Self-publishing is going from strength to strength
Self-publishing accounts for an ever-growing share of the entire international book market year after year. In Amazon's bestseller rankings, more than a quarter are books published by independent authors. According to data from IMKER, not only is the number of self-published books growing significantly in Poland, but so are their sales.
5–10 per cent of the cover price – that is what an author who decides to publish a book with a traditional publishing house can expect. No wonder that creators – especially those who have direct contact with their readers, such as bloggers, YouTubers and specialists – are opting for self-publishing. Thanks to this, they can count on around 70 per cent of the profit from every book sold. They also value the freedom to make independent decisions at every stage.
Data from IMKER – a company supporting self-publishers, offering fulfilment services such as storage, packing and shipping, as well as sales tools – shows that between March and May this year the number of titles published increased by 110 per cent, and the number of books sold by 185 per cent compared with the same period in 2019. These are good forecasts for independent authors.
On Amazon, books published by self-publishers take second place on the list of best-selling books, accounting for 27 per cent of all bestsellers, while e-books by independent authors make up 41 per cent of all available e-books. To see how the pandemic and lockdown affected the market for self-published books, IMKER decided to compare data on book sales, the number of authors choosing to publish, and the number of available titles, setting data from March to May this year against the same period in 2019. - All the results clearly show that authors, most often bloggers and YouTubers, are increasingly choosing to publish on their own. Thanks to the fan base they have built on their websites and in social media, they are excellent at selling, and their books earn the status of repeat bestsellers - comments Krzysztof Bartnik, owner of IMKER.
Self-publishing. Nothing new
Self-publishing. Nothing new
To people not connected with the publishing industry, it may seem that self-published books are those that no popular publishing house was interested in publishing. That is a false stereotype. It is worth remembering that books self-published by authors include bestsellers such as Rupi Kaur's poetry collection "Milk and Honey", Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad", Marcel Proust's "Swann's Way. In Search of Lost Time" and E.L. James's "Fifty Shades of Grey".
More and more companies are appearing on the market that streamline the self-publishing process, offering help with editing, proofreading, typesetting and printing a book. Other companies build online stores or provide widgets that make it possible to sell a book directly from an author's blog. As a result, independent authors can even more easily publish and sell books that are attractive in terms of both content and visuals.
Why self-publishing?
Why self-publishing?
Why do creators who would easily find publishing houses interested in signing a contract with them decide to publish a book on their own? After all, it involves having to manage a multitude of tasks – editing, proofreading, designing the cover, finding a printing house, quality control, collection, storage, promotion and sales.
If you do not know what it is about, it is about… money. Independent authors ("indie publishers") earn more than creators tied by contracts with publishing houses. The latter usually receive around 7.5 per cent of a book's cover price, or even less if they use an agent. Platforms enabling self-publishing – such as Amazon, Apple Books, Ingram Spark or Kobo – pass up to 70 per cent of the publication price to the author. Authors who sell their works directly to their readers – for example via their own website – can count on even higher earnings, argues a report presented by the Alliance of Independent Authors.
Crushing calculations regarding remuneration for creators working with a publishing house and for independent ones were presented by Michał Szafrański on his blog “Jak oszczędzać pieniądze?” (“How to save money?”). The article shows that from 1 July 2016 to 30 October 2019 the author sold 81,928 copies of the book “Finansowy Ninja” (“Financial Ninja”), thanks to which he earned 3,633,125 zł “take-home”, after deducting all costs and a donation to the Pajacyk foundation. With a 10 per cent commission, selling exactly the same number of copies he would have earned 315,376 zł – more than 11 times less. The author is now approaching the threshold of 100,000 copies sold.
- Our calculations show that the cost of publishing a book by a self-publisher is recouped after just a few hundred copies are sold. If the publication is not aimed solely at connoisseurs and the author has an extensive audience base (fans, subscribers), achieving such a result is not difficult, and thus the risk associated with financial investment in one's own publication is small - comments an IMKER expert.
Authors who decide on self-publishing also point to a sense of control. They do not give up their copyrights, they are not bound by any licence agreements, thanks to which they themselves decide about reprints, the release of an audiobook or the adaptation of their works for a film.
Most frequently self-published
Most frequently self-published
Among self-published titles, non-fiction does best. This is confirmed by IMKER data. As many as one quarter of all publications concern personal development. In second place are books on business and economics. The last place on the podium is taken by guides on sport and nutrition.
Summary
Self-publishing is gaining importance both globally and in Poland. IMKER data shows that from March to May the number of titles published rose by 110 per cent and book sales by 185 per cent compared with the same period in 2019. Authors decide to publish on their own primarily because of the profits – independent creators can count on as much as 70 per cent of the publication price, while authors with publishing houses receive around 7.5 per cent.
An example is Michał Szafrański, who thanks to self-publishing earned over 3.6 million zł. Among self-published books, non-fiction dominates, and the most popular are publications about personal development.
