Screen shot 2010-01-04 at 10.05.13 AM.pngThe litany of failure with self-publication certainly outweighs the litany of success. That’s why I was interested in this Publetariat story of how the author sold 10,000 copies of his book Body Types. Anyone who is self-publishing might want to go over and see if there are a few tips they could use.

Body Types stayed in print continuously for 16 years. I didn’t want to keep printing the book, and had handed over the distribution to another publisher, since I had closed our company. Eventually I let it go out of print.

Perhaps 10,000 books in 16 years doesn’t sound like many to you, but it was profitable from publication date. Now, thanks to print on demand and digital printing, Body Types is back on the market with a new cover, happily sitting on Amazon for people to rediscover.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Paul –
    I’m sure you already know this, but for any readers here who don’t, one could accurately rephrase your opening line to read:

    “The litany of failure with mainstream publication certainly outweighs the litany of success.”

    Anti-self-pub rhetoric often overlooks this reality in its rush to paint self-pub as the path more likely doomed to failure. I’m not accusing you of anti-self-pub rhetoric, by the way. I know your mind is open on this and many other issues in trade publishing.

    It’s just that your opening statement is one I see used very often to bolster the anti-self-pub position, so whenever I see it I feel a knee-jerk impetus to respond. =’)

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