Why the self-publisher’s light is burning brighter

 

Daniel Muhau 

By Daniel Muhau, dmuhao@tz.nationmedia.com  (email the author)

In Summary

One of the major reasons is that the world has changed, and so are the means of getting heard and being seen by anyone who may have interest in the work that you do.

Across the borders, self-publishing is now the buzzword. Apparently, an increasing number of writers are taking advantage of the opportunities the digital era has presented to market their books online, shunning the often long and bumpy road to the traditional publishers’ glass office. There are many reasons for this trend, even in this part of the world where we habitually lag behind.

One of the major reasons is that the world has changed, and so are the means of getting heard and being seen by anyone who may have interest in the work that you do.

Where we are going now, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that self-publishers will outsell many traditionally published writers; even as the ebook keeps on threatening to wash away established players across the book ecosystem.

And this ‘Do It Yourself (DIY)’ craze is fast spreading. Last week, I stumbled on a story about a ‘local’ musician who, frustrated by the shoddy deals he has been getting from record labels, decided to sell his products himself, accounting for every CD that he sells. The results were amazing, he claims.

Accusing record labels of not being sincere, the young artiste told his interviewers that he had sold 10,000 copies in a month, smiling all the way to the bank with $14,000 (Sh23 million). It could have taken him a year to get that money had he gone through the traditional way.

One sweet lesson from this musician’s bold decision is that, it is important to know in time where and when you are getting a raw deal. For writers, especially young and aspiring ones, raw deals often come in the form of being elbowed out of the market by publishers, unjustifiably at times. Apparently, publishers mean business. If they deem your work ‘unreadable’, they will not ‘waste’ their time and money on gambling. All they do is tell you that your product does not meet the required standards. So, for good or bad, they habitually force you back to the drawing board – where, sadly, so much talent has expired, and continues to expire before time.

But the good news for young writers is that, as long as one has the passion for writing, there are plenty of opportunities available now. And they are all in self-publishing.

There are now lots of self-marketing opportunities in self-publishing. In Tanzania, I believe just a handful of writers have started taking advantage of self-publishing.