Publishing and Self-publishing: Advice for Writers

How I self-publish (this is everything)

Nakalimutan kong i-repost ito dito.

Earlier this month nag-attend ako ng forum for writers and publishers ng National Book Development Board. May mga sikat na personalities sa publishing industry na nag-attend, at nag-share ng mga experience and knowledge nila. Nandun din ako para matuto at makinig. Nung tapos na ang mga talk, audience members got to ask some questions, at lumabas dun ang mga concerns nila sa hirap ng publishing.

Nag-post ako sa Facebook after the forum. Eto yun:

Another post-NBDB kapihan thought: (Because more than one person approached me after and said I should have said something)

So a bunch of concerns were brought up about how hard it is to:
1. get a book published (self-publish digitally or use POD, you'll be published in hours)
2. make a self-published book look professional (hire Layla Tanjutco,Louie Pilapil or Katrina Gutierrez to edit, Tania Arpa to do book design, illustrators like Richard Cy, Jonnalyn Cabigting, YK Marquez)
3. print books (use Books On Demand, Jmd Copy Prints, CreateSpace and get quality books for minimum order of 1 or zero)
4. find readers (go to Goodreads, Shelfari, Filipino Book Bloggers, google Filipino book clubs, go to ‪#‎nowreading‬ Twitter hashtag, search Filipino book clubs on FB, post your story free on Wattpad, do an Amazon KDP giveaway, set your Smashwords book to free, join Smashwords Read An Ebook Week)
5. promote your book (contact Filipino book bloggers, or hire Book Junkie Joint to do it for you, look up "blog tours" for international blog touring if your book is in English and a preferred genre of the tour operator, set up a blog, set up a Twitter account)
6. distribute your book (put up an online storefront via tackthis.com.ph, join book fairs, join Aklatan, follow Pandayan Bookstore on Twitter, use Xend for shipping, set up a Paypal account and a bank account to accept payments, sign up with Flipreads, buqo, Smartebook, Amazon, Smashwords, Google Play)

Did I get everything?  This is what I do. This is nearly everyone I work with. Today my major publishing costs are editing, design, and promotion. But when I started out I did it all myself (or relied on friends) and spent nothing. (Well, P489 for one CreateSpace proof shipped to Manila, technically. That's it.)

I felt that I couldn't just raise my hand and say this. 

This does not address, for example, concerns about so-and-so publisher noticing my book. Or so-and-so bookstore stocking my titles. Or so-and-so award giving body recognizing my stuff. Or so-and-so government agency supporting my art more. Or why I can't become like JK Rowling already (haha). Those are valid concerns, but they're not on the top of my list. My goal is to be read by as many people as possible, and this is how I do it.

Because this is what I do, and it costs me almost nothing, I get to focus on writing stories that make me happy. And even when I write something that is more "commercial", I'm still able to do it happily, with "integrity" intact. Because everything else is no longer a problem.

(With inputs from Honey de Peralta Nida Ramirez thank you!)