This week we’ve been covering the 5 Ps of publishing. So far, we’ve discussed Preparation, Planning and Proofing.
You now have a choice to make—you have options. Will you try to land a traditional royalty publisher for your piece of fine work? Will you go with a pay-to-publish company? Or will you self-publish (establish your own publishing company)?
People ask me, which is the best publishing option? My response is, “It depends on you and it depends on the project.” Your job is to study the publishing industry so that you understand all of your options and the possible consequences of your choices. My book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author, provides a good start in that direction. If you are considering a pay-to-publish company, also read Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, wherein he rates and ranks 48 of these companies and scrutinizes their contracts for you.
Publishing is not free. If you land a traditional royalty publisher, you may not be required to put any money up, but you’ll receive only five to fifteen percent of the selling price of the books and this doesn’t typically add up to much.
If you go with a pay-to-publish outfit, you could end up with anywhere from $500 to $10,000 out of pocket. And in many cases, you still have to purchase your books. Read and understand any contract before signing.
If you self-publish (establish your own publishing company), you could spend anywhere from $1,000 (for a few copies produced at a business center) to $10,000 or more. My first self-published book cost me $25,000 to produce in 1983.
Am I suggesting that you give up on your publishing project? Not at all. I just want you to think hard about it before investing a lot of time, energy and money. As I suggest to my clients, before publishing consider your reasons for wanting to produce this book—are they valid or frivolous? And determine your book’s purpose. If you are still confident in your commitment to your project and it appears to be a viable product in this highly competitive publishing climate, then take the next step and publish. But we aren’t finished yet. There is one more P to consider.
Have you noticed that each P seems to indicate a greater commitment to your project? Yes, that’s pretty much the nature and the process of publishing. If you still aren’t convinced or if you don’t know much about the publishing industry and your responsibilities within it, please read the book I wrote for you: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Authors. It’s at Amazon and it’s here:
http://www.matilijapress.com