Interview with Self-Publisher Don Karp
1. What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?
I find writing my memoirs and blog gratifying. It’s a way of helping others look at their lives in the way I’ve looked at mine. And my skill development in writing has built self-confidence.
2. What made you decide to write a book?
Actually, I self-published three. The first was in 2013. I had a very rough draft. Writing it was a way to finalize a very difficult part of my life. I had no notion of publication. When I shared it with an author I had met, who did a public reading, she raved about it. I learned she won the American Book Award and the Pen Oakland Award. This encouraged me to self-publish.
3. What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?
I shared my rough draft with an author I had met, who did a public reading. She asked for it when I told her I had written a rough draft about my life. She raved about it! I learned she won the American Book Award and the Pen Oakland Award. This encouraged me to self-publish. I felt that self-publishing would be faster, easier, and give me more control over my material than the traditional publisher route.
4. What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?
I found the first book much easier than the ones I self-published in December 2022. Partly it was due to the increased amount of data needed, and greater fussiness about formatting to specifications.
This difficulty makes me think of finding a publisher for the next ones.
5. How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?
I am not aware of this.
6. What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher?
I found my weekly writers’ group to be very valuable, as well as a costly editing software I used. My writing has improved greatly over time.
7. What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?
I wish I’d known about the changes in self-publishing between my first book, in 2013, and the current ones, as I’d mentioned earlier.
8. A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?
I think that this opinion is silly, unless it is a vanity publication, for your family only, for example. How else are readers going to find your work if it is not promoted? Then what is your purpose for writing?
9. How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?
I focused on a launch by having a successful pre-publication live presentation and generating a street team from online sources.
The response I got on my Amazon KDP launch was good, but would have been more successful if I had four times as many on my team.
10. What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?
The effort needed in generating a well edited book with a great cover, properly formatted, and etc., needs to be carefully considered compared to that of getting an agent and publisher.
11. Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?
Yes, self-publishing is a viable choice, but requires deep soul searching and research first.
12. How do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?
I am not sure how one can judge this: recognition via traditional publisher vs self-published, so I’d rather not answer this question.
ABOUT DON:
Don retired and moved to Mexico in 2003, where he has lived an outrageous life. His current focus is writing from his life experience. He survived several mental institutions and has gone on to thrive. Check out his writings on mental health on Quora.com. His memoirs are available on Lulu and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/author/donkarp), and see his blog, "Letters From Mexico" at donkarp.com/letters. He facilitates workshops on journal writing and does speaking engagements. He is also a certified Hearing Voices peer group facilitator. donkarp.com is his site.