Self-Publishing Stats & Pitfalls

Here is something every potential self-publisher needs to understand.  

Ins and Outs of Publishing Your Book via the Web - NYTimes.com

While the potential for sales and readership is unlimited, the reality for most self-published authors is very modest: “most self-published books sell fewer than 100 or 150 copies, many authors and self-publishing company executives say” — and from what we hear from many who've tried it, even those numbers are optimistic. And that's because “The biggest thing you have against you in trying to sell your book is that people don’t know about it,” as David Carnoy, an executive editor of CNET.com, puts it.

But it doesn't have to be that way. And that is where the collective at Thoth Books comes in:

• First, with an editorial guarantee that not only the author and his/her closest friends think it's pretty good, but that some pretty serious, well-established editors have approved this book and decided that it is ready for publication. Only books that have passed our editorial process will be qualified to bear the Thoth Books imprint.
• Secondly, by using our website and other network presence to make the book better known.

From there, the author's sales and readership will depend on recommendations by readers and any reviews that appear — that is, the book will sell itself, once people know it exists (and that it has been selected and recommended by our editors).  How many buyers/readers? We can't say, but if it's a good book, we'll be sure to give it its best shot.