Archive for the ‘publishing’ Category
The Alternatives to Self-publishing
March 13th, 2008 | 
Author: So far this week we have talked about the publishing process as well as the difficulties of self-publishing. I ended yesterday’s post with a question about other options besides self-publishing.
First, the obvious alternative to self-publishing is traditional publishing with a publishing house. Now, the major difficulty here is actually getting a foot in the door. An occasional self-publishing author will have the self-published book picked up by a publishing house or be contracted for another book as a result of the self-published book. However, those scenarios are often rare.
Many authors lament the rejection process of traditional publishing. Having never tried submitting a manuscript to a publisher, I really don’t know what it feels like to receive the rejection letter, but I can’t imagine I’d like it. So how do you get a foot in the door?
The best option is to attend and participate in writer’s conferences. (Side note: I’m experiencing a grammatical dilemma – is it writer’s or writers’ conference? Ack!) Publishers attend the conferences with the intent of finding new authors, so go prepared with query letters, manuscript samples, and a selling speech.
Now, in case the obvious isn’t obvious, attending a writer’s conference costs money, so wouldn’t the better option be investing the money in self-publishing? Not necessarily. At a writer’s conference, an author can take advantage of critique groups, become acquainted with various publishing houses, attend seminars, and essentially improve the existing manuscript as well as gain insight for new ideas and what publishers are looking for. The word that comes to mind is … networking!
The second alternative to self-publishing is hiring a literary agent. My knowledge in this area is quite vague, so this will be short. 
A literary agent will cost money if they sell your manuscript, but agents also have established contact with publishing houses. An agent will know the best houses to choose for querying about your manuscript. Think of the literary agent as an admissions counselor for a university. A review of the application (the query letter and manuscript) tells the admissions counselor (literary agent) if the student (author) is a good fit for the university (publishing house).
If you’d like to learn more about how a literary agent works, jump on over to Rants & Ramblings: On Life as a Literary Agent. Rachelle’s blog is an amazing resource for learning about publishing, what agents look for, and all things related to writing.
The third alternative is to contact smaller publishing houses. These publishers may not offer all of the features like a larger publisher, but they will manage the details that an author shouldn’t need to spend time focusing on. (In fact, this is the type of publisher I freelance for.) Some will pay the author royalties like a traditional publisher, while others work more like a one-stop self-publishing source where the author purchases the service.
What is the benefit of paying a smaller publisher for services vs. self-publishing? Remember the discussion yesterday about the details (basic marketing, editing, design, printing, ISBN, legalities)? The details are managed for the author and each service is considered an option.If the author feels that the manuscript is good without editing, there’s no need to pay for the editing. Or maybe the book is in its final form and just needs to be printed. Some authors that have out-of-print books with larger publishers end up reprinting with smaller publishers.
A publisher will have access to printers and discounts that a self-publishing author would not have available. Plus the publisher speaks the printer’s language and the author is guaranteed a quality product. (The publisher wants a top-notch product because the book has the potential to generate future contracts for the publisher.) In addition, authors gain the advantage of book promotion through the publisher’s catalog, advertising, website and conference attendance.
Overall, as I consider the options in publishing – traditional, self, literary agent, and small publisher – I would definitely place self-publishing at the bottom of the list after I had exhausted all other means. Of course, if somehow my manuscript wasn’t accepted by a traditional publisher, a literary agent, or a small publisher, I would wonder if my work was worthy of publication!
Do you have a question about publishing? Leave a comment and I’ll address your question next week!
Posted in 
Tags: 
The Difficulties of Self-Publishing
When an author publishes with a traditional publishing house, the basic marketing is already in place. The publisher promotes the book on its website, in its catalog, in other sources like magazines, and on other websites, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They also typically provide authors with resources to create press releases, arrange book promotion events, and issue preview copies to start the book “buzz.”
As a self-publisher, all of that work would fall into the author’s lap. To me, if I wanted to be a successful author, I wouldn’t want to concentrate my time on marketing per se, which could very easily happen if I felt the necessity of selling a certain number of books to cover the costs of production. My concentration should be on starting the next manuscript, not figuring out the details to publish this one.
