Currently, I am revisiting a book I wrote twenty years ago. I had a few book signings and readings. People actually came out to see me. But I stopped myself from promoting the book, and it fell to the waste side. The reason I stopped is one, I wanted to complete my education; two, I was not ready for being the center of attention and answering all these philosophical and literary questions; and three, the book was not finished, it was still rough around the edges. It was an experiment in futility when taking in all the factors that went into the book. I was going through a lot when I wrote the book. I was too young to have had a diverse background of life experiences. I was an untrained writer. Lastly, I just sat down and wrote the book as a panster, no preparation or planning. All these ingredients thrown into the pot was a recipe for disaster. Now luckily, I didn’t embarrass myself too much. But it still needed a lot of work, and I needed to work on myself. So, that brings me to the premise of this post. I wanted to share with you guys some misconceptions and common mistakes people make when writing a book, publishing it, and marketing it.
Self publishing has become more of a popular alternative than traditional publishing. There are several reasons why. I will try to give examples to help explain my point better. Let’s get it out of our head that if we self-publish we are small potatoes. That’s not the case at all. If you put the effort into marketing your book, you can be just as successful as if you had gone with a traditional publishing house. When I first published, I self-published. It was a quick way to get my book out there and say that I am a published author. But I made a lot of mistakes. Be weary of the self-publishing companies that just want to publish and print your book. They are looking for a payday and to make money off the printing of your book. Some do not offer editing or book design, and if they do, it’s an extra fee. Now, this was twenty years ago, so things were a little different. Some benefits to self-publishing: low barriers to entry; author owns rights and has control; book can be published immediately; books distributed exclusively online; author pays all publication costs; average yearly royalties are $1000 – $1951. This is in contrast to traditional publishing houses: extremely high barriers to entry; publishing house owns the rights and has control; book usually published 1-2 years after book deal is signed; books sold online and at bookstores; publisher pays all publication costs and pays an author an advance; average yearly royalties $3,360.
So there are some Pros and Cons to both self-publishing and traditional publishing. One thing I didn’t like about some self-publishers is that every several years, they want you to sign another distribution deal to keep your book in circulation. And what happened with me is that my former publisher went out of business. So I was back at square one. So you have to watch that and take it into account. Going with a traditional publisher you don’t have to worry about your book ever going out of circulation or having to do another distribution deal. However, self-publishing is a smart way to go as well to start out. This doesn’t mean that it bars you from ever getting your book traditionally published. It may actually help. Traditional book publishers want to see a track record. Unless your a well known public figure or have a large social media following, a traditional publisher may not be interested in publishing your book. If you do not have a public name, they want to see numbers. By self-publishing, you can build a following and gain some book sales. If you’re book sells 70,000 copies, surely a traditional publisher will buy into it. 70,000 is a hypothetical number by the way, but you see my point. As long as you own the rights to the book, which self-publishing allows, you can sell the book to a traditional publisher. They usually want first rights to the book. And remember, just because you’re self-published does not mean a traditional publisher won’t pick up the book. So its something to consider.
The self-publisher I found now is a full-fledged agency. They go from cover design to editing to publishing. The mistake I made the first time was going with this particular self-publisher. The only reason I went with this publisher is because they were willing to publish the book. Even in 2003 I ran into many self-publishers that said they do not publish this type of content. So I was stuck. This particular publisher advertised that they were going to edit the book, but they did not. Just a few suggestions is all they offered. I still had many grammatical errors. Unless you have an English degree or are a veteran writer, I strongly suggest getting your book edited by a professional. Even that can be a challenge. A lot of editors, in 2024, do not want to edit gay content. They say they have no interest in the subject matter or that they have no experience with gay-themed books. And these are Black editors. So hiring a liberal, gay-friendly agency to work with you is very important to your success. It makes a world of difference. Remember, you are the artist, not the editor, not the graphic designer or the marketing specialist.
Another mistake I made the first time around with my 2003 book was the cover art. I choose to use an image of myself, being naked on the cover, exposing my backside, holding a cross of Jesus. It was a big mistake! Not only did it send mixed messages, but it was attempt to be too creative and artsy. There is such of thing of being too creative. That’s like being a Rapper performing on stage with a female model in a beautiful casual dress, and you notice she doesn’t have any shoes on, just barefoot walking around the stage. This just happened at the BET awards Red Carpet event 2024. What is the point of her not having any shoes on? It didn’t fit with the premise of the song; it didn’t fit with the image or brand of the Rapper; it didn’t fit with stage design. There was no point of this beautiful female model having no shoes or socks on. It was an attempt to be too creative. Usually if someone is barefoot on stage there’s a reason tied to the characterization, the story or song, and imagery. My mistake was just that. People didn’t know what to think; is it a religious book; is it about sex; is it a romance novel? And my book was none of those things. It was anti-sex, anti-religion, anti-relationship, and Young Adult to top it off. Everything the book cover was not. So now, twenty years later I’m having the book cover redone with a more appropriate and marketable book cover design. By doing this major adjustment, it will reach my intended audience and keep in line with the book’s theme.
The last mistake I made was title choice. I choose a title that did not reflect the theme of the book. I understood what it meant, but the reader, again, would have been confused. The title of the book was “A Place Where I Lost My Jesus” by Arthur Prodigy. Very confusing. Is it a religious book or what? Although it dealt with religious themes and religious discrimination towards gay people of color, the book was far from a religious book. It dealt with more self-affirming identity and sexual health prevention. But yet, I’m on the cover naked holding a cross of Jesus. It was done tastefully, but it was too much of a title for the story content. And this is a YA book (I say that again). The title has to match the plot, the theme, and premise of the book. It all has to make sense. Another mistake I made was using a pen name that was trendy at the time for what I was involved in. It had no longevity or semblance. When that activity or part of my life was over, so was my name making it obsolete. It didn’t build a following and didn’t relate to a wider audience.
These are things you must consider before publishing a book, especially when you self-publish to get your foot in the door. These mistakes could have ruined my writing career if I didn’t stop when I did. The 2003 book would have made it to an educated audience and I would have been embarrassed. So please take into consideration these things I just pointed out. It makes a difference and can affect your success for years to come. The goal is to sell books, make some money, be respected and have people read your work. Please be smart about it.
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