Self-publishing and cashflow

Still no feedback, but with it being a weekend and less than one week after I sent manuscripts out this is not a surprise.

So here I am blogging frantically to distract myself from nerves and chewed fingernails and wondering what else to add, when one other issue with self-publishing occurred to me.

Cost.

Yes, Lulu and POD is effectively free. However the cost per book is so high that it eats your profit and makes it hard to get distribution. When I did the small press route we went for small printruns (a few hundred) from a local printer, giving us books at less than 30% of the sale price.

That leeway meant we could go for distributors, which was invaluable in getting the books on the shelves across the country. We certainly could never have reached this far ourselves. And we sold out the first run, and then the next.

So what's the problem? Cash flow. With each book sold you make a profit, but that profit isn't realised until the book is actually sold. You don't swing into the black on printing costs until 30% of the print run has sold. Meanwhile, you are accruing other costs - conventions, webhosting (trivial but still a cost) marketing, review copies, and more.

And while this is going on, you're hopefully working on your next book, and this one also needs startup capital. So as the money comes in, do you spend it on a new run for the first book, invest in the second with all the costs of plates and set-up, or try and hold on to it so you can say you have a profit to show for all your work?

Well, we did six, so you can see where we put it.

On reflection, although I enjoy the convention circuit (and you meet some really interesting people!) now I'm a little older I think I'd prefer someone else to be doing the organising, printing marketing and worry about the cash flow. So hopefully if I can pick up an agent, I'll find someone who will just let me write, attend the occassional con and chat to interested and interesting people.

Wish me luck.