Blog: 5 things no-one told me about self-publishing a book

When I was pregnant with my first baby, my body was so overcome with creation that I managed to write and illustrate a pukapuka pēpi amongst the pandemic, losing my midwife to the mandate, and figuring out what being hapū meant.

"Nau Mai Ki Te Ao" initially intended to be a series of poems for a reo Māori event, but after deciding to venture into our own business, I knew it could be more than that.

Pivotal to this haerenga, was then deciding whether to reach out to as many publishers as possible, or figure out how to do it myself. True to my curiosities, I chose the latter and these were 5 of the lesson I learnt (that I hope someone can benefit from too):

1. You will take up space for all the right reasons...

Breaking in to the writing space is difficult. Many writers are resorting to self-publishing, and some argue that the rise in self-publishing correlates with reduced quality and depth across the industry. I personally believe this is just another rhetoric that benefits big publishing companies and their control over the market. Self-publishing has opened doors and spaces for perspectives not otherwise seen as profitable to mainstream publishers - therefore, if there are spaces that you believe you can fill when you walk into bookstore or library - fill them.

2. Board book production in New Zealand is infeasible...

New Zealand does not have the manufacturing capacity to print and make board books at a price that will work for both authors (or businesses) and buyers. Before I searched for manufacturers in China to produce my pukapuka pēpi (boardbooks), I sourced quotes from numerous New Zealand printing companies from both the North and South Island.

The cheapest per book price I was given, was just over $50 per book. That meant cutting the affordability element out completely. In fact, one company quoted me over $900 for a sample of a single 6” x 6” board book, and others who had been in the printing industry for a while shared that production trials for this type of pukapuka had occurred in New Zealand and Australia in the past, but they proved to be infeasible with little chance of competing with production capacity and costs in places like China and Hong Kong.

When producing board books with a company in New Zealand or Australia, there is a high-chance that they are a middle-man. This isn't a bad thing at all, it just becomes a matter of transparency.

3. Big book companies go to China - you can do it too, and do it using better practices...

Despite a common view of “Made in China” being linked to poor quality and ethical standards, they also have the most advanced and innovative solutions - some companies even have special certifications that require them to meet obligations for workers and methods of production. This actually makes their businesses more appealing to buyers, especially in an economy that is becoming increasingly conscious of consumerism.

In my journey, I learnt about the BSCI system which has since been renamed, which was a grading system that measured companies by their commitment to 11 principles. Since then, it has been renamed to the amfori BSCI, which uses 81 questions to assess across 13 PA's (performance areas). These include considerations about access to unions, wages, discrimination, safe work environments and more. I was able to find one with a good rating, and that also printed using vegetable-based inks (which is a lot better for the taiao and readers).

4. Some distributors will ask you to sell your books to them for 35% of their retail value...

If you don’t have a publisher, bridging the gap between making books and selling them can be difficult. I printed my first pukapuka in 2022, and it’s taken 4 years to finally get them into libraries, galleries, shops, and museums. When I had first reached out to a distributor, they were happy to take my book and on-sell it to their main retailers, but they required the price be dropped to 35% of its retail price. Given I had printed less than 1000, I would’ve been selling my books to distributors for less than it cost to make a book - this would’ve left me at a complete deficit. The balance would be to manufacture more books for smaller unit prices, and then have more to sell - for myself, this approach hasn’t yet aligned.

5. Libraries, galleries, and museums can be your biggest buyers if you reach out...

Lastly, putting your work out there!

Since self-publishing, I’ve used market opportunities with my business to sell my books in-person, I’ve been to wholesale events, I’ve sold online, and we even had a small retail store that provided sales for a short time. I’ve also sent emails to people and companies I thought might be interested, and my biggest buyers so far have been libraries. My biggest buyers have been libraries. Given they’re a public and tax-payer funded service, they have budget to do so, and are also the best way to provide accessibility for whānau.

For those who’re on a similar journey, I hope these points can resonate or are helpful to you in some way.

Ngā whakaaro nui,

Nā Mihikeita Ngata