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9 Huge LIES about Self Publishing Nobody Talks About

Bookfox

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These are some common misconceptions about self-publishing, and in this video I try to set the record straight.

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Timeline:
0:00 Intro
0:08 Self Publishing is for Authors Who Can’t Get Traditionally Published
2:10 Traditional Publishing does your Marketing
3:16 Self Published Books Can’t be High Quality
5:16 Self Published Books Don’t Sell
7:51 You Can’t Make a Living Self-Publishing
11:02 You Can’t Get a Self-Published Book into Bookstores
12:51 Self Publishing Limits Your Career Prospects
13:53 Self Published Books aren’t Taken Seriously by Readers
14:25 You Need a Huge Platform to Succeed

20 Comments

@Bookfox Creator 5 hours ago Pinned

You have ONE WEEK left before Bookfox Lab starts! If you want to publish a great novel, click the link:
https://thejohnfox.com/bookfox-lab/

@beescheeseandwineplease889 1 year ago

I recently read a book from a local author that was so clean and well edited, and the cover was so well done I assumed it was traditionally published, but to my surprise I later found out it was self-published. That is when I changed my mind about self publishing.

@Falconlibrary 1 year ago

I have two friends who are published authors.
One is a traditionally published author of crime thrillers.
The other is a self-published author of crime thrillers.
Both pay for their own marketing, but only the second one makes a full-time living from writing, because self-publishing allows her to keep 70% of the revenue her books generate.

@AlienSpaceCat123 1 year ago

I'm a self-published author who struggles with marketing. Your "Your First Best-Seller" course has been a game-changer for me. I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

@YanisNiederegger 1 year ago

Never stop making videos. You are so criminally underrated

@squeakyscauldron 1 year ago

And for self pubbed books in bookstores- I live in Dubai. Kinokuniya is by far the largest bookstore here. It is STACKED with self pubbed books. Makes me so happy every time I go in.

@sethlowen2303 1 year ago

I definitely regret going with a traditional publisher. There was so much back and forth on the editing process that the book hardly sounds like my writing style anymore. They pretty much flat out said all the advertising would be on the author (this was after I already signed the contract). And it took almost three years to get the book published.

I’m only a year into the publication and it’s been such a terrible process. Thankfully there’s an exit clause in my contract, but the publisher is being stubborn about it. There’s a good chance I may need to find legal help to get out of this.

Needless to say, I’m definitely going the self publishing route next time.

@arissarox 1 year ago

As an editor, I appreciate the copyeditor love!

@celestialshannon 1 year ago

My friend self-publishes multiple Romance books a year and as of a year ago was making $2k a month, so it's probably more than that now. She told me that each book she writes is an advertisement for her other books; if someone likes your book they'll search for what else you've written. She does the covers and editing herself and cranks out these e-books quickly, but she has grown a large base of dedicated readers who love her work.

@dorysmith2776 1 year ago

As a reader, I never look at the publisher before I choose a book. However, I expect self-published books to have editing errors I will have to overlook.

@andrewteichroeb8886 1 year ago

Being a self-published author is no different than being an independent musician.

@gardenmouse99 1 year ago

Both copy editing and cover design are extremely important for self-publishing. As a reader, I never judge a book by its publisher, but I do judge it by its cover, because that’s what the cover is there for (however, as a book designer, I might be biased)

@JamesFleming1 1 year ago

So glad I stayed until the end, where you dropped a real pearl: your platform is your books. 📚

@MarkNiceyard 1 year ago (edited)

Hooray, I sold 5,500 copies of a self published book within 7 years. In Germany. And I still sell one a day.
This video is pretty good advice in my eyes as a self publisher of pen & paper role playing and table top games since 1998.

@IanHollis 10 months ago (edited)

Self-PUBLISHED. Traditionally-PUBLISHED. The key word is PUBLISHED.

@wilsonharp3340 4 months ago

When I first started writing about 14 years ago, I self-published and a couple of years later, a good friend of mine, who was trying to get traditionally published, asked me how I was paying bills because “no self-published book sells more than 300 copies.” That’s what she had been told by the publishing house she was working with.

I pulled up my current month on KDP, we were near the end of the month, and showed her for my new release, I had sold over 1500 copies.

She is now self-publishing after struggling for 8 years to get her first book traditionally published.

@TJOHareBT37 7 months ago

Genuinely impressed that you are positive about self-publishing. I love your energy

@jamesballard42 1 year ago

A quick kudo out to you for making super tight videos with almost zero fluff. Even when you pitched your course in the middle, it was over before it started. Oh, and your content kicks ass!