Adventures in Self-Publishing
By Brunonia Barry | July 13, 2011 |
When someone who knows my story asks me if I would recommend self-publishing, I say no, which always surprises them. The Lace Reader’s success story is so often mentioned in self-publishing seminars that it shocks writers to hear that, knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn’t do it again. Don’t get me wrong. I am thrilled with the results. It’s just that there was so much luck involved in the process that I can’t, in good conscience, tell other writers that they should do the same.
Why didn’t I go the traditional route to publishing? Well, I almost did. After an early draft, I sent query letters to a few agents who then wanted to see the book. Both thought it still needed a lot of work, which it did. The problem was, the first agent took almost six months to respond, and the second took almost a year. It didn’t matter that much, because I was rewriting the entire time, but when the book was finally finished, I wasn’t too keen on waiting around for another year to get it published. So we decided to do it ourselves.
My husband and I started a small press to publish local books, both fiction and non-fiction. The first book would be The Lace Reader. The idea was a simple one. We would publish and market the books, and if one of them became a hit in our local area, we would then try to sell it to a larger publisher. The sales numbers would prove marketability.
This wasn’t a new idea. For ten years, we had run an entertainment software publishing company that created brainteaser puzzles. Our products became best sellers and won awards. Eventually, we were picked up by Hasbro.
So the business model was familiar to us. We were already publishers. How hard could it be to publish books? We like to say that we were “emboldened by our ignorance.” We were also incredibly lucky.
It was 2007, and e-books were not yet popular. We decided to print a trade paperback edition of the book, believing that readers would be more likely to spend money on a paperback by a new author than on a hardcover. We explored printing options. There were print on demand companies that would do the work for a fee, but there was a certain look to print on demand books at the time that bookstores didn’t like. We settled on a traditional printer in the Midwest.
While I tested the book with local book clubs, my husband typeset the book (in Word, not an easy task). We hired an editor who freelanced with some of the larger NY publishing houses. We contracted with a local public relations firm, Kelley and Hall. We also hired cover and web site designers.
We realized early on that we needed a distributor. It’s difficult and very time consuming for a new author to sell a book to bookstores and almost impossible if they can’t order it from their chosen suppliers, ones that give them credit and take returns. But our search for a distributor was difficult. There were many small ones out there who fed into the larger suppliers, but none of them would take on a one-book small press. We couldn’t even get it read. They all wanted to see our sales history, which didn’t yet exist.
Our PR firm knew a distributor and made an introduction. One of the partners there fell in love with the story, and they agreed to take on our small press for distribution to the indies and chains. This was our first bit of luck.
We manufactured and sent out 100 advanced reader copies. There wasn’t much response. It was difficult to get any media coverage or reviews for a new author without a request from a big publishing house. Then, with a push from Kelley and Hall and an amazing bit of luck, Publisher’s Weekly decided to read it (at the time they didn’t read self published books, but this was a small press). They gave it a starred review.
We attended BEA with our distributor. We received some orders. Our initial print run was 2,000 copies.
Publishers Weekly got the word out to the trade, but we were still having trouble reaching readers. The book clubs and the independent bookstores were recommending it, but we couldn’t get any consumer media to promote it, and we couldn’t afford the advertising budget required to do so ourselves.
Then, because book scouts read Publisher’s Weekly and saw the starred review, we began getting calls from agents. We assumed that the agents were representing the larger book publishers, but we were wrong. They represented the film industry. Since I didn’t know any of the agents, I immediately called a screenwriter friend in Los Angeles and asked for her opinion. She didn’t know the agents either, but suggested that she give the book to her agent at Endeavor (now William Morris Endeavor/ WME). They read the book and liked it but didn’t like the idea of it coming from a small press or (even worse) of it being self-published. In order to get a decent film deal, they said, we needed a larger publisher. Would we mind if they sent the book to New York and got us one?
Would we mind? Were they kidding?
My new agent quickly set up an auction. The bidding took place over the period of a week. My agent called us with offers. We hardly left the house. In the end, I was able to choose my publisher. I talked to editors, marketing departments, hardcover and paperback groups. They were all terrific. I chose William Morrow. That weekend, my new editor came to Salem to meet us.