Think of it this way – do you know the qualifications and process for submitting a book to Amazon? It’s probably safe to say that most of us don’t. (I have a vague knowledge of the process simply because I work closely with a publisher, and if I remember right, it isn’t the easiest process.) Do you know how to obtain ISBN numbers and apply for copyright? What about submitting Library of Congress information? If you quote other sources in your manuscript, are you ready to request permission to use those sources? What are the recommended margins for a 6×9 book? How much of the edge of the cover will be lost in the trimming process? What’s the difference between 60 lb. text paper, 60 lb. cover paper, and 10 pt. cover? Do I want a printer who uses a sheet fed press or a web press? What should the book price be? Wow! The list could go on, but every one of those questions is one a self-publisher must ask and are all questions a traditional publisher will handle for the author. How much time do you have to invest in educating yourself about the nitty-gritty details of publishing?
Another factor to consider in self-publishing is the cost. In self-publishing, the author must pay for all services; traditional publishers pay you to use them. Self-publishing costs include hiring an editor, a designer, and a printer. If you prefer to design your own book and cover, replace the cost of the designer with the cost of software. Some printers are very specific about the types of files they will accept, so the self-publisher may need to spend $500-1500 on software. If that’s the case, also consider the cost of time to learn to use the software efficiently. Some will opt to use programs already available such as Microsoft Word, which is fine, but realize the options for layout are extremely limited in Word (yes, this is the designer in me speaking out for the usage of true design software, not word processing turned designer). While I’m not sure what the current printing costs are for books, I do know that a substantive edit of a 250-page manuscript can easily start at $1000, if not higher depending on the editor’s experience. Should every manuscript have a substantive edit? Yes!!!
Another minor factor to consider when self-publishing is storage of books. Do you have some place to store 5,000 books or however many you would like to publish? Can you keep detailed sales records and inventory? Will you be able to afford re-printing when the first stash runs out or did the first printing drain the bank account?
So, if self-publishing is beginning to seem like less of an option, what options do you have? That seems like a great question for another post!
Traditional Publishing vs. Self-publishing
While I have never been through the publishing process as an author, my bachelor’s degree is in publishing, and I have worked as a freelance editor and designer for quite a few years. If I author a book in the future, my personal preference would be to use a traditional publisher. I’ll explain why after we review the publishing process.
No matter the size or the affiliation of the publisher, the traditional publishing process is still the same as years ago. Manuscripts are submitted, some are accepted, and some are rejected. Upon acceptance, contracts are formed and the book enters the editorial process. To me, this is one of the most critical points in the process, and perhaps the lengthiest. The manuscript is reviewed for accuracy, facts and sources are checked, logic and comprehension are addressed, and suggestions are made for improvement.
Following a review by an editor, the manuscript is handed over to a copyeditor, who reviews the grammar, queries questionable sentence structure and organizational problems, and makes the manuscript as perfect as possible. Typically, once the copyediting is complete, two to three rounds of proofreading follow.
Next, the manuscript enters the design stage. At this point, authors get a feel for what the interior pages of the book will look like. More than likely, cover design is going on simultaneously. Once layout is finished, the book is returned to editorial for another round of proofreading. (The purpose of proofreading at this stage is to make sure none of text was lost in layout and to search for widows and orphans within the chapters – mainly cosmetic details.)
During the entire process, the author is kept abreast of changes and required to approve various stages. Not long after the manuscript enters the publishing process, the marketing department develops a plan for advertising and promotion of the new book.
By the time the book has reached the printing press, the contents have been scrutinized by at least five different sets of eyes – editor, copyeditor, two proofreaders, designer, proofreader – all who are professionals at what they do.
Personally, the value of having five different people read my work for mistakes outweighs the “ease” of self-publishing. I could hire an editor, I could submit my work to a critique group, I could ask friends to read. However, if there is any sort of personal relationship with any of the people involved, I would question their honesty. Not that I think people would lie, but our human nature is to tell others that their writing is great…even if we didn’t like it or had problems understanding parts. It’s kind of like the commercial about adoption where the mother gives the daughter the hideous sweatshirt with the embellished butterflies, sequins and flowers. The daughter has to pretend to like it because she doesn’t want to offend the mother. Those we know may not be completely honest; however, the people working at the publishers usually aren’t our friends and get paid to be honest.
Now, please understand when I referred to the “ease” of self-publishing, I wasn’t saying that the self-publishing process is easy. In fact, I think it is a much harder road than traditional publishing, especially for those who enter it naively. Tackling the writing, the editing, the production process, the marketing by yourself = work. To those who have a very loyal following, such as a self-help guru or a big-name evangelist / preacher, self-publishing may work simply because of the already established customer base. However, for the average author, the few books that are sold to family and friends won’t even begin to cover the costs of printing, let alone provide a profit.
So besides potential marketing issues, what are some of the difficulties with self-publishing? Read those here!