The debate is one of the hottest in the authors’ world; you can have a look at every writers’ page on the internet, and you’ll be able to find numerous – and often – contrasting opinions. Ed Jowett and Leo Cosh from Shadow of Vengeance spoke of self-publishing in front of a crowded and interested audience at MCM Comiccon London 2019.
The dim Creator Stage had just finished to fill up, and the attendee had taken their seats when Ed and Leo suddenly jumped on the stage. “Let’s start from the beginning of my seven-year-long adventure,” Ed said. “You’ve got an idea, you wrote it down and polished. Finally, you decide it’s ready to get published. What do you do?” The people looked around as if they were looking for an answer. “You have to find somebody external to have a look at your work and tell you if it is interesting.” “Somebody to read it is the most important thing,” Leo interjected. “New eyes can find out if something is either wrong or not working.” “Correct,” Ed added, “but I, however, deeply recommend hiring a professional proofreader to finish it professionally. Quite often we don’t see things that another person can easily spot, as we’re involved in the work.” Ed and Leo, then, went through the layout; how your work appeared was important, but it also depended on what kind of writing you were doing. “If you want for a traditional publisher, they usually ask for a certain layout,” Ed said, “but, if you go self-publishing, you have to figure out what you prefer and what is more suitable for your product.” “There’s one stage before publishing your work,” Leo interjected. “You have to build your audience. It helps to sell your product and to figure out how many copies to request.” The marketing process was the most demanding, and it took time for both the writers. In the modern era of the internet, anyway, the possibilities to advertise your book were endless. “You can use Facebook – preferably create a group as the pages aren’t good – Reddit, and Twitter,” Ed said. “There also are a few websites on which you can arrange crowdfunding. If you have a bunch of followers, you can start promoting your product. They usually are happy to help, if they like it.” “Local presentations are very important as well,” Leo added. “You can go to the local bookshop and ask if they’re interested in promoting your book. It may be a challenge to go out and talk about your work for some people, but it’s a very effective way.” The conversation dealt with the publishing companies. They often are happy to send some samples over to you to show the quality of their publications. “Publishing companies can be very helpful in deciding what kind of format you might need,” Ed said. “There are a few companies – bookprinting.co.uk for example – that I regularly used to publish my works. They have good quality, and the price is pretty affordable.”
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