When the deal closed, the publisher hosted a champagne party for us at the Harper Collins office in New York. As we were chatting, my husband asked how many self published books they had previously bought. We were surprised to hear that mine was the first. We were also surprised to hear that, had our print run been more than 2,000, they might not have been interested. Higher sales numbers didn’t necessarily mean that the book was a success, they said, it might mean that the book was overexposed, at least from their point of view. Morrow liked the idea of bringing out the book themselves with their own marketing and publicity plans.
Our self-published version of The Lace Reader was only on the shelves for two weeks. Though we had additional orders, we did not reprint. Morrow brought the book out under their imprint almost a year later, in the summer of 2008.
The Lace Reader has been pretty successful. It’s a New York Times and international best seller, and it was the first American novel to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival Baccante Award. It has been translated into more than 30 languages.
I don’t believe that any of this would have happened if we hadn’t self-published. Obviously, I am thrilled that we did it the way we did. The self-publishing to big publisher success story gave the book a marketing hook that it would not have otherwise had. But there was so much luck involved along the way. All told, this was a very expensive process. When our invoices were tallied, it cost us more than $80,000. Even so, we did not have the kind of marketing budget it would have taken to sufficiently spread the word to readers. Without a great deal of luck and timing, we could easily have lost our money.
With the emergence of e-books, the self-publishing process has become more accessible and much less expensive. There are several online venues for promotion that are far less costly than the broadcast and print options available to us at the time. So I have great hopes for this as a way for new writers to break in. But the big problem we faced still remains. How do you distinguish your book from the hundreds of thousands that come out every year? In nonfiction, with a platform to promote, it seems a bit easier. But how do you sell fiction? What makes your book unique?
In order to be successful, a writer has to understand sales and marketing and be willing to step into those roles. That’s a good idea for any writer these days, but it is imperative in self-publishing.
It has been done with great success by a few new authors, and more success stories will certainly follow.
So that’s my story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Would you ever self publish? Do you know any innovative ways to successfully get new books to market?
Photo credit: Tango7174
Français : Château de Chantilly, Oise, Picardie, France. Le cabinet des Livres.
The Cabinet of Books
Brunonia Barry is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Lace Reader, The Map of True Places, and The Fifth Petal, chosen #1 of Strand Magazine’s Top 25 Books of 2017. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages and has been an Amazon Best of the Month and a People Magazine Pick. Barry was the first American author to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival’s Baccante Award and was a past recipient of Ragdale Artists’ Colony’s Strnad Invitational Fellowship as well as the winner of New England Book Festival’s award for Best Fiction. Her reviews and articles on writing have appeared in The London Times, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post. Brunonia served as chairperson of the Salem Athenaeum’s Writers’ Committee, as Executive Director of the Salem Literary Festival, and as a member of Grub Street’s Development Committee. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband, Gary Ward, and their dog, Angel.
Great post! I went to a self-publishing panel discussion at my local library a number of months ago. The headliner was Terry Fallis. Like you, he had one of those stories. He self-published his novel and then sent his last copy to be considered for the Steven Leacock humour awards. He won and was picked up by a traditional publisher. He has since won numerous awards. During the panel discussion, he told a group of writers that he did not recommend self-publishing. It seemed so hypocritical since he would never have become traditionally published if he hadn’t done it himself. But I guess he looked at it the same way you do. Personally, I had an agent and had worked with editors to try to get my novel “right” for various houses. But, it all came down to the waiting. I self-published my novel a few months ago after letting my agent go and hiring a professional editor and photographer. Since then I have been able to have real conversations with real people who have loved my book. I have a lot to learn about marketing, but I’ll keep at it. I’m keeping track of all of the self-publishing ideas I can find in a Scoop It. I think I’ll add this post! https://www.scoop.it/t/self-publishing-ideas
Congratulations, Tara! There is nothing like finally talking to readers who loved your book. I just wanted to tell the whole story (including what it cost us) and let other writers decide for themselves.
“In order to be successful, a writer has to understand sales and marketing and be willing to step into those roles. That’s a good idea for any writer these days, but it is imperative in self-publishing.”
Love this. Thank you for sharing the story behind the story with us. :)
Thanks, Cathy.
