Publish Yourself
By Tom Chalmers
When I was asked to meet self-published author Alan Palmer, I was intrigued.
This was partly due to the title of his novel, The Reluctant Nudist (inspired by The Accidental Tourist), and also because setting up a new press (as I did) and self-publishing have many similarities.
From my experience, self-publishing has ranged from the very poor – maybe friends buying five or six copies – to the professional and fairly successful – perhaps selling 500-800 copies. With so much available online, the whole process is readily achievable, though, of course, many companies have jumped on the trend and are offering services that writers needn’t pay for but, in their desire to get their work into print, too often do.
And so I met Stoke Newington resident Alan in the White Hart to discuss how he found the self-publishing route and to see the book. Like many, Alan, a freelance writer for businesses, had grown frustrated with approaching publishers and agents (and no doubt waiting several months to hear back, if at all). Realising the opportunities via the internet, he decided to self-publish his novel – a light but well-written and highly entertaining read involving a couple who find themselves at a French nudist camp after they inadvertently arrive there during the night. A good holiday read.
Having written and edited the novel, Alan then arranged three printer quotes as well as a typesetter (who provided proofs). He also had a book cover designer friend who worked on the jacket and provided several versions, of which he chose one following consultation with friends. Having got someone to model for the cover photo – for the price of two bottles of champagne – and a barcode and ISBN number online, everything was set up to go.
Having had some doubts, as mentioned earlier, I was pleased to see a really competent and attractive final product. Too often, from cover to text, books scream out ‘self-published’, but The Reluctant Nudist is as close as it’s possible to get to a traditional publisher’s title on the bookshelves. This is probably due to fact that Alan took the time to do some research and pick out a selection of titles in which he either liked the cover or typesetting, and these formed the basis of his novel’s design. I’m sure he also benefited from choosing a good printer and typesetter, rather than taking one of the ‘complete package’ services. The printing price was a little higher than a traditional publisher would pay, but not too bad at all. Some companies are charging up to £3 per self-published copy, which is ridiculous – it shouldn’t be over a pound per book for a reasonable print run.
So with the books printed, the next issue for a self-publisher is storage. We have a distributor where our bulk copies are stored, but this is extremely difficult for a self-publisher with a single novel so, as with Alan, it becomes a matter of finding somewhere around the house or flat to put them. If you live with a partner, I would suggest first checking how solid the relationship is before squeezing 3,000 copies into every spare corner of the property.
I suggested getting in touch with the major wholesalers, which is one potential avenue, though they are often loath to take on a single title and, even if they do, will only stock a small amount at the outset. Alan said he would look into it, though storage and distribution can be one of the major obstacles for a self-publisher and must be planned right at the start, or a logistical nightmare is the likely result.
Now with the copies stored, it’s just a case of selling them, backed by a strong publicity campaign. Easier said than done, of course, and this is where initiative is the key. It can be hard for small and even large publishers to get their books into the shops, and it is infinitely more difficult for an unknown self-publisher to have their title stocked.
So, as well as tying up the local scene, it is vital for a self-publisher to find alternative outlets – something that Alan has done. By getting in touch with naturist sites, specialist magazines and newspapers and setting up a website (www.reluctantnudist.com), he has so far managed to sell 700-800 copies (which as mentioned earlier, seems to be at the upper end of the self-published scale).
This is an excellent achievement, and no doubt helped by the well-produced and written book. By this point, I am brimming with ideas for pushing sales, coverage, different outlets etc – I love new projects and rarely shut up once started on them. Alan noted down a few ideas and said he will look into them, though it is difficult to juggle a full-time job with promoting a book. Like many self-published authors, I believe his ambition is to get the novel picked up by a traditional publisher.
Alan has clearly done a good job and I wish him luck with the novel, which with a fair bit of work could do very well. Plus, all this helps to keep me on my toes if I want to stay at the top of the publishing tree around here.
Tom runs Stoke Newington-based Legend Press
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