Unlocking Success in Self-Publishing: The Power of Team Collaboration in Writing and Publishing

Most achievements are the result of teamwork. Great human feats have and will almost always be the result of a group of different stakeholders coming together to achieve something.  Book publishing is no exception. For a successful piece of literary work to be delivered, several key players must make valuable input.

For instance, some publications require significant research before a credible and compelling story can be told. This research may take years to collate, analyze and interpret. In some cases, a writer may have to rely on researchers, data analysts and statisticians. Their knowledge adds depth to the story and helps it make sense. Historical and scientific facts may also need to be considered to make a story compelling.

For fictional genres, a writer must draw inspiration and creativity from as many sources as possible. If writers rely solely on their own experiences and ideas, their bank of innovation will be limited. Drawing from the experiences of others helps to increase a writer’s range and compliments areas where the writer may have knowledge or experiential gaps. 

Eventually, once the difficult part of creating the story is done, the more tactical aspects of publishing commence. Proofreading, editing, reviews and desktop publishing require specific skills. Software tools can help, but they have limitations. Graphic design for book covers and other creatives also requires some skill and experience to get right.

Promoting a book also requires its own set of skills. Finding good marketers and publishers is a full-time endeavour. Working up a social media strategy and engaging continuously is quite time-consuming. These items require upskilling and continuous reskilling. Marketing engagements must also be sustained. Commercial positioning, attending book fairs, and talk shows often need to go on.

Considering that self-published authors must do most or all of these while continuing to write and develop future manuscripts, the general model of self-published authors acting largely independently to create their works is flawed. There are too many moving parts involved that prevent a single individual from consistently delivering books worth reading. This is not to say it is impossible. The odds are just significantly stacked against writers who operate this way.

Here is where the shift is required. Self-published authors need to stop considering themselves solo players. Approaching a writing project as a team will significantly improve your probability of success. Granted, there are a lot of group platforms that exist to help. Scribcity is also emerging to help authors with specific aspects of the self-publishing value chain. None of these, however, beats the place and value of a self-published author support team.

Having a group of people who have an author’s best interests at heart, believe in the author’s journey, the author’s message and are committed to helping the author succeed is priceless.

Just pause to think about it. If most great feats of endeavour are a group effort, why should self-publishing be an individual effort? Self-published authors and aspiring writers must recognize this flaw today and begin to take steps towards developing their teams.