Michael J. Sullivan hosts a Q&A discussion

When it comes time to publish my first novel do you suggest I try to get published with the Big-six first or go straight to Self?

You would think that since that is how I found my path to publishing I would immediately say "Yes, self-pubish first," but it really depends.

First let me say that I don't think you can "hurt" yourself by self-publishing. Some say that if you have low sales it will brand you with a stigma. Not so. You can remove the ebook at any time and all rankings, pages, etc disappear so it is as if it never existed.

If you have only modest sales...then you can leave it up and traditional won't think ill or well of you for having it. Basically in such a situation it is as if it doesn't even exist in their eyes.

If you are successful (and that definition changes all the time) then it is a huge bargaining chip. The rule of thumb seems to be if you cal sell 5,000 copies a year then publishers take notice. But...I don't think 5,0000 copies priced at $0.99 will impress, nor probably will 5,000 at $2.99. But if you sell 5,000 at $4.95ish I think they will really want to talk to you.

Now it was awhile ago that I signed my big-six contract and at the time I was shopping my month-to-month had been 1,000 books a month (across 4 titles). Right about the time I released the 5th my sales went to 2,600 (which is what it was at while shopping around). By the time I got to "signing" I was selling 9,500 a month. The key point here is when I got my contract I was doing "good" but not out of this world.

Now the key aspect about whether you should go self-publishing has more to do with your belief in the strength of the quality of the book, and your capability to release it really professionally. I feel that any self-published book should be able to stand toe-to-toe with a book put out by any other publisher. So that means:

* A really good story, that is well executed
* Well edited
* Attractive cover and marketing blurb

If you think you can deliver on those three things then you have the right seeds for success. But they are just that...seeds.

Whether you are self-published or traditional the responsibility for watering and nurturing those seeds fall onto the writer. And yes it can be time consuming. So...you are going to have to weigh that against having time to write other books. While your first one is making its rounds in the "query-go-round"

It's a tough decision and there is no "one size fits all." I would answer it differently for various authors based on their particular situation.

(By the time I got to "signing" I was selling 9,500 a month.)

Were these all ebooks on Amazon?

Thank you for the great information, it helps a lot.

@C.M. - Not all but most. I think about 90% of my books were sold on Amazon and 10% on all the other venues combined.

@Brannigan - glad it helps.