We all have expectations when self-publishing a book. We all want the book to do well, we want people to read it, we want reviews and feedbacks, and we want royalties. In short, we want the book to be successful. But what really defines the success of a self-published book? The common parameter for gauging the success of any book, be it self or traditionally published, would, of course, be the number of copies sold, but is it the only parameter?
I personally don’t think so. A lot of how successful a book actually is depends on many more factors than just the numbers. First and foremost it’s what the author’s idea of a successful book is. Now, if Stephen King self publishes a book and that sells about a thousand copies then he would look at it as a gigantic failure but if a small independent author sells a thousand books then he’ll be over the moon. The magnitude of the author’s name, therefore, plays a big part in the idea the author has about what he deems as a decent number.
Then comes the part of what the target readership of the book is. Not every genre sells like hotcakes. You can’t expect a book of poetry to sell as much as, say, a rom-com or YA fantasy. So, if you’re releasing a poetry collection, as I did, then the benchmark for success of your book changes automatically. You’ve got to be realistic about it. You should be aware of the potential of the genre you’re writing and base your expectations accordingly. That is not to say there aren’t exceptions or a trend or a mould cannot be broken, after all, mythological fiction wasn’t a thing until a certain self-published book came out a few years ago, but chances are you won’t be the torchbearer of the change and you just have to accept that fact.
Then comes the issue of marketing. The self-publishing industry is a hugely competitive and overpopulated market and your book will only do as well as you promote it. Not all of us can promote our work in the same way, not everyone has the same tools or opportunities of promotion, and so not every book irrespective of how good or bad they are can become successful in the same way. So, when you know your limitations of marketing it gets easier for you to know what your personal parameter of success should be like.
There’s also the contentious issue of money. Have you written the book only for monetary gain? Is your definition of success for your book subject solely to how much you earn from it? Because if that is so then the self-publishing world might be a hard place for you. I’m not saying that people don’t earn a living only by their self-published books; there are independent authors who are doing great on their own and thriving financially, but the majority of us don’t earn enough from our titles to sustain ourselves. It’s a tough industry and it’s getting tougher with each passing day. Even if you sell a hundred copies a month (which by the way is a good number ) you won’t make enough to get by in your daily life. We all have expenses, we have responsibilities and we have bills to pay, and self-published books often don’t provide you with the amount to meet those requirements.
Why do then people still go for self-publishing considering that the chances of income or even getting your work read are so low and dependent on so many variables? This is the question that brings me back to the topic of this post – what would be a successful self-published book for you.
There is no single answer to it. There are no hard and fast rules or any common denominator or benchmark that can define your success but rather what you want your book to achieve. From a personal perspective, I never had any monetary aspirations from the release of my last book – Songs Of Dusk. I was very clear in my head about what I wanted out of it, and that was to put my name out there. I wanted people to just read the book, get to know the kind of thoughts and emotions that drives my writing, and leave their honest feedback on whichever platform they liked. I wanted the reviews and I wanted to connect with my readers at a very emotional level, and I guess I achieved both of it. So that made Songs Of Dusk a success to me, and why I can say that with absolute certainty is because I was very clear from the very offset about what I wanted to gain with this particular book. I am not saying that everyone would have the same things in mind as I did or that everyone would publish their book for the reasons I did but what I’m trying to say is that one has to be extremely objective while self-publishing.
It’s better to not have any sort of delusions while putting your book out there. Keep your hopes up but your expectations realistic, aim for the sky but don’t fly too high. Let your work take off first, allow yourself the time to adjust to the winds of the self-publishing industry. And most importantly, be transparent with yourself about where you stand in the hustle of independent books. Because at the end of the day it’s only you who will determine how successful you are.
(c) Niladri Mitra 2020
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NILADRI MITRA 