Self-Publishing Journey: Part 2

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to my self-publishing adventures! Well, last year was certainly…crazy for just about everyone, I think. After floundering a little bit and adjusting to the pandemic as best as I can, I’ve finally started moving forward on my first printed book once more!

So, in the first step of this journey, I was able to narrow down the little details of the physical book I wanted for this anthology. Now, we can move on to the more exciting part of self-publishing: searching for printers and distribution.

What? You're not thrilled at the prospect of searching through dozens of printers, emailing for quotes, and figuring out how to ship things everywhere?

Yeah, okay, neither was I. In fact, I was (and continue to be) downright terrified. I'd heard the horror stories from other authors and seen the results firsthand on projects I'd edited; but I took heart in the knowledge that, if I planned with backups, I’d manage to get a printed book out into the world.

The eBook, as mentioned, would be taken care of by Draft2Digital (D2D). They're dabbling in the idea of offering printed books, but I'm not on the beta for that as yet. Time to begin the search!

First Step: Narrowing Down the Options

As a new author, I decided on using Kickstarter long ago—both for funding and as a way of distributing the book. If I'm somehow lucky enough to make more than the printing costs (and stretch goals), I'd use it on the next project and just have a cycle of one print book supporting the next (ah, the dream).

So now I scoured the internet, reading up on various printing and self-publishing services (of which there are, I dare say, far too many). I had two issues that shied me away from self-publishing services: not enough choice and not enough control. If I wanted someone else to pick my cover, editor, interior design, materials, and distribution, I'd go hunt an agent and find a traditional publisher. My controlling nature ruled out every self-publishing agent I could find.

I know what I want: I was looking for a (roughly) 300-page, 6" x 9" trade paperback with a 12-point silk or matte, full-colour cover and 50-60 lbs. off-white paper.

You'll get most of those options from the likes of iUniverse, Amazon, Blurb, Lulu, etc.

But not all of them.

Interestingly, I found the sticking point was the matte cover...not that it dissuaded me from still wanting said cover.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

This was something I couldn't find in other writers' blogs: the raw data, the numbers. In Canadian dollars. (If you know of one, please let me know!)

At first, I admit, I liked the idea of Amazon distributing my book—I'd certainly have a lot of reach! But they didn't offer a matte cover and their shipping was grossly inflated for a paperback (and I could only find an estimate). Don’t get me wrong, Amazon is probably the way to go if you want peace of mind and to get your words printed on paper…but I’ve grown cold towards Amazon in the last few years.

The idea of getting a leg-up on distribution appealed to me though, so I started looking into Blurb. I called their customer care department and spoke with Griffin (he was very helpful). They even offered drop shipping for Kickstarter backers! Alas, poor Griffin, I stumped him with that matte cover request (it drove the price way, way up because they'd use a different printer). The drop shipping was only really affordable if the sender was in the US (anything shipped to me would still be costly...then I'd have to ship to wherever else in the world my backers hailed from). A good run, maybe I'd check in again if I wanted a paperback version of a hardcover book, but they didn't suit me this time.

The cuts taken in distributing plus shipping just didn't add up for me, so I thought, let's just look for printing and I'll handle distribution from my end (I suspect my tune will change but, for my first paperback, this looks like the best way to go).

Fellow author and client, Nino Vecia, suggested his printer: Print Ninja. For his gorgeously illustrated, full-colour cover to cover, linen hardcover...totally worth their prices. I’d say if you had any kind of full-colour book, they looked like the best way to go. For a matte trade paperback though...not so much. The shipping alone made me cry inside.

I then began the long hunt of looking for local printers. Unlike Print Ninja and self-publishing services, most printers don't bother with automated quotes. A series of emails and phone calls landed me on Marquis Printing. I spoke with Sarah and she was both courteous and patient (I had a lot of questions...). I'm an easy sell for quality customer service. If you're respectful and genuine, odds are, you'll get my business.

