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The Academic Guide to Self-Publishing

Why Self-Publish?

By Claire Morgan

First published at Open Education Database (oedb.org). You can find the article here.

Self-publishing draws as much praise as it does condescension for the exact same reason: democratizing literature. The voluntary lack of editorial and marketing oversight means authors control the entire means of production, from pitch to promotions. This route particularly benefits more independent-minded writers who want to reach audiences on their own terms, bypassing the usual publishing games involving pitches, agents, editing for marketers, and book tours. It grants them an opportunity to share what they have to say with readers who want to listen. Traditional publishing does not always allow that, no matter how insightful or worthy an author may be.

“Self-publishing online has many benefits; it’s faster, free, and content is immediately accessible for everyone,” says Danielle Bengsch, a ResearchGate speaker. “Researchers get the possibility to present parts of their research individually, e.g., datasets can be published in advance of a full-fledged article. Researchers can also share information about experiments that didn’t work out” a huge benefit for those who are unavailingly working on similar projects and for future researchers.”

No statistics exist regarding how many academics choose self-publishing. Many might soften toward the concept over time, but these days they remain largely conservative when adapting and embracing new methods.

“Self-publication of research is fairly rare other than depositing papers in a public access archive. The reason is both pragmatic and professional,” explains Dr. Fabio Rojas, associate professor of sociology at Indiana University and self-published author of Grad Skool Rulz: Everything You Need to Know about Academia from Admissions to Tenure.

“Pragmatically, you are almost never rewarded for self-published work. The reason is that promotion committees want to know that the research has been vetted by third parties. Professionally, we want people to read our work and help us improve. While I may complain about rejected papers, I usually do admit that the reviewers often make good points,” he says. “So there are few reasons to self-publish. For example, maybe the work is too controversial, or you prefer speedy publication because it can take years to publish the normal way. How does academia perceive self-publishing? Very poorly!”

What’s Wrong with Tradition?

Nothing is wrong with the traditional academic publishing track for faculty, students, and other scholarly types comfortable with the process. But self-publishing opens them up to a far higher degree of flexibility, even creativity, than before. Academics hoping to push the limits of media or expedite the process of sharing their studies would likely find this option far more appealing.

Between writing and distribution, academic publishing takes anywhere between six months and two years. Depending on which self-publishing route one decides to take, releasing research to audiences could be instantaneous. But even if they elect for something a little more intense, they still control when their work is made available.

“I am a fan of self-publishing for some work,” says Rojas. “In a world where journals charge thousands of dollars for work that was produced for free, remember, professors get no compensation from journals. We need to seriously consider new forms of getting our work out.”

Some institutions, most notably MIT and Stanford, front open courseware initiatives where educators may opt in and share their lectures, notes, and other research materials for free. General and discipline-specific websites, social networks, and databases also streamline the process of finding papers at little to no cost to readers.

“There is a form of self-publishing that is standard in some academic fields,” Rojas continues. “It is normal in physical sciences, and some social sciences, to deposit a paper in arXiv or Social Science Research Network.”

Self-publishing saves schools and individuals money by allowing them to cherry-pick which resources they want. While time is a major concern in the traditional academic publishing process, money is the primary issue. More independent routes might provide a comfortable middle ground where consumers pay less, but researchers still earn some compensation for their work.

The Path to Self-Publishing

“To date, academia has been slow to embrace ebook self-publishing,” says Mark Coker, founder and CEO of Smashwords. “However, I think this will change as more reading moves to screens, and as academics find inspiration from mainstream self-published authors.”

Regardless of whether an academic chooses to publish in an ebook or bound format, or if the work in question is an essay or a book, the same rules apply:

• Know the material. Establishing and maintaining credibility in academia relies heavily on presenting reliable, verifiable research.
• Test, retest, edit, re-edit, and take any other precautions necessary to publish solid materials. If readers don’t feel like they can trust a writer, they will seek information from someone else.
• Think of audiences as a privilege to be earned through hard work and honest research. They are not a right to which anyone is entitled merely because they list “published author” on their CVs and Twitter profiles.
• To attract and retain a loyal audience, an author must also know what that audience wants. Readers aren’t stupid, and they resent being treated as such. Pick a specific target audience and write to their comprehension levels. What a physics professor writes for the general public should be significantly different than what he or she would feel comfortable showing to Stephen Hawking, for example. No author is capable of satisfying everyone, so concentrate on reaching a more narrowly defined demographic.

Self-publishing requires research well beyond an article’s content. Authors need to choose which format best suits their needs. They need to find a publisher whose interface and pay structure (if any) stand in congruence with their ultimate goals. They need to decide whether they need an agent, and how they plan to promote the publication. It’s an overwhelming amount of information to process. Organize time around specific goals. Streamlining reduces stress and affords a greater degree of flexibility when paired with explicitly-defined objectives. For example, one author might want to devote an hour a night to comparing and contrasting publishers; after selecting the most appropriate fit, they can move on to the next goal of deciding whether to hire an agent. And so forth.

Things to Keep in Mind

Good spelling. Good grammar. Good content: You could write with the eloquence of Eliot, the wit of Wilde, and the insight of Ishiguro, but nobody will pay much attention to your work if it reads like a kindergartner wrote it. Edit your work. And if editing isn’t your strong point, commandeer a trusted colleague or hire a professional to do it for you.

Peer review: A formal peer review process is obviously not part of self-publishing, but it’s something you should consider. The lack of academic oversight might prevent many researchers from taking your work seriously, even if all the points and findings are solid. Consider paying for a peer review service to show readers how devoted you are to furthering your chosen field.

Don’t slack: It’s called self-publishing because you’re the one exerting the effort. Stay on track with to-do lists, calendars, reward systems, and any other organizing technique that keeps you motivated and working.

Set clear, realistic goals: We hate to break it to you like this, but you probably won’t end up the academic self-publishing world’s J.K. Rowling. You have to set achievable, clearly defined goals for yourself when pursuing this path. Break them up into smaller pieces to stay on top of the myriad factors self-publishing involves.

Do your research: Beyond the research for your paper or book, of course. Don’t just plunge into a self-publishing option without a plan. Find out what each company offers in terms of author compensation. Choose between ebook, print on demand, or traditional print formats. Analyze your needs and decide whether you really need an agent. Decide what promotions work best for the type of audience you want to reach. Self-publishing is an intense undertaking. Approaching it recklessly will probably not yield the results you want.

Know your audience: The easiest strategy for reaching an audience? Actually taking the time to know them. Write to them in the language they’ll respond to most. College freshmen, for example, probably won’t be able to focus on more jargon-driven rhetoric, while fellow professors might find reductive language and ideas too dull and obvious. Knowing your audience also involves researching the best promotional strategies to reach them.

Consider multimedia: If ebooks seem the right fit for your goals, you might want to stand out by incorporating multimedia. Smarthistory is a good example of how to underscore the main points of academic works with engaging video and audio. It’s a creative, innovative approach worth exploring.

The traditional structure of academic publishing may not entirely go away anytime soon. But professors and other researchers have far more opportunities available to control the publication, distribution, and promotion of their work. Whether they opt for a collaborative social networking experience, upload a paper to a database, or spring for a bound book, these opportunities empower above all else.

 

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Claire Morgan is currently finishing up her communications degree and spending her free time getting some real world experience by helping out and contributing to OEDB.org.

 

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