Advice on Self-Publishing

Many writers—once they have a strong, well-developed, and edited manuscript—decide to self-publish instead of seeking a deal with a traditional publishing house. And that’s great, but new writers who are at that stage of deciding if self-publishing is the route for them should stop and seriously think about the time and energy that is involved in the process.

For this article, I called upon some lit friends of mine—Sammie Ward, King Dhakir, Electa Rome Parks, and Tamika Newhouse—to offer sound, real advice to those looking to self-publish. Each of these authors has started his or her literary career through self-publishing; some have gone on to traditional publishing success and some have stayed within the independent halls of self-publishing and have developed their own publishing houses that now successfully sell their and others’ works.

Across the board, these authors will tell you that self-publishing is not for the faint of heart, but it is doable if you are determined, if you have a plan, and if you have the drive to administer the plan.

Below are excerpts from each author based on one question I asked: What three pieces of advice would you give to someone interested in self-publishing?

To keep this article from getting too long, I have compiled full responses, bios, and latest books from each authors into a PDF titled “The Write Life for You Presents… Authors on Self-Publishing.” The link for the booklet is at the end of the article.

Sammie Ward, author, founder of Lady Leo Publishing, latest LLP release,

Can a Sistah Get Some Love? [website; book info]

One thing Sammie emphasizes in her response is the importance of promotion:

Learn the Business – As a self-publisher, you are the company; therefore, you have to learn the business side of publishing. No one is going to see your product/s if you don’t do what it takes to get them noticed. Learn what channels it takes to get the titles reviewed, do print interviews, book signings, do radio interviews, get a website, emails blast, reach out to bookstores about consignments to place your books on their shelves, send out a newsletter, mailings. If you have a blog, promote! I can't touch enough on Promotion! Promotion! Promotion!

King Dhakir, author of I Hate My Job [website; book info]

Stop Asking for Handouts – The truth is other authors don’t owe you spit, literally and figuratively.

We live in the Internet age, which means you can find out just about anything with the click of a button.

I negotiated my printing deal just by browsing the net and doing my own research. The time and energy is priceless, and worth it. Why rely solely on lawyers and agents when you can find the knowledge yourself? The knowledge is the life saver to know whether you’re getting cheated by folks who supposedly have your back.

If you can chat on social sites for hours and play games on them, then you shouldn’t have an excuse to cut corners in regards to learning the basics of the publishing business. Knowledge is everywhere, and you have to seek the jewels.

Instead of focusing on authors helping you out, focus on the THREE groups of people below to help your movement:

1)      The Media – press

2)      The Public – promoting

3)      Bookstores – book your OWN signings

King Dhakir keeps it realer than real in his overall response on this question, so definitely check out the booklet to read further!

Electa Rome Parks, author of latest novel, Diary of a Stalker [website; book info]

Initially, I used self-publishing as a vehicle to position my product, gain reader feedback, build my readership base, establish a sales record, learn the industry and key players, and hopefully, in the process, garner the attention of an agent/publishing house. I accomplished all of these goals through self-publishing.

Yes, I would definitely do self-publishing over in a New York minute! For me, self-publishing was like being in the trenches; I worked my butt off and learned such valuable lessons. Now, as a mainstream author, I can appreciate it all the more.

Treat It as a Business – Once you make the important decision to self-publish, you enter the realm of becoming an entrepreneur. You will wear many hats from publicist, marketing guru, bill collector, coordinator, editor, etc. during your venture. Go in with a concrete business and marketing plan in place. Have a vision, know your short and long term goals. Know your target audience and market. Be informed and most of all be professional.

This is your business and your product (book) represents who and what you are as an author. It can literally make you or break you.

Tamika Newhouse, author (latest book, The Ultimate No-No ), founder of Delphine Publications [website; book info]

Go Beyond Cyberspace – You cannot be successful by just advertising online. Build events around your book and get out there in the public and perform book signings. Also know and remember no one is going to promote you more than yourself, so invest in yourself. As long as you never give up, your investment will never go sour.

