This is part five of my seven-part series, “Authorship is a Business.” We’ve discussed writing the right book for the right audience, writing a book proposal, focusing on your audience throughout the entire writing process and yesterday, I gave you a lot of resources for studying the publishing industry.
Today, I’d like to talk about your publishing options. You should know that you have options. Many authors do not. The majority of authors emerge from their writing rooms after many months spent writing their books, completely oblivious to how to proceed. All they know is they want to get their books published. A typical hopeful author will do an Internet search using the keyword, “publishing,” or “publisher” or “how to get published.” And what comes up? Generally, it is a list of pay-to-publish companies (known more commonly as self-publishing companies).
One quick peek at the website of any one of them and the hopeful author begins to feel secure, understood and welcome. They find it easy to submit their manuscript for consideration. They are elated when they’re invited to publish with the company. And in most cases, they will get the invitation. The majority of these companies will publish anything you pay them to publish. Skeptical authors have tested this concept by submitting horrible, poorly-written manuscripts. Yes, they were accepted for publication.
Manuscript acceptance by a pay-to-publish company does not mean you have something worth publishing.
But these companies make it so easy to publish with them—just sign the contract and hand over the money and you’ll soon have bound books to sell.
I can tell you, however, if you are one of the many hopeful authors who go with the first pay-to-publish company you approach (or even the second or third one), without having studied the publishing industry (see my blog post for June 24, 2012), you could be doing yourself and your book a huge disservice.
Okay, let’s discuss your publishing options.
Traditional Royalty Publisher
The traditional royalty publisher accepts manuscripts on merit. Generally, they want to see a query letter first. If they are interested, they will request your book proposal, which you should prepare no matter which publishing option you are considering. (See my blog post for June 22, 2012 where we talk about writing a book proposal.) If the publisher is sold on your project after seeing your book proposal, he will ask to see your professionally edited manuscript.
Rejection by one or many publishing companies is not necessarily a statement of fact against your manuscript. Some of our most wonderful bestselling books were rejected many times before being accepted.
And you should know that no two publishers are the same. Some specialize. Study each publisher before approaching them to find out what types of books they produce. And then study their submission guidelines and follow them when making your submission. Each publisher has a different set of submission requirements. While some want you to engage an agent, others would rather work with the author. While some want to see a query letter, others ask for the manuscript first. Most, however, will want to see a book proposal.
The traditional royalty publisher may pay an advance against royalties, typically $500 to $3,000. They also pay royalties of from 5 to 50 percent—the higher amounts generally for ebooks.
Keep in mind that there are major publishers who require you come to them through an agent. But there are hundreds and hundreds of small to medium-size publishers who want to hear directly from the author and who are hungry for a good book.
And no matter which publishing option you choose, you—the author—are responsible for promoting your book. In fact, one of the most important pieces to a book proposal, as far as most publishers are concerned, is your marketing section. What can you bring to the table as far as marketing savvy and promotional ideas, energy and connections?
Self-Publishing
True self-publishing means that you establish your own publishing company. You get a fictitious business name. You buy the International Standard Book Number (the fingerprint for your book). You make all of the decisions, put up all of the money and reap all of the profits.
Pay-To-Publish Companies
This hybrid of the old vanity presses combined with digital printing processes came into being around 1996. There are around 100 of these companies now, all vying for your manuscript and your dollar. Remember, they make their money producing books and this is their expertise.
Not all of them are created equal, though. There are wide ranges in offerings, fees and, I’m sorry to say, legitimacy. Before getting involved, really study and come to understand their contracts. Hire a publishing attorney if you need help.
Stay away from the add-on packages—marketing, editing. Most of these are not worth the money. It is way better that, no matter which publishing option you choose, YOU take charge of both of these highly important aspects. You hire a good book editor. You plan and take on the huge task of book promotion.
Hopeful authors ask me, which publishing option is best? I always say, “It depends on the author and it depends on the project.” If you want a more detailed response to this question, read my latest book: Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Chapter two includes a great section on how to choose the right publisher for your book. Publish Your Book is available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.
To learn more about individual pay-to-publish companies, read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. He rates and ranks around 40 of these companies and explains their contracts. You can get the ebook version of this book free by joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org
Tomorrow, we continue this series with a post about hiring an editor for your manuscript.