell you how many times I went over my own novel before my editor got hold of it. Countless. Yet when it came back, I’d missed basic spelling mistakes, grammatical errors I didn’t even know existed, as well as plot holes and timeline errors. So as much as it will hurt your bank balance (unless you’re lucky enough to have a good friend who’ll do it for free!), it is worth paying for an editor.

Then on top of that, you’ve got blog tours to organise, marketing and distribution to organise, signings and talks to set up. All to be done whilst you’re working on your next novel, and maybe even at the same time as holding down a job and taking care of a family.

Yet there’s another option that people seem to forget about. The publishing world isn’t just self-publishing and traditional publishing. There are small press publishers, too.

Where self-publishing is strictly DIY, traditional publishing the opposite, small press publishing is somewhere in the middle. You don’t need an agent, so no rejection letters, and though there’s no guarantee your work will be accepted, the small press people tend to be a lot nicer about things.

There are also some advantages of going with a small press publishing house. If you get a full service one they’ll provide editing, marketing, distribution, cover design… all the things you’d have to pay for with self-publishing or have little to no say in for traditional publishing (unless you’re earning them millions like Anne Rice or JK Rowling, in which case I’m pretty sure the publisher asks how high when they say jump).

So which one is right for you?

If you’re serious about becoming an author then it’s always best to weigh all the options. Look at the pros and cons of each. Check out which option will earn you more, which will cater to your needs and provide the right package.

For me it was simple. I don’t have the time or money to invest in self-publishing on any kind of novel length scale, but the finances of a traditional publishing deal weren’t right for me either. So small presses, with royalty based earnings and full service was perfect. For me.

The key questions I boiled it down to are these:

Do you have the time to invest in self-publishing? Time for finding editors, marketing, organising blog tours.

Do you have the money to invest in self-publishing? Paying for distribution, editors, marketing and advertising.

If you answered yes to those questions, then it might just be that DIY is the way to go. If not, then look at the other options, see what’s out there, and above all, do what’s right for you, not what everyone else is doing. 

About the author:
Michelle Birbeck has been writing and reading her whole life. Her earliest memory of books was when she was five and decided to try and teach her fish how to read, by putting her Beatrix Potter books in the fish tank with them. Since then her love of books has grown, and now she is writing her own, and looking forward to seeing them on her shelves, though they won’t be going anywhere near the fish tank. When she’s not writing, she’s out and about on her motorbike, or sat with her head in a book.  

Find out more at MichelleBirbeck.co.uk and on Twitter.

This post is part of a weekly feature of guest posts about various topics related to writing and publishing. If you are interested in doing a guest post, please contact me.

Most recent post - With All the Publishing Options, What's an Author to Do? by Monique Domovitch.

While you are here, please also check out the previous posts included in this feature.

A "Deleted Scene" from The Last Keeper by Michelle Birbeck

Missing Bits and Alternate Scenes
Guest Post by Michelle Birbeck 

During any editing process there are a number of things that get cut, rearranged, and reworded. But some of the things I cut were done so well before The Last Keeper even got to my publishers, and well before I was ready to send it out into the world.

I do have one particular favourite when it comes to the things that were changed. Before the Keepers’ gifts were determined, whilst I was still planning and plotting and making it up as I went along, I had a different ending.

When Ray and Serenity first met and their relationship progressed, Serenity ended up pregnant, the result of which was Lizzy. Her birth was, at the time, the key to resurrecting the Keepers. Here’s a little bit from what I wrote before it all changed:

For almost eighteen years she was the only thing keeping me going. Every morning, I got out of bed and saw her smile, and every morning it was uplifting in a way nothing else was. My beautiful daughter, with her strange coloured eyes and my hair, so unusual, so utterly perfect. And yet so completely heartbreaking.

“Mother?” She was standing in the doorway, her smile replaced with a frown. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m fine.” As fine as I ever was.

“Can I talk to you?”

She stepped into the room, wringing her hands as she made her way to sit opposite me.

“Of course you can,” I told her. Concern grew in me when she stayed quiet, my Lizzy was rarely quiet. “Honey, what’s the matter?”

She looked up, and there was something in her eyes that I thought I knew, but it couldn’t be. “I… I think something’s happening to me.”

Hope froze me to the spot. Fear helped me stay there. “What do you mean exactly?”

A great smile lit up her features, and she disappeared. One second she was sat in front of me, the next she’d moved to the doorway. I followed her movements easy enough, saw her stand, move, and then lean against the door, but my mind refused to comprehend what was clearly happening to her.

“Are you…” Not wanting to hope but feeling it anyway, I left the rest of my question unsaid.

“Yes. I think I might be maturing.”

My heart stuttered. It couldn’t be. After all these years, all the loss and desperation, my daughter was maturing.

“And you know how I can see things and dream things?” She didn’t wait for me to acknowledge her. “Well, I can see others. Sammy and her cousin. Our cousins in France, and your friend’s daughter over in Africa.”

As she rattled off a list of people we both knew, all I could think was; your father would have been so proud.

Of course, it’s unedited, and this was long before Serenity’s gift and Lizzy being who she is, but it is one of the parts I did love very much. However, I thought it was just a little too mean to leave in, letting poor Ray miss out on his daughter’s entire life like that. And besides, the Keepers’ gifts were born, and Lizzy still got to be in the book.

The Last Keeper by Michelle Birbeck
Published: May 3, 2012 by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House

Fifteen hundred years ago, Serenity Cardea took the life of the only vampire she ever regretted killing—Henry, her sister’s husband. With her sister brutally murdered, Serenity had little choice but to grant Henry the only request he had: death. Centuries later, Serenity is no closer to discovering who betrayed them or instigated the massacre of her brothers and sisters.

The vampires want dominance—over their food, the other races . . . the world. To get it, they’ve systematically hunted down and slaughtered the only ones standing in their way. The Keepers.

As a Keeper, Serenity is tasked with protecting the delicate balance between the creatures of the world: Vampire, Witch, Were, and Human. Her kind exists to ensure that no single race sways the balance, dooming the world to destruction.

They're on the brink of extinction, with no sign of return. Now only two remain, and Serenity’s last brother is facing death, leaving her standing alone against a never-ending tide of vampires, all wanting one thing: power.

Then she meets Ray Synclair, a history professor in training with a passion for centuries past, and the harsh reality of her limited time comes crashing down on her. He is her weakness. His mortality is the countdown on Serenity’s life, and with each passing second, it comes closer to the end, for both of them.

She must uncover the secrets of her people’s past and find out who betrayed them—and who is still doing so—before it’s too late.

Serenity’s days are numbered, and Ray will be drawn into a world of myth and legend, where just being alive is enough to get him hunted down.

Because the only way to kill a Keeper is to kill their partner . . .



Find out more about Michelle Birbeck.