Do it yourself or hire someone else?

by Marion Gropen, Gropen Associates

When you think about whether to hire an outside expert, such as a cover designer, consider these things, among others:

• Will your results be as good as those of an experienced, educated specialist?
• Are you objective enough about your own work to obtain that result?
• How long will it take you to achieve a result that meets your required standard?
• What else could you do/sell/make with that time and money? (This is the "Opportunity Cost" concept. For example, if your consulting practice earns you an average of $50/hour, but you choose to use 20 hours to design the cover of your book, you have an opportunity cost of $1,000 for that cover.)
• How important to you is it that you retain complete, personal control over your project?
• Will retaining this hands-on control limit your company's growth? Are you willing to accept those limits?

Professional results are more important for books that come from small presses, than for the books coming from larger companies. If you want to get past the gatekeepers and into traditional book distribution channels, your book must proclaim its quality in every aspect.

Objectivity is particularly difficult when you are trying to assess the results of your own labors. If you think that you can be objective, you may be right. On the other hand, I have certainly known plenty of editors that could not edit their own work, etc. Many of them thought that they could. Are you sure that you are exceptional in this regard?

The time required for a relative novice to accomplish a professional result is usually longer than for someone with many years of practice. This is obvious. The implication that you can afford to pay a professional more per hour to do it than you would pay yourself, and still come out ahead is frequently missed.

Many publishers have a great deal of experience in one or two of the disciplines necessary to publish successfully, but very little in other areas. It can take quite some time to learn what you need to know to produce a creditable result. This may be a good investment if you are planning on producing many titles, and if you are planning to be "hands-on" for all of them.

Opportunity costs are particularly easy to neglect, because you aren't writing a check for them. I call this the invisible expense, because it doesn't feel quite real. It is real, and it will show up on your financial statements, sooner or later, although it will be in "disguise."

There's nothing shameful in the emotional need to control all aspects of the production of your books. But if that need is driving you, it is important to acknowledge that it is part of your decision. Hiding your reasons from yourself often results in errors in judgment that small publishers can ill afford. In other words, make the decision to indulge yourself in this way in the full conscious knowledge of what the costs and benefits are, and after assessing whether or not it makes sense for you at this time.

If growth is part of your corporate plan, make sure that you are ready for it. Trying to do too much yourself, in the thought that you are saving money, is a classic entrepreneurial mistake.