Publishers present their new publications at the Frankfurt Book Fair. But more and more authors are publishing their own works – and there are good reasons for this.
Many people dream of writing a book once in their life. And more and more are doing it. But many not only write a book, but even bring it onto the market themselves. They are called “self-publishers” – and their number is growing.
One of them is Joachim Engel from Schweinfurt. He has so far written five novels and short stories in dialect – and he publishes his works independently. Simply sending his manuscript to a publisher seemed hopeless to him. “Publishing houses are flooded with texts; one can assume that they are no longer even read,” he says.
It’s hard without an agent
And Engel saw another hurdle. “I’ve often heard that you can’t bring your books onto the market without an agent.” This is confirmed by the German Book Trade Association.
With 70,000 new publications per year, the help of an agent who “has already gained a foothold in the industry and is approaching a publisher for an author” makes sense, according to the Bavarian regional association.
Better on your own
For his first novel, Engel wanted to cooperate with a small publisher in Franconia. “But the publisher demanded 2,500 euros in starting capital.” In return, Engel was to receive one euro for every copy sold. “I would have had to sell several thousand books to at least offset my investments.” This seemed neither realistic nor lucrative to Joachim Engel, especially since he was supposed to organize the advertising and distribution of his book himself.
Since then he has relied on “Book on Demand” (BoD). For him, it’s no different than “creating and printing a photo book.” Engel does everything himself, including the design and the cover. “At the end, one click, I pay 25 euros to BoD, I’m listed on Amazon, and then anyone can buy my book there or at a bookstore.” There will also be additional costs later for the data for the print template to obtain.
Association gains many members
Engel has also been a member of the “Schweinfurt Authors Group” for four years, which has existed for almost 30 years. None of the ten members are professional writers. Anyone who self-publishes “simply wants their book to come onto the market,” says Johanna Bonengel, spokeswoman for the group.
It is difficult to quantify how many authors, like Joachim Engel, are now publishing their own books. According to the Association of Self-Publishers, there are no exact figures. One indication, however, is the growing number of its members. It rose from 1,200 to 1,440 authors in the first half of 2023. “A significantly higher increase than in previous years,” says Tamara Leonhard, chairwoman of the association.
“There is an audience for everything”
According to her observations, authors who normally publish with publishers are now increasingly considering realizing a new project as a self-publisher. “It is becoming more natural to publish this way and that,” says Leonhard.
Self-publishers are “a development that cannot be stopped,” says the Stock Exchange Association. The association assumes “that an audience can be found for everyone.” Publishers have already come to terms with the “competition”.
Core problem of financing
Financing remains the core problem for self-publishers. Like Joachim Engel, most of them bear their own costs. “But there were also authors who successfully crowdfunded their work,” explains Tamara Leonhard. After all, an author “doesn’t have to found a publishing house and doesn’t need a business license to publish his work” – unless he runs a book shop himself. Since Engel doesn’t live off the profits from his books, he is “a micro-entrepreneur,” explains the retired police officer.
Publishers often include self-publishers in their program. According to the Börsenverein, large publishers employ scouts who “observe the market and look for pearls in order to win them over.” And a “pearl” is someone who is successful as a self-publisher.
More or less success
A self-publisher has already managed to sell her four-part series to Netflix, says Leonhard. “Others already see success when they have sold a print run of 2,000 copies.”
Engel doesn’t want to make a big profit from his books. “I write and produce books primarily for myself,” he says. Nevertheless, the bill works out for him. He gets a third of the sales price, the second third goes to Book on Demand, and the last third goes to the book trade. Regular readings in bookstores and retirement homes help sell the books. And the local bookstore also supports him.