Fear and Loathing in the Land of Self-Publishing

by John R. Gentile
(Tucson, AZ)

The SOFAR Trilogy

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure

I certainly never set out to be a self-published author. After two and a half years and over eighty rejections and having exhausted every science fiction/fantasy literary agent, publisher and editor, I was faced with a decision: stick the manuscript in a drawer, move on to another project or -

So, not being Catholic or cautious, I decided to send out the manuscript to ten people across the country that I knew and trusted to give me an honest and objective appraisal of my writing. I told them to take no prisoners and it was perfectly okay to beat up the manuscripts, even tell me if the material sucked. And I, in turn, promised them I would never bother them again.

Within 8 - 10 weeks I got all manuscripts back and to my surprise, every person wrote a fabulous critique along with corrections to the manuscripts. The single theme that stood out was "Why aren't these books in print?"

I pulled together a team of editors, which included a marine biologist, a retired college librarian, a physician, an optical scientist, an avid science fiction/fantasy reader, and two retired college instructors. My wife Katie acted as the final say in the editing process. She is affectionately known as "The Mad Red Slasher," due to her penchant for giving me back my manuscript where the pages run red from her ink pen. It is critical, if you decide to self-publish, to hire serious editors. Some publishing houses will line edit for you, but the costs can be prohibitive. Most times, they print what you give them.

I researched print on demand publishers and finally decided on AuthorHouse. For the most part, their duties were limited to binding the books. Because I am something of a control freak with my writing, I wanted to maintain as much creative control with the process as possible. I was not impressed with the graphics art department and decided to hire an independent artist. The first book cover for Blue Planets: Book I of the SOFAR Trilogy was a photograph taken by my wife Katie during our dolphin research in Mexico. This photo fit the story line perfectly. For Offworlder and Siren's Song (Books II and III of the trilogy), I worked with an up-and-coming science fiction/fantasy artist named Jason Pedersen, who beautifully captured the elements of the stories in his artwork. I have discovered that taking the time and developing a good cover is one of the cornerstones of marketing your books.

Through trial and error (mostly error), I discovered that most marketing tools that you have the option to purchase from print on demand publishers don't work and are overpriced. For instance, I once paid $450 for a one-time, small ad in Forward Magazine and $600 for an ad in the Bloomsbury Review. Neither of these ads generated one sale. The marketing kit that I purchased for Blue Planets is still sitting in a drawer in my office. It just didn't fit.

Bookmarks and postcards have been somewhat successful, especially at book fairs and conventions. I still think you could do these on your own computer much cheaper if you have an eye for design.

In order to find success in print on demand publishing houses, you must find a contact who can answer your questions and walk you through the publishing process. Because AuthorHouse is located in Bloomington, Indiana, a college town, many of the author service reps are either fresh out of school or students. At the beginning of the process, I never talked to the same person twice. This made for some communication snafus and delays in the publishing process. By the time Offworlder came around, I had established a working relationship with someone in the marketing department who communicated with me in a timely fashion.

Blue Planets, Book I of the SOFAR Trilogy was released in the spring of 2004. To date, it has more than paid for itself, even garnered enough royalties to pay for the publication of the second book in the trilogy (Offworlder), released in 2006. Offworlder broke even and then went into the black and Siren's Song was released in the summer of 2007. Siren’s Song broke even in December. All three books continue to sell at a steady rate.

If you are going to self publish, you really need to think out of the box. Most publishers, editors and agents consider self-published works to be inferior. I lost count of the times I sat across from an agent or publisher and when I told them I self-published, I got the "deer in the headlights" look. Some even got downright snotty. I remember telling agents at the beginning of a 15-minute interview and concluding the interview a few short and painful moments later. On revealing my publishing status, one agent told me she really needed a drink!

Over the past four years, I have searched for ways to get my books out to the public. As many know, consignment sales are a losing venture. Every time I placed my books in a bookstore, I lost 10%. I don't claim to be an astute businessman, but that's just stupid. I eventually located a few small outlets that will carry my works at a small profit for me and for them.

Some of the techniques of "guerilla marketing" that have worked for me are:

- Book signings and presentations - as a home health physical therapist, I have a potential audience in retirement centers, health care facilities and medical offices. I was amazed to discover how many seniors who don't normally read science fiction loved the Trilogy. Katie and I also dovetail book sales with presentations about our marine mammal research and photography (dolphins and whales figure into the books rather prominently).

- Book release parties in our favorite restaurants - when Siren's Song was released in August 2007, 150 people showed up for the party in the back room or our favorite Mexican restaurant.

- Book fairs, science fiction/fantasy conventions. This is a captive audience. Use it!

- Development of websites that showcase your works (I have two), with links to related subjects. This keeps you at the top of the url listing.

- You Tube – I worked with a young film-maker friend of mine. We made a four and a half-minute movie trailer that is an advertisement for the Trilogy. You don't even know it's an ad to sell books until the last 30 seconds. To date, the site already has over 50,000 hits. I actually send this out to filmmakers as my promo for the books and the screenplays (which I am currently adapting). To view the video, go to You Tube and type in "Blue Planets Movie Trailer" or go directly to www.SOFARtrilogy to find the link. Making this was a hell of a lot of fun!

- Friends, friends of friends, and relatives . . . well, and so forth. Spread the word. One such relationship landed a reading on a local alternative radio station, while another netted me an interview on the local public broadcasting television station. Another friend interviewed my wife and I on a public art channel, focusing on the fact that we were both creative people doing what we love, and we still got along.

- Don’t be afraid to use your books as marketing tools. Sending books out to radio stations, TV stations, bookstores and libraries can pay off. Think of it as an $11 or $12 marketing expense. My sister tried to get a copy of Blue Planets to Jimmy Buffett at one of his concerts. It made it to the stage, but Buffett never picked it up. Later, the audio director picked it up, read it, and emailed me a great review, then ordered Offworlder through Amazon.com. Go figure.

For me, in the long run, it boils down to one book sale at a time and word of mouth. You must become a shameless self-promoter. If you don’t do it, it won’t get done. Everywhere I go, a box of books sits behind the seat of my truck. That is what has carried the SOFAR Trilogy to this point. I don't believe it has reached the tipping point yet. I was told that it takes about four years of promoting your books before they catch on.

Currently, I have plans to write 5 screenplays, and then settle back into writing another novel. I have co-written a screenplay entitled “A Line in the Sand,” a story about love and murder on the volatile Arizona/Mexico border, which has recently been optioned. As we Italians say, just keep flinging that pasta against the wall. Sooner or later, something is bound to stick.

I am considering starting my own publishing company and am now doing my due diligence to determine if that is a viable idea. One thing is for sure - I won't be telling anyone I'm self-published.

Visit The SOFAR Trilogy.