I am thinking about self-publishing for basically the same reason you did. It’s so frustrating to have to wait so long for an agent or publisher to respond to you. I actually got a contract offer from a small press this past April. I wanted to make some changes to the contract, which the publisher seemed willing to do or at least work on, and now it’s July and I don’t have a revised contract or even know what is going on. It’s frustrating.
My book is aimed at a niche market and is not likely to attract the attention of a major publisher no matter what I do, so with the options being between going with a small press or self-publishing… well, self-publishing might win.
Good luck with whatever choice you make, Sonje. A niche market might be perfect for self publishing. It’s a platform or sorts.
I’m not at the stage yet where I am thinking about how, or even whether, to publish but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this post. I agree it probably isn’t a recommended route, but sometimes it’s nice to read about a journey just for the pleasure of enjoying the details :)
Thank you, Sarah.
Wow, that is some journey…
What this reminds me of is my boyfriend’s favorite line from Jurassic Park: “Life always finds a way.” Except in this case, it’s that good writing always finds a way.
Thank you for sharing your story. It’s as inspiring as it is informative. No matter what path we end up walking, one thing is clear: we will have to write well and work hard.
Hi Kristan,
I like your boyfriend’s JP quote. I also like your modification. So glad you enjoyed the story.
Brunonia — It is awfully refreshing to hear the complete picture of your experience… I sure like how this piece is neither too simplistic nor too cynical about the marketplace. Feels real. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Yuvi.
When my agent didn’t sell the book she thought she could, and an e-publisher offered a contract back in ’05/’06, I decided to self-publish it and it continues to sell. But I’d rather not do it again. But I would if my book didn’t fit mainstream genres and it needed a home. For my next book, I went with an digital first publisher and while I don’t have the control like I did with my self-pub book, I also didn’t have quite the work. I think all of these decisions depend on the book – writers may find themselves doing all 3 – traditional, e-publish, self-publish.
I agree, Kathy. I think there will often be a combination of sales venues. I know several mystery writers with backlists they are releasing as ebooks. I think they’re doing quite well.
I’ve self-published but went eBook only which, with hindsight, was a bit optimistic. But I love this path – my book has made only a little ripple, but I’m happy and feeling ready to write again. Also went over budget, but that’s because I hadn’t planned properly.
Your post made interesting reading. Thanks for sharing.
Judy, South Africa
It’s great to get our work out there. I think e-publishing is the wave of the future. And I know all about going over budget.
I’m glad you made this post. I’d heard the story of your journey to publication after looking up info on the book (which I got at BEA!), and knew much of it was luck and access to resources that many people don’t have. To encourage them too much to follow your path would make them expect unlikely results. It shows more integrity to recognize that you’re the exception and your way won’t work for everyone.
Thank you, Kristin. I thought it was important to tell the whole story.
Great article! I’ve considered self-publishing short stories in e-book format for the Kindle store. As far as a novel, I don’t think I want to invest that much additional time and money into the process.
Brandi, I think e-books would be a perfect venue for short stories.
I loved the lace reader, how cool to read a post from you! Honestly I didn’t know a thing about the self-to mainstream publishing story when I picked it up…it had a different cover than the one pictured in this blog, but it was just one of those things that caught my eye in a bookstore and I picked it up.
You did such a good job with the whole lace-reading thing that I assumed it was an existing thing–like palm reading or tarot cards. I was so surprised to discover that you created not only the story but the whole concept.
Right now I don’t see myself ever self publishing, but I’m just at the finished-a-first-draft stage so it will be quite a while before I’m ready to submit my book to agents. Ask me again after dozens of rejections and I suppose I might have a different answer. If life has taught me anything it’s to never say never (unless we’re talking about eating cauliflower because I hate that nasty stuff and am never eating it. ha!)
Thanks for the compliments about The Lace Reader, Melissa. And I’m with you on the whole cauliflower thing. Unless it is covered with a lot of cheese.
After an unsavoury experience with an agent, I decided to self-publish my fantasies POD via my online peer-review organisation YWO.com in 2008-09.
The books are niche but have built a following of readers with whom I engage. Like Tara, to me that matters more than being a best seller. I have made incredibly articulate and very kind friends on this journey.
When the titles went to e-book this year, contacts and friendships increased exponentially. The cost of self-publishing was miniscule; my biggest cost being a professionally designed cover and fantasy map. My distribution and ISBN all came from my UK publisher and it was a very easy process.
