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Hi Chum600,
Before I comment, I'd like to disclaim any notion of 'expertise' as I am only expressing an opinion. I am not an expert on this field. I haven't had any experience self-publishing, however, I had my first book on Print On Demand (POD). There's a big difference although some people might say they are the same. With self-publishing, you get your own ISBNs and in most countries, you pay for them. You'd also do your own editing, cover design, distribution, promotions etc., because you are your own publisher. Fortunately, in Canada, ISBNs are supplied free for Canadians to self-publish.
I had my book done in the US on POD. The POD 'print service' (that's actually what the PODs are) supplied everything from ISBNs (three - softcover, hardcover & e-book), cover design, some editing (very important), distribution (including book stores) and if you'd like to shell out some money, even minor publicity. With self-publishing, you would have to do all that (and more). With POD, you don't have to buy anything and if a reader would buy, that's when it gets printed. Unlike self-publishing, no inventory (unless you'd want to keep some copies).
What I did was purely for testing to see if anyone would get excited with my fictional story before I waste any more time and money on it. Often, it's not only publicity that would get your book going, there's also that phenomena called word-of-mouth. If your book is good, your readers would sell it for you. You could spend thousands to hire for a publicist, advertising, paid reviews (some are, believe it or not), but if your book sucks, pardon the rudeness of this word, there is no hope in hell you'd ever get your money back.
The only advertising I've done so far is my website (and if you check the top, it even says 'hosted for free by go daddy') and a few emails. I do my own web programming (I'm a retired system engineer) and it's rather easy to say 'check abrill.com', if someone asks about the book without me spending a ton of money. There's also that so-called 'confidence' in your work. People who write 'fiction' could get away with a pen name. Those who write non-fiction, most especially those whose books fall under the category of an 'exposé', the draw for their book is their name being an expert on their field. Using 'six hundred' as the author's name would be as you've said 'too far removed'. It might also sound like the author is 'hiding' the exposé under a pen name. But most importantly, it loses credibility on your exposé, let alone credibility on the author. I would suggest you use your own name as an expert on the field of 'benefits'. Perhaps readers would give you the benefit of the doubt (no pun intended).
The next thing is, don't stop writing when the first one didn't pan out. If you intend to make money on your books, then you'd be frustrated. Not unless you're a big time celebrity, there's really no compelling reason for people to buy your non-fiction. Case in point, Sarah Palin is a bestseller. In my opinion (and I'm entitled to my opinion - I don't need any flamethrowers out there :-), that would be a waste of time and money both for publishers and readers. Nevertheless, Palin is a bestseller due to her celebrity status. Even current bestsellers experienced tons of rejections during their early years. Take a look at John Grisham - 28 rejections - for a lawyer and a US state representative to experience that, he would have gone back to his old job. But he persevered and his second novel, The Firm, hit pay dirt. (check here - http://www.johngrishamonline.com/biography). Did you know Grisham, as of 2008, has sold over 250 million books? Not bad for someone who had 28 rejections. I actually felt sorry for those who rejected him . . . imagine the money they've lost - ha ha ha!
As for my book on POD, the reviews came in occasionally that if I could get even a few readers to express their joy about my book making their reading pleasure fulfilled, then I'm happy. The latest came from Seaford, East Sussex, UK. (read the full letter at abrill.com). What's so special about this was it was handwritten and posted snail mail. The reader took the time to express his delight. He said he'll campaign to have my book to be "in" his library in East Sussex.
Now, I hired a French translator for my first book and I intend to seek out an agent somewhere in France. To me, it's just a part of my adventure - not to get rich but to enrich others . . . those who would be 'fortunate' to read my story. I call them fortunate because I'm sure they could learn a lot from my book (guaranteed). I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about my story. Well, okay, two Filipinos asked who the publisher was. :-) I said, "heck, I don't even know the publishers of the bestsellers I've read". I shot back, "how many books have you read? And can you tell me who the publishers were for those you've read?" That shut them up so fast I think they won't be talking to me until I get my first 'traditionally published' book. But of course, I know where they're coming from . . . they wanted to say, 'it's not a 'published' book, meaning it didn't go through a traditional publisher. Filipino envy rears its green ugly head. :-)
I'd say don't give up and keep writing. There are also other avenues to pursue. Take your book to an e-book online seller (KOBO is good) and put a $2.99 price on it - see if it sells. If not, try $1.99 or even $0.99. If you're after the 'glory', at 99 cents, you could say you've sold a thousand copies if you raked in $999.
If you've done it on POD, you could always say to potential buyers to get it from the online retailers without you keeping an inventory.
I agree with your assessment that in order to succeed, you must have an agent. But only very few sell even with an agent and/or a big time publisher. Most are taken off the shelf after a month of no movement and never to be heard of again.
Recently, I finished my second novel and queried a few small agents. Out of 8, only two replied with a rejection. The others didn't even have the courtesy to say 'boo'. In my mind, querying the smaller ones might be a 'better chance' than querying the bigger ones. I was wrong. BTW, the smaller ones were all Canadians. Ha ha!. So I tried one with a big freaking Manhattan, NY office. He has a few bestsellers on the list and his catalog is quite impressive. I thought 'no way' but I did, nevertheless. I said, "nothing ventured, nothing gained". To my freaking surprise, that same morning, I was asked to send a full manuscript. I'm waiting for a yay or nay before I send it to another one. I'm still waiting.
It's not the end of the world if your first didn't make it. Or even your second. Or third. Only those who didn't give up learned there might be a silver lining. And if you give up now, then it would be your call.
I'm now on chapter nine of my third spy thriller. (Like yourself) I'm doing it for a hobby as I'm retired, (others say retarded) and it's fun to lose myself within my stories. And it's a good cure for Alzeimer's. And I intend to write until I croak.
Here's a list I read which might be of help to you: 'Writing the breakout novel' by Donald Maass; 'Guide to Book Publicity' by Lissa Warren; 'How to write a damn good novel' by James N. Frey; 'The complete handbook of novel writing' - articles by best-selling authors; Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual; and 'The complete guide to self-publishing' by Marilyn Ross & Sue Collier. The last two was for my own education in case I set up my own publishing company. :-) Hope it helps.
Cheers,
Grampa
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