Biggest Self Publishing Companies Not Necessarily the Best

It's no secret that MindStir Media is widely considered a medium-sized self publishing company. I discuss self publishing with authors nearly every day and I can tell you that there seems to be an obsession among some authors -- an obsession over the size of self publishing companies. Some authors believe -- or they've been told -- that bigger is always best. They compare self publishing companies, trying to compare apples to apples, but the truth is that MindStir, for instance, is very different from the rest of the companies. For starters, MindStir includes ongoing mentoring from best selling author J.J. Hebert. So MindStir doesn't just offer self publishing services; it offers mentoring as well. No other medium-sized self publishing company offers this level of personalized support. MindStir is small enough to still remain highly personalized and big enough to offer its authors many unique publishing opportunities.

Why not go with a large self publishing company? Based on everything we've heard from other authors, the largest self publishing companies tend to treat their authors like numbers. I don't know about you, but as an author myself I wouldn't want to work with an impersonal publisher. Writing is a very personal journey for the most part, so the best self publishing companies are the ones that will take the time to get to know your book and offer solid ongoing advice. The latter is MindStir in a nutshell. Yes, it's true that many times the largest publishing companies will not give your book the attention it deserves. How can they when they are in the process of publishing hundreds or thousands of other books at once?

Be careful in assuming that biggest is best in the self publishing industry. If you want the most attention with many great opportunities I highly suggest going with a medium-sized self publishing company like MindStir Media. Good luck!

Self-Publishing: A Brief Overview

One of the biggest aspects of self publishing that sets it apart from traditional book publishing is the fact that with self-publishing you remain in control. The best self publishing companies -- like MindStir Media, for instance -- allow you to have creative control over your final product. This means you call the shots with respect to your book cover design as well as your interior book design. It also means that the content of your book, the actual text, will remain intact and unchanged. Many traditionally published authors will tell you that they dislike how traditional publishers, particularly the editors, ultimately decide which text will stay and which text will go. As an author myself I can tell you that I would never want to be overruled by an editor. It's one thing to receive professional suggestions from an editor; it's another thing entirely to be controlled by an editor. With professional editing via self publishing services the author will usually see track changes and get to approve or reject the editor's changes. The control is still with you the author!

Another huge difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing is the speed to market. Even if you land a deal with a traditional publisher you'll probably have to wait 1-2 years for your book to be released. Self-publishing, on the other hand, can be done in as quickly as a few weeks -- or if you're really serious and want to take advantage of professional self-publishing services you're looking at about 30-90 days to the launch.

One more fact that originally attracted me to self-publishing is that you get to keep your publishing rights. With a traditional contract, you essentially give away your publishing rights by signing an exclusive contract with the publisher. For the duration of your contract you won't be in control and you won't be able to publish anywhere else. If the book doesn't do well in the market you'll basically need to wait for the contract to expire before you're able to seek publishing alternatives.

The final example of self-publishing superiority is in the profits. You might see 10% royalties from a traditional book publisher, while self-publishing, depending on the scheme you choose, could put 100% royalties in your pocket.

So that's self-publishing in a nutshell -- not everything there is to know about self-publishing but instead a brief overview that should prove helpful.

Self-Publishing Shouldn't Mean Cheap Publishing

There are a lot of self-publishing providers out there nowadays. Many of those companies offer "low-cost" or "cheap" publishing services. As an author myself, I know how tempting it can be to choose a cheap service instead of a premium service. I struggled with this early on when I was putting together my own book, Unconventional (this was before I started offering services through MindStir Media). One company said it could publish my book for $1000 (including the cover design) and someone else offered to design the book cover for the $1000. $1000 for only a book cover is a little steep, but this professional's work was far superior to the cover design samples from the other company. I decided to go with the premium book cover design. It set me back $1000 but I wanted quality and I was willing to pay for it. I wasn't writing or publishing as a hobby; I wanted to make a living from it. I honestly believe the book cover for Unconventional has helped attract sales. I've sold over 100,000 copies of Unconventional to date, so I'm very pleased with the outcome...

If you're serious about your writing career and you want others to take you seriously, you absolutely need to focus on quality. Premium self-publishing services usually command premium prices but the money is well worth it in the long-run. If you use a cheap book designer, for instance (or a cheap printer, etc. etc.), and aren't willing to invest in your book, why would anyone be willing to invest the $10 to $15 it takes to purchase your book? Your cheap-looking book will scare away potential customers and you'll be very disappointed with the outcome. The old adage stands true for self-publishing: You have to spend money to make money.