It goes without saying that publicity is hard but what is life without challenges. My third fantasy is due out in September and a historical fiction/fantasy next year. It is a road i have enjoyed and which has stretched me to astonishing levels. Thank you, Brunonia for your story and for inviting ours.
Congratulations, Prue. This is a success story on many levels.
Congratulations! The Lace Reader is worth the journey of self-publishing. I guess the new age have come for ebooks, that’s another way of getting your books to a worldwide market. But I would still enjoy a book without the radiation. Hahaha, :D
Thanks so much. I hadn’t thought about the radiation thing. For me it’s the tactile experience of a book in the hand. Though nothing beats my e-reader when I travel.
Thanks for the post! I’m always curious to read stories like this and comments from others who’ve chose between the traditional publishing route and indie publishing. I’m nearing that same decision point. I’m leaning toward pursuing the traditional route, at least at first. But writers like Joe Konrath make some compelling arguments about the state of the traditional publishing industry and the reasons to self-publish. I do think e-readers are beginning to change the landscape.
Joseph, I think e-books are beginning to change the landscape. The next few years will be interesting.
I, too, self-published as a way to break into the industry and learn about marketing. I had a number of friends in book clubs who wanted to read the book so I thought I’d start out on my own and see if I could get a traditional publishing contract. I was able to get a contract with a large publisher for my second and third book and I feel that I made the right decision self-publishing. For me, it was always a stepping stone toward a traditional publisher, and I’m so glad I did it.
Congratulations on all of your success! I loved reading your story and look forward to reading your books.
Thank you, Erika. Congratulations to you as well.
This is amazing story but it sounds to me like your success is less about “luck” and more about strong network connections to draw on ^.^
Hi Marianne. I think it was a well-timed combination.
Thanks for sharing this story, Brunonia! Having had separate agency contracts for each of my two first novels that did not lead to publishing deals, I went ahead and self-published my third, Veronica’s Nap. It’s been such a thrill and a relief to finally be able to express myself openly as a writer, and I’m grateful that the official end to the self-publishing stigma and all the industry changes lately have brought self-publishing virtually into the mainstream. Many doors have opened since I began.
I think the bottom line for any author considering whether to self-publish is: what are your goals? ALL authors, whether traditionally- or self- published, have very little control over the amount of money their books will generate, so I’m not convinced that that would be a viable or satisfying goal for those considering self-publishing. But building a platform and an audience, interacting with readers, staying energized and enthusiastic about writing, having a voice in the writing community — those are all goals that any committed writer should have the opportunity to pursue. If self-publishing is the means to that goal, then go for it! Erika’s case is a great example.
that the goal of earning money has become extremely difficult to
What great advice, Sharon! Goals are the key. My goal when we started was really to get the book in front of readers. The goal of our company was a bit grander.
Oops – ignore the last line there – editing mistake!
I’m always so happy to hear a successful writer admit that luck has something to do with it. Of course, you self-published the right way, with attention to all the details of the craft and business. But still…having the stars align also helps. By the way, I loved The Lace Reader!
Thank you, Carleen.
Thank you so much, Brunonia, for telling us about your self-publishing experience. I read so many times about success tales that make you think anyone can do it when in reality, of course we can do it, but the success that you speak of is not typical. Congratulations!
Patti
Thanks, Patricia. I felt it was important to tell the whole story.
Great post and equally insightful comments!
While I enjoy being part of a large community (writers) and appreciate sites like this one, being blissfully ignorant is the only way I can continue to get up every morning and write.To look further than my window for writing success is simply too depressing.
The American Idol hopeful and the NFL quarterback wannabe, I believe, get there by keeping their heads down and not listening to why or why not they won’t/can’t succeed. Let’s face it, the chances of winning the lottery are better – and one can pick-up a hot dog and a coke while doing it (at least getting some enjoyment).
…now where did I put that Zoloft?
You’re so right, James. Keeping your head down and sitting in the chair is what we have to do. If we thought about the odds, none of us would be able to write. If you find that Zoloft, let me know.
You spent $80k on self-publishing? Ouch! I don’t blame you for not wanting to go that route again. Congratulations on your success; I’m glad it all worked out.
