On Writing : Publishing a horror short story collection by Samuel Minier

Hi Samuel, go for it

Hello! I've published with small publishers and I've self published.

If you are planning to self publish your collection in hopes of making a profit, in today's crunch, you'll need a gorgeous cover and formatting. You'll also need to market, which is not easy. It is 100% doable if you have a good product and aestetics, but even with those two elements, there are no guarantees.

If you're planning to do this as a legacy or just to get it out, do what makes you happy, but have zero expectations because the market is tough.

Samuel, if you have the sales data or anything close to it about how the stories did sales wise, then reach out to publishers. If they did sell, even in other compilations, then a publisher may been interested in picking them, you, up. After a good hunt, and if no publisher takes you on, self publish.

Lindbergh E Hollingsworth good thought about using data to persuade publishers. Lark Anderson yeah, to be honest this is more about legacy than profit but I still want a high quality product - something that would be worth buying, regardless of how many people actually do.

Since you have the rights back, republishing via self-publishing a collection makes the most sense. Selling to a traditional publisher will be trickier given that they typically avoid material that was published before unless you have some proof of why it will sell NOW (recent demand, marketing plan, etc.) You could also go with a small press to republish as there are plenty out there. But the big question you need to ask yourself first is what is your long-term goal with re-publishing these. That goal should determine whether you pursue trad, hybrid, or self.

Jonathan Jordan good point on the "why now" component of re-publishing

I agree Jonathan Jordan

I agree with Jonathan Jordan, EXCEPT about using a small press. You are often giving up a percentage of your royalties for bad editing, poorly designed covers, and little to no promotion. The exception to this would be to find a small press that focuses on horror.

First, go to Amazon and look at the covers of the publisher's books and the reviews and read the samples. Reach out to the authors through their websites and ask about their experiences.

Make sure you are NOT paying them to publish your book. Make sure the royalty split seems fair. Make sure you can get your rights back if you are unhappy with your experience.

Since your stories are probably already professionally edited (I hope you kept the edited versions) you should consider self-publishing.

There is probably a Facebook group or groups for self-published/indie horror authors that you can join for more specific advice.

Debra Holland definitely agree with you that most small presses aren't worth it. At best, they're new and don't know what they're doing yet. At worst, they're scams. But yes, some genre presses are legit.

If you have the files ready to go, then self-publishing is probably the best/easiest way to get them back into the world. Gives you complete control and likely better royalties too.

I agree with David Gates. Meantime, check out Jane Friedman. Former head of a major publishing company, she's a book publishing expert with a WEALTH of information. She includes a line by line checklist on self-publishing for editorial, production and distribution. https://janefriedman.com/category/self-publishing/

Susan Wile thanks so much, this is great!

I have had friends publish anthologies themselves and while not terribly lucrative did help their online presence.