You can see all the authors’ advice and more by downloading the booklet, “The Write Life for You Presents… Authors on Self-Publishing.” You can download [here]. 

Answering Readers' Questions

This month, I wanted to do something different. Since September 2008, nearly two years ago, I began posting articles here at APOOO based on subjects that I wanted to cover, and for this month, I’m responding to questions that concern you as writers.

Every day, I receive questions from writers. Some of them just want a quick answer, and some have become good friends through constant communication. I never have a problem with answering a question from a writer. If I have the answer, I’ll willingly give it. If I don’t have the answer, I will often go find it and come back to the writer with the answer. It’s about paying it forward, about helping those behind, before, and ahead of me in any way I can.

With that said…here are three questions that writers have recently come to me with. I hope the answers help you out, too.


I find it hard to write every day, but I've read that it's important to do so. I always hear "Writers write." So, if I'm not writing every day, is that a problem?

Quick answer: No, it's not a problem. Yes, writers write, but that doesn't mean a writer writes every day. All writers are not the same. Each writer needs to look at her/his life, examine all the things that must get done in that life, and organize a writing schedule that is conducive to getting the writing done. What's important is not how many days you write, but how productive you make the writing experience. Just as you schedule other important to-dos, you should schedule writing and make sure you shut away all other things while you are writing. Regulate your schedule so that you develop a rhythm for it.


How do you keep up the energy to write after receiving so many rejections and disappointments with trying to get published?

I had to initially laugh at this question because the writer just assumed I had received a lot of rejections and disappointments! Truthfully, I have, and I'll put it out there and say that there have been times when I just stopped writing. I thought, What's the point? No one will ever read it. The stories will sit on my computer forever. And then somehow, some way my love for writing returns, and I manage to forget the heartbreak of literary disappointments. So, how do I keep up the energy to write? My most important asset is my band of writer friends. These are people that I talk to every day and gather encouragement from. I met many of them on Facebook and Twitter, and others from interviewing them, then befriending them. We tend to do writing jags together, share pieces of each other’s writing for quick critiques, and act as drill sergeants to make sure the writing gets done. Another asset I have is keeping writing goals. I try not to let much time lapse between writing projects. You know the saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop," right? Well, when the literary mind is idle, it's easy to fill that mind with negative thoughts--the rejections, the disappointments. By keeping your mind ON the writing, you keep OUT the thoughts that will diminish your energy. At first glance, this next asset might not relate to writing, but believe me, it does; I live life. The unlived life births unlived stories. Living life and doing what you love will fill you with an energy that can push out thoughts of rejections and disappointment and keep you writing.


I absolutely hate writing synopses. Any advice on how to jump in and just get a rough draft of a synopsis done?

This is not the first time I've been asked this, and I'm sure it won't be the last. These days, the synopsis gets a bad rap. And because so many people tend to confuse it with other writing forms, like book back copy, it's going through an identity crisis, too. I talk about synopsis writing in another APOOO article (http://www.apooobooks.com/writing-synopsis-shonell-bacon/), but here's some advice on writing a quick-and-dirty synopsis. It can take you four steps to get a draft you're proud to call a synopsis. First, go through each of your chapters and ask, "What happens in this chapter?" Write about a paragraph or two, summarizing the major plot points of each paragraph. Once you have that done, go through the document, making sure you bring your main characters into the synopsis, illustrate what their wants/desires are, initiate the conflict, and take us through the rising of tension and the climax and resolution (essentially, the story arc). After this, go through the document again, making sure you develop the major plot points and eliminate those parts of the story that are not necessary for an agent or editor to see the overall story arc. Finally, go through the document, making sure it's written in third person. Try to think of the synopsis as a short story version of your novel. Let it have voice, character, style. A synopsis should not be a dry reporting of your story. It should have as much kick and energy as you can develop within it.