I’ve had a reasonably good experience with self-publishing; I wrote an ebook called “31 Days to Better Songwriting” a few months ago. Even without promotion I’ve found that it sells to passersby because I’ve got a busy songwriting blog called “The Halted Clock.” And though there was a significant time investment, of course, it only costs me $5 a month to host the file with a pay-for-download service that links directly into my site.
But as I haven’t invested any significant energy into aggressively marketing the ebook yet, I can’t really comment on how effective this method of self-publishing is yet.
Great post!
Thanks, Nicholas. You’re e-book and blog sound very interesting. I’d love to hear how things go.
Thanks for sharing your story and for including the dates! Things are changing so rapidly, it’s good to hear experiences and be able to place them in time.
I’m happy with all of the things I’ve done in life, and how they’ve turned out, but I don’t know if I’d recommend a single one to anyone! Not moving to cities where you don’t know anyone, not taking jobs you know nothing about, not trying to make paella in a tiny frying pan …
Very funny, Dalya! The paella in the frying pan sounds dangerous.
Thank you for a thorough and candid post. It’s amazing how much the entire publishing industry has changed since you launched your first novel. It is such a fascinating time for the whole industry.
I’m publishing my debut novel, The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken. It will launch next week. Like you, I tired of the timelines of traditional publishing. My book was professionally edited along the way, and I wanted to get it out there and write something else.
I’m pleasantly surprised by how much fun I’m having with the indie publishing route, but I do lose a great deal of sleep over how much money I should invest in my dream. Bills to pay and all that.
Mari: Fingers crossed for your launch. What a great title!
Self-publishing is a lot easier and less expensive these days than what you went through, esp with Lightning Source and the advanced technologies available. However, it takes understanding of the publishing business and professional standards. Marketing these days must be done by all authors, especially new ones. Indie publishing is a lot of learning, a lot of work and not for everyone, and I usually recommend uncertain new authors, especially those with fiction or childrens books, try small presses as they seem to be more open to unknown authors.
Linda: Thankfully, it has gotten easier. Great recommendations. I wish I’d had you to talk to when I was getting started.
Brunonia,
I have your book on my shelf, a shining example of what diligence can do and a darn good story. Yes, it’s a little easier today to self-publish, but distribution is still an issue for print. And everybody and his brother are throwing an ebook up on Amazon. Your story is still applicable. It takes time, sweat, networking and yes, money, to make a self-published book work well enough to get picked up by a larger press. Thanks for this post. It’s a taste of the real world.
Hope Clark
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Thanks, Hope.
Thanks Brunonia, for sharing your story. I never wanted to self-publish due mainly to the fact that I know so little about the publishing world. Why not let a proven publisher do the work? I still think that successfully self-published books are the exception, not the rule.
Thanks, Kim. Had we known more, we might not have done it.
Nice post. I learn one thing on completely different blogs everyday. It will at all times be stimulating to read content from different writers and follow a little something from their blog.
When my debut novel, Testing the Prisoner, was about halfway through the second draft, my idea was to polish it up then start firing off the query letters. This was in 2006 and I knew very little about self publishing.
That same year, a friend of mine a few states away named Steven H. Wilson, had self published his first SF novel, Taken Liberty, based on his Parsec and Mark Time award winning audio drama, The Arbiter Chronicles. Self publish, you say? Wow, let me look into that, I thought.
Steven actually started Firebringer Press with the intent of being a small press. He knew a lot of burgeoning writers in his area and was inviting them to publish with him. I decided to take him up on that for several reasons not the least of which was that Steve was a mentor to me 16 years ago when we both wrote fan fiction. He had also written for DC Comics in the 90s, and was well known for his Prometheus Radio Theatre which is now a popular podcast site for audio dramas and audio books.
Steve encouraged me to record the audio version of my book on my own, which I did and to my surprise, it received excellent feedback on Prometheus.
He also co-founded his own SF convention called Farpoint back in 1993 that includes actor guests and SF and media tie-in authors that I admire and have become friends with over the many years. For the past two years, I’ve been an author guest there, too.
