I’ve had the privilege of becoming a book author. I self-published my first book The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to get Sued, Fired, Arrested, or Killed last year (and published a revision of it this past summer). That book led to me getting a book contract with the American Bar Association to write Flash Mob Law: The Legal Side of Planning and Participating in Pillow Fights, No Pants Rides, and Other Shenanigans, which came out this summer and The Legal Side of Blogging for Lawyers, which is due to be published in February 2014.
Both types of publishing come with their joys and frustrations. I love the independence of being an indie author but then the responsibility is on me to do everything (or find people to outsource to). On the flip side, I’ve had a mostly great experience working with my publishing teams, but that also means more cooks in the kitchen and having to play by their rules.
In regards to my next book, I turned the first draft in to my publisher in August with the expectation that it would be published before the end of the year. (I turned the first draft of Flash Mob Law in to my publisher in May and it was published in August.) I did not expect to hear in October that they wanted a major re-write. In the big picture, it was the right thing to do, but definitely required me to rearrange my calendar a bit. I busted my ass to get it done by Halloween so they could get it out, or at the very least get me a galley, by December.
I was frustrated as hell when I heard that wasn’t possible, especially after I worked so hard to keep things on schedule. How long does it take to format, copyedit, and print a book? It’s already cleared legal review and I know I can review edits in 24 hours if I have to. My publication date is only delayed by a few months and in the long run everything will be fine but I definitely had a few expressive moments while I was adjusting to that information.
Here’s my compilation of the joys and frustrations that come with being an indie author and having a publisher.
| INDIE AUTHOR | PUBLISHER | |
|---|---|---|
| PUBLICATION DATE | I pick it. | They pick it. |
| WRITING | My work. My way. | They can require re-writes. |
| DEADLINES | No one’s holding my feet to the fire but me. | Hard deadlines. |
| COPYEDITTING | I’m responsible for hiring a good copyeditor. | They take care of it. I have 5 days after receiving a draft to approve edits. |
| COVER ART | I’m responsible for hiring a graphic designer and describing what I think I want. | They have a team of artists and I get to pick the final version from the options they provide. |
| MARKETING | That’s my job too. | They have a team for that. |
| EBOOK OPTION | Of course! | They say they’re going to do it. |
| PAPER OPTION | I got frustrated trying to figure out CreateSpace and gave up. | Available on the ABA website. |
| PRICE | I decide ($3.99). | They decide ($39.95). |
| ROYALTIES | Monthly. | Annually. |
| SALES | I work for every sale. | Minimum sales guaranteed. |
| MY WORK | Never ends. | Basically done once the final draft is done, except for reviewing galleys. |
| COPYRIGHT | Guaranteed mine. | Had to negotiate to keep it. |
Created with the HTML Table Generator
There is no one right way to be an author but it’s good to understand what you’re getting into when you decide which path you’re going to take.
2.  My First Book I wrote and self-published The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to get Sued, Fired, Arrested, or Killed. I’ve always wanted to write a book and all the pieces fell into place to make it happen. The book has been well received so far and appears to be opening the door for more books. Special hat tip to ePublish Unum for teaching me 
Sci-fi author
1st trip to Chicago where I leave the airport – included my 1st ride on the L Train and my 1st visit to Cloud Gate (The Bean)