Why do published authors self-print books and sell them at conventions? Because commercial publishing fees are generally low. There’s a popular saying in the industry: “Publish books for fame; print doujinshi for money.” Working with publishers builds your reputation through third-party vetting and distribution, while self-printed books sold at booths earn higher profits. If you can build a popular work into your own IP and then write doujinshi of it, you may achieve both fame and income—though it takes a long time and a great deal of effort.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

How low are commercial publishing fees?

When I first entered the industry, I never considered printing and selling my own books. I even thought publishing and selling at convention booths were completely different worlds.

But after a few years in the industry, I gradually realized something: the fees are damn low. At first I could convince myself it was at least higher than minimum wage, but as minimum wage rose and sometimes overtook it, I really felt something was wrong.

Of course, not every publisher pays this little, but most commercial publishers seem to start at about the same rate. I can’t rule out that I was ripped off, or that my sales weren’t great, so they were low (covers face)

Anyway, you’ll find that people say serializing novels online means starving, but frankly, unless you publish a book every month, live at home to save on expenses, everything goes smoothly and you get paid quickly, it’s hard to support yourself.

About two or three years ago, I went through a low period. The book market was getting worse and worse, publishers changed how they acquired manuscripts, and that affected authors’ survival. At that time I really felt I couldn’t go on.

Another path: self-printing and selling at booths

Only recently did I learn that published authors have another path: self-publishing.

But I don’t mean paying a publisher to print books and put them in bookstores. I mean authors printing books themselves and selling them at convention booths.

This involves costs. Suppose each book earns a net profit of NT$100 after costs; sell 100 copies and you make NT$10,000. Of course you also have other costs—transportation, food and lodging, producing the book and booth fees—but compared with the less than 10% royalty publishers give, the profit is high.

So why submit to publishers at all?

You might be confused: if that’s the case, why submit to publishers?

Because publishing with a publisher builds your reputation.

Publishers have high operating costs, so naturally they take a large share of the profit. But they can do things ordinary authors find hard, like having more resources and networks of partners—especially for promotion.

And if you sign with a publisher, it’s like being vetted by a third party, so consumers are more willing to accept the product.

Compare an author with no reputation and one endorsed by a publisher. Even if their overall skills are similar, it goes without saying which one consumers trust more—unless you’ve built a strong following online and readers come for you.

Publish books for fame, print doujinshi for money

Now let’s talk about printing and selling your own books.

If an unknown author wants to print books and make money, they’d probably have to go for hugely popular fan works or purely commercial 18+ content. If you guess right, you might make money, but anyone who has printed books knows that unless you’re famous, you should be glad just to break even.

You’ve probably also noticed that many commercial authors not only work with publishers but also self-print books for convention booths. Why is that?

That’s the popular industry saying: “Publish books for fame; print doujinshi for money.” If the two reinforce each other, it really is a way to gain fame and make enough money to live on.

But achieving this takes a long time of careful work. The best way is to build a popular work into your own IP and write doujinshi of that work. That way you can write what you want while earning a living. Isn’t that wonderful?

Of course, reaching that level takes considerable effort, but it’s a new way of thinking, so I’m sharing it with you.

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #152: Don’t Underestimate the Cost of Emotional Drain
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.