My Hybrid Author Journey: A Progress Report

As I shared earlier this year here, after three decades as a traditionally published author, I decided to do something very different for my next novel: I set up a small publishing house to self-publish it. In other words, I went hybrid, a term used to describe an author who publishes both traditionally and independently. 

 

As I write this, I am a month out from the release of my first self-published book, Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women. I’m thrilled that, so far, the book is selling consistently and is getting positive feedback from readers. I’m also thrilled that there have been relatively few wrinkles in getting Unnatural Creatures out into the world, knock wood. But then again, I jumped into my hybrid author adventure with one big advantage: I’ve worked as a book designer, illustrator, and author for over three decades. 

 

Even with all my professional experience, self-publishing a book is an extremely different experience from my agent selling a manuscript to an editor and the publisher taking it from there. To start, there’s the whole kahuna of book distribution, production, and marketing, as well as the reality of making the finances jive. So, in the interest of full disclosure, here’s a short list of what worked for me as a hybrid author . . .  and what didn’t. 

 

WHAT WORKED: 

 

1. Unnatural Creatures is the same genre as my traditionally published debut novel The Lost History of Dreams: a literary gothic. This made marketing easy because readers already knew what to expect from me. It also made it easier to get attention from established press outlets such as Foreword, The Chicago Review of Books, CrimeReads, The Big Thrill, and others. It also helped the I chose a publication date in early October, when journalists were seeking spooky books to feature for Halloween.

 

2. Membership in the IBPA—the Independent Book Publishers Association—was worth every cent and then some. I opted to join as a small press, rather than as an author. This enabled me to take advantage of numerous discounts and benefits. For example, IBPA members are afforded five book set ups and uploads per month at IngramSpark for print on demand, which saved me hundreds of dollars. The IBPA also offers educational videos, podcasts, and tutorials for getting your books out into the world. 

 

3. A NetGalley account was also worth the investment. For those not in the know, NetGalley distributes electronic book galleys to reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and other publishing influencers, who then post pre-publication reviews on Goodreads, BookBub, and social media. Though a NetGalley account can be a pricey proposition, the IBPA offers discounted access. There are also NetGalley co-ops, such as the Victory Editing Co-op [5], that offer short term access to NetGalley. 

 

4. How do I love Kickstarter? Let me count the ways. First off, not only did my Kickstarter for Unnatural Creatures enable me to gauge interest in my novel and build buzz, it raised enough money to cover much of my publishing house start-up costs. Plus the Kickstarter community is warm, welcoming, and filled with like-minded creative souls. 

 

5. Finally—and most importantly—Unnatural Creatures was launched into the world with the help of many people. Here’s just a few examples of the astonishing generosity I received:  

Bottom line: self-publishing doesn’t mean you do it all by yourself. 

 

WHAT DIDN’T WORK (OR THE JURY’S STILL OUT):  

 

1. Printed mailers were very pretty to have, but ultimately didn’t move the needle much. Plus they were a lot of work to design as well as pricey to produce. I ultimately ended up relying far more on NetGalley and emails. 

 

2. Because Unnatural Creatures is a feminist retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I designed a free e-book of Frankenstein that included the first chapters of Unnatural Creatures with purchase links. My plan: distribute the e-book on Amazon, Apple, and other e-tailers to build buzz and pre-sales. Smart, right? Nope. First off, though Frankenstein is in the public domain, the e-book was rejected by every e-tailer save Amazon due to possible copyright infringement. Then Amazon wouldn’t let me price the e-book as free because they charge for digital downloads. Worst of all, my Frankenstein ebook popped up as their first hit whenever someone searched for Unnatural Creatures—I can’t bear to think how that may have affected preorders. I ended up pulling the ebook off Amazon in a panic. But not all was lost: I later gave away the ebook as a newsletter subscriber freebie. 

 

3. A Goodreads giveaway was great in building up interest: Unnatural Creatures is now on over 8,000 readers’ “Want To Read” lists, woohoo! However, it’s unquantifiable how many—or few—of those readers purchased the book upon publication.

 

So that’s the latest from my hybrid authorship adventure! I’m sure in another month, I’ll have even more insights. For now, I’m pleased to have survived publishing my first book—and I’m already thinking ahead to what I want to publish next. 

 

~~~

Kris Waldherr teaches at The Writers Circle and is the author of numerous books for adults and children including The Lost History of Dreams, which received a starred Kirkus review. Her latest novel Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women was published last month by Muse Publications LLC and is available in e-book, hardcover, softcover, and audiobook. Unnatural Creatures was named an Editor’s Choice at the Historical Novels Review, a CrimeReads most anticipated fall book, and a Reader’s Digest’s top 25 book for Halloween. Learn more at ReadMuse.com.