Here's how the numbers broke down for me (all except Marquis were in USD so I had to estimate based on the exchange rate back in February 2020, when I originally started this mad venture:

Provider	Cover	Paper	Price for 250 Copies	Shipping	Total
Amazon.ca	Gloss only	50lbs, creme	~$1,500	~$390	$1,890
Lulu	Matte?	60lbs, cream	~$2,200	~$200	$2,400
BookBlurb	Gloss only	50lbs, creme	~$1,600	~$375	$1,975
Print Ninja	Matte	55lbs, off-white	~$3,400	~$560	$3,960
Marquis Printing	Matte	50lbs, antique white	$1,300	$105	$1,450

For my first print book, and for the specifications I wanted, Marquis Printing made the most sense. A big part of that decision was the concrete numbers: Sarah didn't estimate shipping or give me a formula, I asked how much and she gave me a solid number (I rounded up to the nearest dollar). Now, that final price will fluctuate depending on my actual page count, but I estimated on the higher side for that reason.

So now that I'd settled on who would be printing the book, I had to take a closer look at how I was going to distribute the finished product.

Shipping

I feel like that single word—shipping—hurts the souls of many. I remember the days of living somewhere that...well...wasn't as much on the map as Canada Post would have liked. Heck, busses only came by once in a blue moon. We used to joke that sled dogs delivered the mail...and we were only half joking.

While I now live in a more urban-centred location, my readers may not. Thanks to friends in weird places, I have some experience shipping packages that travel the globe before ending up in their destination. (Why does it always go via Sri Lanka? What is in Sri Lanka, Canada Post?)

I poked and prodded at fellow creators who'd used Kickstarter in the past and (thanks again to Nino) landed on: Chit Chats. Now, your shipping providers are going to vary based on where you are. I'll probably still use the regular post for anyone in Canada (or local pick-up, if that ever becomes safe again), but—especially for the US—Chit Chats seemed the better option. Of course, time will tell.

More importantly at this stage, I was heavily debating the use of local printers because their shipping prices were more friendly. If I'd be paying to ship these books to people, I didn't want to pay a premium to have them shipped to me too.

Let’s not forget—packaging (and tape…don’t forget the packing tape)! This is something Kickstarter highlights when you start a project, but I feel it’s worth reiterating: research what you want to use to ship your book and where you’ll be getting it from! I’m leaning towards Uline.ca just for sheer value in buying bulk (and they have easy-fold mailers specifically for books).

Distribution

With a printer chosen, I had to consider how to get the final product to people. Kickstarter is a great jumping off point...but what about after the campaign?

The eBook through D2D would be distributed to every major eBook distributor in their repertoire—nice and easy. For the print book, however, I had other options to explore.

In the interest of exploring all options, I will say that Amazon does offer their marketplace even for books not printed by their service...for a fee. It's by far the number one online marketplace, touted by many as the only place to sell your book. I, however, may just be a stubborn cow, but I don't like Amazon. When I have the option to buy books literally anywhere else, I take it. I miss stores dedicated to a smaller subset of categories—think less “flea market” and more experienced purveyor of goods. I used to be able to walk into a shop and the people working there could easily—and knowledgeably—steer me in the right direction. I used to get many book recommendations from my local bookstore (at a push, I’d say even Chapters/Indigo used to have this experience…before they started selling candles and home decor).

Anyway, I digress, but before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had inquired with local stores to sell my book on consignment (paying a percentage for taking up the shelf space). That will hopefully be an option again one day. The same, unfortunately, can be said for conventions that I frequent. These were the two avenues I’d hoped to pursue but that looks unlikely until 2022 (maybe we can make the Christmas convention if everyone starts behaving with some modicum of social responsibility, ha).

What to do in the meantime? Now that my site has been moved to Squarespace, selling the book via the website would be simple enough.

In short, I’d be my own distributor which, for now, was doable.

Not very glamorous but it’s a start! The next step will be sorting out the Kickstarter…that’ll go smoothly, right?

Thank you kindly for reading, lovelies, and I hope you have a wonderful day! ❤️