I’d like to start off by assuring you there’s no big trick to self-publishing your work. I know this from years of personal experience.
I began writing fiction in the mid-1990s, while I was still practicing law.
First, I’ll start off by saying I’m really surprised at how many people are still in the dark about self-publishing. I see a lot of stuff about this on various lists I’m on. How do I go about finding a good self-publishing platform? What’s the best “self-publishing company”? And so on and so forth.
Okay, first of all—I’m sorry. Starting a sentence like that can only mean trouble, right?—what the heck is a “self-publishing company”? When you self-publish, you are the company. You are the author and the publisher. Now, that’s not such a hard concept, right?
Second, there is more than one platform on which to publish one’s work. And the first one everyone talks about is … wait for it! … Amazon.
But Amazon isn’t the only self-publishing platform. At all.
Having said that, you may also be thinking, “Oh, I know. I’ve heard of Nook, Apple Books, Google Play, and [possibly even] Kobo!” But there’s more. Which I’ll get to in a bit.
Did you know that the minute you write down a story, it is immediately copyrighted? (But your copyright isn’t yet registered. But let’s save that for later, too.) You have actual copyrights to something you write online, too. Let’s take a look at the language of 17 U.S.C. § 102(a): copyright protection attaches to “original works of authorship”—prominent among them, literary, musical, and dramatic works—”fixed in any tangible medium of expression.”
Take note of the words “fixed” and “tangible”. Once you have a story down on paper or pixels, it meets the definition.
Now, since you have full control of your copyrights to your work as an indie author, you can do all sorts of things with your content.
You can adapt it into a movie or TV show. You can adapt it into a graphic novel or comic book. You could create a scripted podcast around the characters in your books. You can also create products other than books (think any product, from coffee cups and T-shirts to action figures and posters) that reflect those characters and your brand.
Ugh. Did I just say the b-word? (No, not that b-word!) Brand. I think that’s right up there with the p-word (No, not that p-word!) in terms writer confusion/dislike. I’m speaking of platform.
But, let’s get back to those later, too.
I’m starting with the concept of copyright because that, folks, is your asset. It is your intellectual property (commonly abbreviated as IP). Not the physical book (although, I’m a big fan of print books—no apologies from me on that … so there, I said it).
I’m starting with the concept of copyright because that, folks, is your asset. It is your intellectual property (commonly abbreviated as IP). Not the physical book (although, I’m a big fan of print books—no apologies from me on that … so there, I said it). And the more control you have over that asset, the more you can do with it.
And the Copyright Act gives you what they call a “bundle of rights”. (For some reason, I’m picturing a bunch of asparus held together with a thick rubber band.) This so-called bundle includes adaptation rights, performance rights, translation rights, and the right to publish in various formats. Each of these rights can be included or excluded from your contract.
Without getting too deeply into the more arcane and nit-picky details of the copyright laws, the point is that your IP has value that goes beyond just a book, whether in print, ebook, or audiobook format.
Without getting too deeply into the more arcane and nit-picky details of the copyright laws, the point is that your IP has value that goes beyond just a book, whether in print, ebook, or audiobook format.
What happens when you sign a publishing contract with anyone is that you’ve licensed your rights (or IP) to that publisher.
And here’s something important to consider if you go the traditional publishing route. The publishing contract should clearly state exactly which copyrights you are licensing, i.e., granting to the publisher. And even more ideally, should specify matters like what rights you retain, when the license expires (also known as “rights reversion” or “return of your rights”) takes place and how it is to be accomplished. But, again, since you do want to be an indie author (right?), don’t worry too much about that.
PS: Since I wrote this a while ago, I should mention that I’ve learned since then that these self-styled “self-publishing companies” are intended to help newbie authors who don’t know beans about the publishing industry and/or feel like they can’t handle all the details.
Let me assure as a person who’s done this and with a movement disorder for which there is no cure (yet), you’ve got this. I can help.
And much of the reason for that is knowing people who could help me. Primarily through Sisters in Crime.
But, my point is, get out there (virtually or otherwise) and get to know the business by meeting people. You can save yourself a lot of money/aggravation/confusion by getting to know the business.
Stay tuned for more! 🙂
