Can You Self-Publish a Book Without an Audience? Yes!

Can you self-publish a book without an audience? 

Yes, but you’ll need to have a plan in place to get an audience at some point if you want to sell any copies.

I launched my first book without an audience. As a matter of fact, I didn’t tell anyone I’d written it until I’d hit “publish.” This wasn’t by design. I just didn’t know what I was doing and hadn’t considered that building something doesn’t automatically mean that buyers will come. An audience doesn’t materialize on its own. It has to be grown.

Some schools of thought say you should start building your audience before you publish, which is fine in some cases, but not all. It is possible and absolutely okay to build an audience at different stages of the publishing process, provided you do it strategically.

In this article, we’ll consider the whys behind self-publishing, how they can impact when you build your audience, and how to build one when you’re ready.

Why self-publish? 

Twenty years ago, self-publishing wasn’t considered an option for “real” authors. It was viewed as the scammy side of publishing run by shady vanity publishers who charged you a ton of money to publish your book and inflated the cost of author copies.

Today, self-publishing is considered one of three viable choices for an author who wants to be taken seriously. Along with traditional and hybrid publishing, self-publishing holds its own, and the benefits of independent publishing are hard to ignore. 

There are several reasons to choose self-publishing, including: 

• More creative control: Self-publishing allows you to express yourself without limitations. This means you can create a book any way you like. You can follow market trends and stay within the boundaries of genre expectations, or you can completely ignore the standard and do your own thing. As a publisher and author, you call the shots. 
• Better profit margins: The per-unit profit margin of self-published books totally eclipses that of traditionally published ones because there are fewer “middlemen” to pay, so you get to keep more of the profit. 
• Autonomy: Not having to give others control over the destiny of your book is appealing to self-publishers. Having the flexibility to direct the publishing process and select your own team can be liberating. 
• Community: The author journey can be an isolating one. Compared to traditional and hybrid publishing, which can feel fractured and less community-focused, there’s a large community of authors and self-publishers who are open to sharing their journey and offering support.

Out of all the reasons you might choose to self-publish, the only one that is somewhat dependent upon an audience is better profit margins, because while the idea of better profit margins looks great on paper, it’s not very useful if you’re not able to sell many books.

Creative control, autonomy, and community are all about personal fulfillment. Better profit margins are about dollars in your pocket. 

So, if you’re asking yourself, “Can you self-publish without an audience?” You’ll also want to ask yourself if you really want to. 

Publishing without an audience

Let’s look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of publishing without an audience. 

Benefits

• Getting used to the publishing process: Publishing your first book as a self-publisher can be a roller coaster ride. Not only are you navigating the publishing process, but you’re also getting used to managing contractors, meeting self-imposed deadlines, and learning all the bits and pieces of launching your book. It’s a lot to take in, and trying to manage audience expectations can be a lot. Focusing solely on the publishing process in the beginning can remove a lot of extra pressure. 
• Using a first book as an audience-building strategy: Many new authors will give their first book away as a lead magnet on their website to build their email list, or list it on book promotion websites for free or a discounted price to take advantage of the platform’s targeted reader lists. 
• Testing your book idea: If you are an established author and want to write in a different genre, writing under a pseudonym (pen name) and building an audience from the ground up can be a good strategy. Your new book may not be a good fit for your current audience, so testing it on a new reader type can help you establish a new marketing strategy. 
• Building your confidence: “Can I do it?” is a question many of us ask ourselves when we start our author journey. Writing a book and then putting it out into the world comes with a lot of internal conflict that we have to overcome. Publishing without an audience gives us the space to pat ourselves on the back for the publishing accomplishment before moving forward with building an audience base. 

Drawbacks

• Financial limitations: It takes an audience of buyers for economic success. 
• Understanding your readers: If no one is reading our book(s), we have no way of gauging what is working and what’s not. Having an audience gives us access to the feedback we need to create the best books possible. 
• A longer wait for book validation: You won’t know if your book resonates with your reader until people read it, and if you start without an audience, you’ll have to wait longer for the opinions to roll in. With a slow audience build, if you get some negative feedback, it’s not always clear if it’s because of the quality of the writing or that the reader is not a part of your ideal audience. It’s best not to jump to any conclusions when your audience numbers are low. Wait it out. Build your audience. Find your ideal readers and then evaluate their feedback
• Algorithm repellent: If you’re selling your book online, how your book shows up in searches on websites is based on an algorithm. Algorithms are a set of instructions within a system that determine how data is processed. For books, algorithms like robust audiences who click on things. The more buyers who search for your book, the more your book will rise to the top of search results on a website. You can have the best book in the world, but if no one is looking for it, it will fall into the pit of forgotten titles, where all the other well-written books go to live in obscurity. 

