Just to get it going and test the waters I'm very much considering going POD (publish on demand) for my first book when I feel it's ready. I'm lucky in that my family as well as several friends are very much into writing and have offered to help me do final edits, proof reading, ect... So I guess my question really should state "Is POD the way to go for someones first book?" edited::: I've also had quite a few people tell me to go Kindle. Your thoughts?
I self-published my first book and I have to say that if you just want to tell stories, there's no greater venue. Setting up a KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) account on Amazon takes no more than a matter of minutes and you could have your first book published on their website within 48 hours. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend POD for someone's first book. It just happened to work better in my situation. I'm lucky enough not to rely on writing as a full time job but if I did I might weigh out my options before going through a POD route. Self-published authors aren't viewed in the same light as those who ventured down the traditional path. I'd say the only thing that should weigh on your decision is your level of seriousness. If I may be blunt, "testing the waters" on your first book may leave you with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. Your motivation might dwindle and your desire to create may be lost if the initial results aren't to your liking. Think about how serious you are about the future of your writing while weighing out the pros/cons of each option before jumping into a somewhat hasty decision. If I could take my knowledge now and give it to myself 1 year ago my decision to self-publish would not change. But yours might.
why would you give up on being 'really' published before even giving it a good try?... how do you know your first book [or second, or ninth] won't be good enough to snag a paying publisher?... if everybody thought that, no first time novelists' works would ever be published by traditional presses...
What if I was to self-publish in E-format under a pseudonym? I'm thinking of doing that for some stories of mine, as in just a way to get them out there, rather than suffer the slings and arrows of publishing rejection.
I've never been published but I agree with Mammamaia too. I would want to at least try and do the leg work first. You'll probably run into disappointment no matter which way you go but I think you will have a better shot with your first novel if you are able to publish traditionally. They are professionals for a reason and you could learn some valuable tools of the trade with their help.
To me, self-publishing is the worst of both worlds. If I want to get published, I want to get _published_. If I want readers and I don't care if I make any money, I'll post my writing on my blog. If I self-publish, I won't make any money, but since readers would have to pay before they can read, I won't get any readers. And since I've used up first publication rights, I'll likely never be able to get that work accepted for traditional publication.
If you want to be a proper writer, self-publishing is a pretty bad way to go about it. There are some success stories, like Shadowmancer and Eragon, but those are really in the minority. I think ChickenFreak is right when he says that you are unlikely to get any readers. The exception would be if you had a lot of business sense and a really strong niche you could target. It may be that you're the kind of person who would find self-publishing really rewarding. If you're handy with graphics and fonts, you might enjoy designing the paperback as much you enjoyed writing the story, and you could do it purely as a hobby for your own amusement. Because you wouldn't need design services, you could do it very cheaply too (tens of pounds, plus the cost of whatever copies you ordered). I know a wealthy husband/ wife duo who, once they retired, wrote and illustrated books for their extended family. The editions are really lovely, and I'm sure nephews and nieces will treasure the few copies for many generations. But the key thing is, the authors had full careers and were very well-off, and the self-publishing was just to have fun and fill time. If you're thinking about "testing the water" for yourself as proper credible author, then you will almost certainly end up disappointed if you self-publish. For what it's worth, I've used Createspace for three projects, and everyone involved was delighted with the outcome. Does that help...?
