The Self Publishing Industry In India Is Booming. And Helping Authors Boom Too!

Have book, will publish! Self-publishing is a great way to get your book out to its readers. Learn more here on what to do when it comes to self publishing in India.

“The readers are fewer in number today than there were before.” A statement I heard at a recently concluded literature festival. I chose to politely disagree and mentioned that perhaps the number of readers we have today are far more as the number of writers has gone up as well.

So many new writers have emerged in the last 10 years and the material available to the reading audience is far more. One does not need to await a recommendation from someone or hear of a great piece being read by all and sundry to pick up a book. The options today are just a click away. And surprisingly, so is publishing a book.

Harshika Daryanani, Author of Dream It. Live it says, “Self-publishing is a great platform for aspiring authors, especially women, who have a lot to say and often, to other women. One should not be discouraged when traditional publishers don’t respond to emails; to them, the bottom line is profitability. With self-publishing you enjoy creative control, especially if it’s a biography or a personal memoir. Though the popular belief is to go down the traditional publishing route, self-publishing is not that different.’’

Aspiring authors with ready works, can indeed consider self-publishing as a very viable option. Viji Hari, Author of BCC: Behind Closed Cubicles tells us more about her own journey. She says, “My author journey started with a 100 day challenge among a group of 5 friends to become an author. I took 60 days to finish the manuscript of the book and the next 40 days went in shortlisting the self publishing house, contracting, editing, typesetting and book cover design and printing of the books. Yes, self publishing helps achieve your dreams into reality in the shortest timespan!” She adds that her book is now going to be showcased at Delhi and Chennai book fair stalls in January this year. This also goes to show that the difference in promotional venues open to self-publishing and traditional publishing is diminishing.

Valuable tips from self-published authors

1. Learn to let go. You have written the book, read it, reread it and read it again – you’re now actually ready for the next step – letting go of that manuscript for publishing. Send it out and don’t over-think it. Overthinking weakens your resolve!

2. Be open to suggestions but hold on to your ‘voice’. That is the main advantage of self-publishing, so it is best to take advantage of this.

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3. Most marketing as far as self-publishing goes happens online on social media, which can handled by authors, depending on your knowledge, networks and time availability. However, if you do have a budget for it, you’re better off getting the book professionally edited. There is so much we miss when we write that a fresh eye always helps.

4. Your ‘job’ is not done with just publishing the book. The real work starts afterwards. Once the edits are done, marketing the book the right way is very important. Plan a ‘launch’ among family and friends. They will be your first readers. Don’t hesitate to ask for reviews and posts on social media. Most are more than willing to do it for you, especially if you make sure that you are asking people interested in your genre.

5. Be open to criticism, even if you don’t agree with a review – never delete it. Ever. It would only reiterate the fact that you’re insecure. Everyone has an opinion especially in the age we live in; by all means explain your stand point, but don’t try and create a negative backlash. Remember that sometimes no answer is the best answer. This is a success mantra shared by many authors.

6. Self-publishing gets you the ‘product’ but you cannot abdicate all responsibility for sales. If you also want to get your book into bookstores, you will need to find good agents who can handle that aspect.

7. If you have an extra budget over and above what you have spent, you could hire a PR agency for some press coverage. The book gets listed across various media platforms both online and in print. Else, use your connections – send the book out to other writers, editors, ‘influencers’ and ask them for a public review. This adds on to your credibility.

8. Get reviews on sites like Amazon. You will need to give out a few free copies via other sites but the book does get a boost in terms of visibility.

It is a ‘process’, for lack of a better word. You need to be patient. You may hit a jackpot with the first but if you don’t, there is always a next time. It isn’t over till you decide that it’s over. It is perseverance and dedication that got Prachi Joshi Johar, author of Of Desires, Dilemmas and Divinity to move from content creation and brand development to also being a successful author of several books to her credit.

Such musings also shared by Harshika Daryanani, an avid blogger and celebrated author help shed light on the nuances of self-publishing from an author’s point of view. And she sure knows the recipe to success – dance to your heart’s tunes and never ever give up!

Have a book shaping up on your computer and ready to consider self-publishing as an option? Take a minute to fill up this form, and you will hear more from the team over at Notion Press!

Post supported by Notion Press. Top image via Pixabay

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