Steps to self-publishing without an audience

Know your why

When evaluating whether or not to self-publish without an audience, it’s best to start with your “Why.” Here are a few to consider:

• “I want to learn the self-publishing process.” If you want to become a career author who self-publishes, then learning how to juggle being an author and a publisher is key. Without handling both titles well, you may miss out on opportunities for success. Self-publishing isn’t just about publishing yourself. The “self” part also includes the author’s side. Both must get equal attention to be effective.
  
  Learning how to manage EVERYthing, is a critical part of self-publishing. Because you are in charge, there’s a lot to keep up with, so if you want to focus on figuring everything out your first go ‘round, and saving the audience building for later, then go for it! There’s nothing wrong with finding your footing, especially if you plan to repeat the process in the future.
  
  Expect to manage:
  • schedules
  • people
  • expectations
  • budget
  • processes
  • feedback
     
• “I want to build my audience from the ground up.” There’s a fishing analogy in marketing about dangling something tasty on your hook to reel in your buyers. If you’re okay with accepting audience growth over monetary growth as a strategy at the beginning of your author journey, then put that book on a hook and dangle it in the water for all to see.
  
  Potential buyers are much more willing to invest their reading time in a new author if they can get the book for free or at a discount. Just make sure you decide early on how you will use this strategy. You don’t want readers to think that all of your books will be free, so be careful in how you present the offer. Make it clear that they are receiving a complimentary book to introduce them to your writing or series with something like “Enjoy the first book in my series for FREE!”
  
  
• “I want to write in a different genre.” Audiences are particular. They want what they want. If they are expecting a dystopian fantasy and you deliver a cozy mystery, no matter how good it is, they probably won’t be too happy. You might be a super-skilled writer who can flow between genres, but audiences are usually faithful to specific genres. So, if you are planning to write in a new genre, consider writing under a pseudonym to build a new audience. Keep in mind that if the book takes off, then you’ll have to split your time between multiple author brands. This is a lot of work, so make sure you are clear on what will be required.
• “Becoming an author seems overwhelming, so I want to take things slowly.” When starting your author journey, putting your writing out into the world is one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face, especially if you’re a new writer. You love your story, but will anyone else? One of the best ways to manage the pressure that comes with audience expectations is to start without one and build it slowly while you figure things out. Many multibook authors will tell you that their first book was the hardest one because everything is so new, and managing a large audience at the beginning of your journey can come with a lot of internal and external pressure. This is not everyone’s experience, but it’s important for you to know that it’s okay to take your time. 

Once you know your why for self-publishing without an audience, develop a strategy for building your audience over time. Some of the best ways to build your audience are through any of these methods:

• Book promotion websites: Sites like BookBub, The Fussy Librarian, and Bargain Booksy have platforms that allow you to sign up and offer your book for free or at a discounted rate. In return, you get access to their large database of readers within your genre. For a fee (sometimes free), they will list your book in their newsletter along with the book’s price, how long it will be discounted, and where to buy it. Book promotion sites are a great way to build your audience base. 
• Social media: Social media can be a slow roll when trying to build an audience because the algorithms can get in the way of a direct connection, but it’s still possible with the right strategy. Instead of just focusing on your social media page, find groups within your genre or genre-adjacent, and sign up. Post helpful content and support others within the community. This often leads others back to your social media page, where they can find out more about you and your books. 
• Your author website: Don’t forget your website! Many authors make the mistake of solely focusing on social media platforms. It’s always a good idea to go to where your readers are hanging out (like social media sites), but once you find them, try to get them back to your website, where there are fewer distractions. Once there, they can sign up for your email list, and you can market to them directly.  
• Connect with other authors. Cross-promotion is a common way for authors to help each other build their reader base. Authors within the same genre (same audience type) share each other’s books in their emails with their audience. Readers are generally loyal to a genre and are often open to reading other authors’ books within the same genre. 

Takeaway

So, can you self-publish a book without an audience? Yes! You absolutely can, but make sure you understand the benefits and drawbacks so you can create a strategy for growing your audience over time. To be clear, you need an audience to sell books, but you don’t need one to get started. Our reasons for self-publishing are unique to each of us, so how we self-publish should be unique as well.

Clearly define your publishing goals and then create the best plan (for you) to get there.