Books are a great marketing tool. They can be used to convert readers into email subscribers (giving away a free ebook in exchange for email), or they can be used as another source of income for an online business. This self-publishing book series will teach you everything you need to know to get your first book and make it a success.
The first article in a series about self-publishing. Brief description of the basics, such as the different publishing options and the time frame you can expect from start to finish. You will also learn how to plan your book.
Here is a link to the 5th series on how to self-publish a book:
- Traditional and self-publishing for bloggers
- Set up a timeline and budget
- 5 Ways to Sell Your Self-Published Book
- Designing and formatting your book
- 11 Ways to Sell Your Book
Until recently, you had one choice if you wanted your book in the hands of readers: traditional publishing.
But today, traditional publishers are no longer the only gatekeepers. You have many options when it comes to publishing your book. Wondering if it’s worth doing a deal with a traditional publisher, or should you take matters into your own hands and strike out on your own publishing journey?
In the first post in our self-publishing series, we will weigh the pros and cons of each side so you can make an informed decision.
Traditional and self-publishing: how do they work?
Traditional editions
No. This is not a traditional book edition.
The most famous Authors (think Judy Bloom and Stephen King) are traditional publishers (sometimes referred to as “traditional pubs” for short).
With traditional publishing, your book must be selected by a publishing company among thousands of manuscripts.
This usually includes getting an agent to get your book out to publishing companies for you. In the old days, authors submitted their book to publishing companies over and over again, getting rejected after rejection until their book was finally selected. Certain authors prevented them from being rejected again:
By the time I was fourteen, the nail in my wall could no longer support the weight of the rejection pads that had been nailed onto it. I replaced the nail with a spike and continued to write.
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of a Craft
Many bestselling authors, Agatha Christie, J.K. Rowling, Louis L’Amour, Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Judy Bloom, and many more, received hundreds of rejections over the years before their books were finally released. picked up. (I wonder how many amazing books we missed because they were rejected by short-sighted publishers and the authors refused?)
Engaging an agent can help – but then again, you have to judge agents until one of them deigns to work with you. Literary agents negotiate with publishing companies on your behalf and usually work for a percentage of the total book profits. Most literary agents charge 15% of all gross income for the entire period that the book is making money.
When it comes to choosing a publishing company, you have a choice between the
Big 5 top publishers.
- HarperCollins
- Random penguin house
- Simon and Shuster
- Hachette
- Macmillan
… Or you could choose to work with a small independent publishing company.
With these companies, writers usually don’t need a literary agent. They usually welcome submissions from everyone, including first time authors.
A few examples of independent publishing companies:
- Charlesbridge Publishing
- Meadowbrook Press
- Harvard General Press
- Overlook click
- Self-published
- Self-publishing (also called “self pub” or “indie publishing”) is the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry.
With self-publishing, authors have complete control over the creative and selling process, and everything in between.
Today, more and more writers are succeeding by focusing—reaching deeply to just a few people—because those readers have a much better chance of doing something about it.
Tucker Max on Everything you need to know about book sales figures
The authors are responsible for the full cost of production, marketing and distribution. The finished copies plus all copyrights and additional rights belong solely to you. Unlike traditional publishing, the process is quite simple. Just design your book, design your cover and upload the files to the distribution company. Publishing companies offer services such as print-on-demand and e-book distribution.
Some notable self-publishing companies (also called “vanity presses”) include:
- Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and CreateSpace
- Smashwords
- cool stuff
- Xlibris
- AuthorHouse
- Infinity Edition
- wheatmark
Authors who sell the combination traditionally publ forged and self-published books are called “hybrid authors”.Keith Ogorek, Chief Marketing Officer of Author Solutions, one of the world’s largest self-publishers backed by leading companies, shared his thoughts on traditional and self-publishing with us.Instead of giving you just one thought. I’m using the link to a white paper I wrote about the current publishing landscape Four Paths to Publishing. I think the best time in history is the author because it has more choice and opportunity than any other time in history. The key is that the author must be clear about their goals, budget and the time and talent they can bring to the project. If they are understood, they will make a good decision on the publication option.Keith Ogorek, Author Solutions
Traditional and self-publishing: advances
With a traditional publisher, in the past, you’ve often been paid upfront against royalties for your book.It’s basically a signing bonus that’s paid out against future earnings from your book. Advances can range from $500 to millions, depending on the book, author, and publishing company.But advances today are not as common as they used to be.
I received $10,000 for my first book. Not terrible for a brand new author, but not $100K. The average author does not receive such a huge advance.
Mikhail Kozlovsky
Many publishing companies have cut or destroyed them altogether because 7 out of 10 books never regain their success. Advances tend to be more common at large publishing companies – smaller publishing companies may not have the funds to provide them. On the other hand, self-published authors cannot rely on any upfront fees. They are forced to pay the cost of publishing to the front and earn only by selling their books.