When I set out to self-publish my book, I almost made a huge mistake. I considered my own reading habits and the fact that I split my reading between my Kindle (other reading devices are available!) and hard copies. This means in paperback, unless I really like the author and then I treat myself to the hardback.
I would probably say that my reading is moving more towards Kindle, not just because it’s lighter to carry around, but also I’m running out of space on my bookcases.
The real reason to have a paperback – an amazing back cover!
So, I merrily began to prepare to publish the book only digitally. I knew most people make good money from ebooks, partly because you get bigger royalties, especially on Amazon’s KDP Select.
Then I had an interesting discussion with someone who is a voracious reader. He said ‘Oh, I don’t have a Kindle’. I was shocked. I hadn’t allowed for the fact that someone who spent a significant amount of time reading might not use a digital device like I did.
I’d committed a serious sin – not correctly identifying my audience. I’d assumed because I live in a book world where lots of people read ebooks that everyone has access to a Kindle or similar. That fortunate conversation really opened my eyes. I was going to lose a big chunk of my potential audience if I didn’t act on the insight I’d been given. Once I’d had this one bit of feedback I spoke to others and found that more people than I thought only read hard copies. In fact, if I’d decided against a paperback my own parents wouldn’t have been able to read it.
My publication plans were changed quickly and a paperback was prepared. And, to be honest, it didn’t take much more work or cost to put the paperback together. My cover designer has a package where you get your ebook and paperback covers included and my proofreader was already working on the content.
Yes, I make less money from paperback sales, but when I recently hit my 100 copies sold recently I found that the majority of those sales had come from paperbacks. This showed to me that it’s less important to consider the cost and instead focus on getting the book into the readers’ hands. Who am I to dictate how they read the book? I’d never have reached 100 sales so quickly (I only published the ebook in October and the paperback in November) without the hard copies.
If you’re starting out in self-publishing, make sure you consider your audience and speak to as many people as you can before you decide what format to publish in. Remember that it is the reader’s opinion that counts in this case, not yours.
The other benefit of publishing a paperback version is that you get to hold it in your hands and sign copies for people. As one friend said ‘It makes it into a proper book’. And she was right. After all, you can’t pose for pictures with an ebook, can you?
You can pick up a copy of my debut novel A Deadly Rejection on Amazon in the UK and US, or Barnes and Noble (US). If you want to keep up with news, views and possibly reviews as well, you can sign up to my newsletter.