* In the first 10 months of 2012, self-published titles accounted for 3% of total market share in units and 1% of dollars spent.
* 74% of self-published ebooks purchased were adult fiction, 23% of which were romance; just 9% of self-published books were children’s titles.
* 58% of self-published books were bought for less than $1.
Bowker Market Research
Day by day, the publishing industry grows more diverse — and confusing. This is especially true if you choose to go the DIY self-publishing route. In addition to all the work involved in writing your book, you’ll also need to orchestrate editing, publishing logistics (ISBN numbers, metadata tags, etc.), and distribution. And then, of course, there’s marketing — which offers the same creative challenges to us all, whether we are independently or traditionally published authors — or both.
Should you opt to manage the publishing process on your own, there’s a new resource available that promises to provide both practical and inspirational support. Bowker, the official ISBN agency for the United States and its territories, has just launched a helpful new Web site: http://www.SelfPublishedAuthor.com.
The Bowker site is easy to navigate and well organized. It offers checklists of self-publishing must-dos, insider industry advice, suggestions on helpful partnering options, resources for finding professional editing help, and listings of events tailored to self-published authors.
Most impressive, perhaps, is the expert marketing support that the site offers, via some very practical and creative articles written by book promotion pros. I know firsthand from interviews for may small-business start-up guide Birthing the Elephant that marketing is the Achilles Heel of entrepreneurs — and make no mistake, as an indie author, you’re an entrepreneur! — which means you have to sell as well as tell. So if you need practical advice as an indie author and if you need a boost with your marketing, check out http://www.SelfPublishedAuthor.com. And write on!
Useful site! Now I wonder if there’s a sister site for the UK…
Hi! I’m Laura Dawson, and I run SelfPublishedAuthor.com for Bowker. Thank you so much for your kind words – it means so much to hear feedback from folks who are actually doing this work. Calmgrove, we do have plans for expanding to the UK but so far, it’s early days and we’re still fine-tuning SPA.com for the US market. There’s a lot of experimenting yet to do!
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for your note and for the wonderful work that
you are doing! You’ve created a site that is both inspiring
and filled with valuable practical information — the perfect
combination! Many of my writing friends and blog readers have
chosen the self-publishing route. While it’s very gratifying
for them to see their work in print, mastering the mechanics
and getting the word out about their work can be very
challenging! That’s why I was especially impressed with the
marketing articles your site features. They are excellent
and very valuable! I hope you’ll continue to strengthen
this area of your site. I’ll be sure to check back in soon
and give my blog readers an update!
Write on,
Karin