Lately I’ve been researching web writing as a viable business model and just this week set up a website in readiness for my entry into the market. I love your site but have some issues with this post.

Writing for print markets is much more stable than you here suggest. For one thing a professional never writes an article unless they have been commissioned. True not all pitches succeed, but I have always found that I can get commissioned for two each month which brings me $2,000 income. Sometimes more, very rarely less.

You seem to paint a picture that web writing is more stable. Well it is if you want to write for free or for very little. Lets say you write an article and post it to the web. With current rates, it could take years before that artcle matches the income you could earn with one article in a magazine. Time would have been better spent drafting a good pitch and winning a commission.

That’s my problem with web writing. They expect writers to work on slave pay. At least with print writing, once you build up relationships with several editors, work flows and the editors themselves respect you and pay you decently for your efforts, they even contact you on occasions and offer you work!.

I’d PREFER to go publishing house for the credibility factor. But I won’t waste years making applications, either. If that doesn’t work out for us, we’ve already decided self-publishing will be our route.

And yes. Go have more coffee

The ROI of self-publishing is a hotly debated topic. If you can sell those 20K, you’re going to do fine, that’s true. You’re probably talking about six figures in profit. But how many self-published novels sell 20K?

If you have the choice between an established publishing house and self-publishing, you’re almost always better off taking the house deal. For the most part, it’s money in the bank. Yes, they might screw up the marketing. Yes, your payout isn’t going to be what it is per book. But then again, you might screw up the marketing worse. Making $7 profit on a book is great until you only sell six of them.

I’m torn about this. I’ve thought seriously about doing a self-published book and I just can’t seem to convince myself that it’d be worth it. I’d rather continue to shop my manuscript around. Now, if I’m still shopping in three years… it might be a better option.

I hope you do go the self-publishing route with your novel, as I’d love to watch and see how it works. Hell, it could go gangbusters, and I’d love to watch it happen. The rest of us could learn a lot if you did (and shared your story, of course).

Self-publishing means you do not have the services of a publisher and do the publishing work yourself. Many, MANY self-publishing options create print versions of manuscripts. So you can get offline books through self-published authors.

Marketing and distribution is another story. You won’t get that when you self-publish, I agree. I think I mentioned that earlier.

However, you sell less copies but have a higher rate of return. Publishing houses leave very little in the way of royalties to authors. Self-publishing means you cut out a lot of loss and keep more money.

20,000 copies of a self-published book might actually earn more than a great book on the shelves at Barnes and Noble.

@ James and @ Brett – For me, there are some other downsides to self-publishing, at least in regard to a novel. Novels are one of those areas that most folks still prefer to read offline. They also like to walk into a bookstore to buy their novels. When you self-publish, there’s not much likelihood of your book winding up on the shelf at Barnes and Noble. The marketing and distribution channels available to the publishing houses can’t be underestimated, and they can’t be replicated by small businesses. At best, you’re going to sell 20,000 copies of a self-published novel. If you’re lucky, after that, you might get on the radar of a publishing house.

In my mind, when it comes to fiction, you’re almost always better off with an established publishing house. That’s all about how it works from the author’s perspective and less about how potential readers perceive it.

Note, also, that we’re talking about a decidedly print genre – I’d never recommend choosing a print publisher for your how-to book.

And then, as you say, anybody can get a blog and just start blathering away. The trick I guess is to separate the wheat from the chaff, to stand out. You and Harry have done some great posts on how to do this.

And also then, as you say, you guys do some hard work and along comes a copycat to steal it.

Like many things, a double-edged sword it is.

Why? Because my perception is that it’s difficult to be accepted by these publishers, that they only accept well-written work and that they have a quality control editing process.

However. I believe that these publishers are out of reach for most people, and there are many, many writers deserving of having their work accepted in print. The publishing industry (again, my perception) seems to be about who you know and involves lots of games.

So… while I feel major publishers are more credibly, I’m also aware that they may not be as credible as they appear.

Self-publishing is widely accessible to all, affordable, and has proven to give good results. The downside? Authors must be crack marketers, have a plan and campaign to market and be prepared to do lots of legwork.

Another downside? While I myself think self-publishing is the way to go and may go this route with our collaborative novel, I don’t take self-published authors seriously simply BECAUSE anyone can do it.

Snobbery? Could be. It is what it is. I’m grateful for the lack of barriers that let me do what I do for a living. I also resent the lack of barriers, because a lot of fools appear to think that anyone can do what I do. There is no quality control. I do is for ev

To parallel the “old-skool” workplace, I love your quote:

“the guy that’s the best at what he does doesn’t always have the most success.”

That’s a pretty accurate picture of where I work right now. Without any jealousy, I’d say that in a lot of cases the smartest and most talented people do *not* rise to the top. If you are really good at something, they keep you there. Managers are dime a dozen. A talented researcher/computer programmer/souffle chef can’t be replaced and is held back.

So some people quit, and come back as contractors…

@ James: from my (non-experienced perspective) I would agree with you about self-publishing. For you, what is it that appeals about this route? For me it is mostly having more control, but is there something that you have experienced beyond this?

I think this is why internet writing is so valuable – you get a huge audience and there is no time delay.

@ David – Isn’t it odd that, as human beings, we are more likely to grant authority to someone we like, or of we like the way it’s said? In so many ways, the facts are less important than how they are presented.

The amazing thing about internet writing is that, with such a low barrier to entry, any intelligent and motivated person can establish themselves as an authority on a certain topic, at least to whatever people happen to find their page in the search engines.

For me, the internet takes the magic trick to the next level–and I can do it in my spare time

With the exception of a short time as a cube dweller, all of my work has been in small business and I have always been in the position
to have to do my own marketing and self-promotion.
I agree that in any trade, talent will only take you so far. If you are the only one who knows about your talent, what good is it as a business? It is just a hobby.Also, the work ethics of being in business for yourself could be a whole other topic. Without someone holding you to a deadline, self-discipline becomes very important, even critical.

I hadn’t given any thought to the print business being less stable than Internet writing. ( I like that)It makes a great deal of sense. However if someone is just starting out, I would guess there is still going to be some mac and cheese in the future and I imagine some instability no matter which route up you choose to take. I am a believer in sweat equity and find it hard to believe that except for a few, that there is an easy way up the ladder beside the magic three of hard work, talent and good business sense.

I like the post, it gave me a lot to mull over.

@ Bob – If I didn’t have a corporate administrative background covering various departments and positions, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve had to rely on my smarts, my skills and my knowledge in business management over and over and over…

If all I could do was write well, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and our business wouldn’t be at the level it’s at today either.

But as Nick mentioned, being taken seriously when you’re a web content writer (that’s the term I use, Nick, though “web publisher” is slowly coming into my lexicon) is a real tough one.

Hey. It’s not a REAL job, after all.

Mmhm. Right.

As someone who’s relatively new to writing online, I’m struggling to come to terms with the title “internet writer”. As you and James have picked up on, the work so often involves a wide range of other skills — editing, publishing, marketing et al. Perhaps “web publisher” would be a better (if slightly woolier) term?

Having just published my first eBook, I’m feeling quite a lot of pressure to put my follow-up title into print. Quite where the urge to do this has come from, I’m not sure!

Reassuringly, I spoke to a US publisher this week who told me to persevere with web-based self-publishing instead. “You’ll be better off in the long-run” she said.