I think I may have lucked out to be with a small press that is tied to an award winning podcast site and a long running SF con wherein I get to put myself in front of readers. Since Steve was a long time guest at BaltiCon, Maryland’s largest SF literary con, I attended as a guest there too this past May which was a lot of fun. I got to meet Evo Terra and Tee Morris, pioneers in podcasting. Evo is the founder of Podiobooks where the audio version of my novel is currently being podcast. Evo and Tee co-wrote Podcasting for Dummies and Tee was the first author to ever podcast an audio novel.
So speaking for myself, I think I did the right thing, making the right contacts, and best of all, having A LOT of fun!
I’ve traveled a rather unique path. I’ve been traditionally published since 1991. My most recent book came out from St. Martins a couple of months ago. A year and a half ago, sitting on the rights to a huge backlist, I began Who Dares Wins Publishing. Since I wasn’t focused on it, it grew slowly. At the beginning of this year I made the decision to go indie 100%. I released an original title and more of my backlist. In the last few months things have exploded, selling more than 2,000 ebooks a day. I went to Thrillerfest last week and met a bunch of people. Since then, I’ve got a trad publisher looking at a new book that I hadn’t pushed, and am awaiting a call from the senior editor at Amazon on Monday regarding my backlist and potentially my frontlist. Also, I’ve got several books with another agent who is looking into foreign rights. I think the key to success is to be a Hybrid author– with diversified streams of revenue.
It’s an exciting time to be an author.
Great blog and even greater comments. I’m currently fitting into a new hat- self publisher of a christian novel. I’m eyeing up hats of self marketing, bloger, avid reader, investor and potential lotterary winner, desparatly trying not to loose that comfortable old thing called the writer. “Global Warning” is the title, and if it does well know this: this is my first blog comment-ever.
I have budigited four thousand dolars, am currently looking at two publishing contracts that will take all of that and more. My first goal is to recoop the money while getting people to read the book. Lofty enough to start with I think. Hopefully after that my head won’t be too sore from all these hats.
Excellent Post. Somehow I think I am reading my journal, but I recommend at least dipping your toe into the self-publishing realm. It will definitely give you an overview of how the publishing industry works and what it may take to be a successful writer.
I put my book. “The Mahogany Door” together and sent it to the Midwest Book Review and got “very much recommended reading”, and 5 stars from them on Amazon where I sell an e-book. But you are right, once you get to the distribution phase, that is where the self publishing experiment becomes very difficult.
I do not recommend self-publishing to young people who want only to be authors. I recommend self-publishing for those who have a steady stream of income and can handle the loss of some money.
It is very stressful at times trying to get your title noticed, especially if you are a no name and do not have a whole marketing department behind you from a larger publisher, but I absolutely love my story, and have fun trying to get it out.
I went the same route you have almost verbatim (but I am just at the first print phase) I went this route because my fantasy tale was not with the “paranormal” trend that has saturated the YA fantasy market for the last few years. So I am doing very different ways to separate my book from others.
One way to differentiate yourself is to study your market to see what your audience likes and then add it as a supplement to your book. My young audience loves to listen to music as well as read, so we produced a studio soundtrack with different styles of music on it that goes with characters in the book. With that we can take our book out to the public by performing music and talking about the book. It’s going to be so much fun. Again, you will have to plan on spending some money, so make sure you can. (what makes it special is that we did it)
I love to write, but know that it is something that if I do not become successful at it, I have a great job I can continue to do that also gives me a lot of satisfaction.
That is the rub for me. Make sure you are going in to it for the right reasons. I hope to get an agent and large publisher at some point too, but I am enjoying the trip! And that is another hard part for self-publishing; it is very hard to separate yourself from always having to deal with the business side and enjoy a little more creation time.
Congratulations on your success! I hope I can be there too one day!
Mark
to find the music for my book – http://www.jmarkboliek.com/the-music
Great story and great post. I think time is the big issue for me. I have tried the traditional route before over the years (I have 6 completed novels on my pc) but with no success although a bit of interest.
I am not confident that many traditional publishers will be around in two years time so I am not prepared to wait that long to find out my publisher has gone bust.
Also the margins in traditional publishing are not worth it unless you have a real bestseller. I have heard of traditionally published writers who have been household names and they barely earned enough to live on.
My second novel will be ready in about two weeks. Now do I wait up to 2 years only to find my publisher has gone bust? Or do I self epublish and start earning money from it within a week of publishing?
No contest.