There are lots of ways to publish these days, though the most commonly discussed are self-publishing or traditional publishing. Self-publishing is also referred to as independent publishing, because it is independent of publishing companies. Many authors prefer the freedom that publishing independently offers them. Others like the support traditional publishers give their authors and prefer the traditional route. But for those who want to publish traditionally, there is the challenge of finding a traditional publisher.
Why Independent?
Self-publishing is controlled solely by the author. This means that the entire publication process is led by the author. This includes writing, editing, cover design, layout, promotion and sales. Authors often contract out many of these services, in fact, it’s recommended that authors not perform the final edits on their work. The cover design and layout processes are also commonly contracted out. And once the publishing is complete, using Kindle Direct, Draft2Digital, Ingram Spark and other platforms, an author has to design and run all the marketing as well. Fulfilling these tasks alone and successfully is incredibly difficult.
An advantage of independent publishing is that all of the royalties accrue directly to the author. This can approach 70% on some platforms. No author will get a royalty of that size from a traditional publisher. Many authors enjoy this level of control, knowing that they have the opportunity to make all the decisions on their work, distribution, etc. For someone who prefers control or, more likely doesn’t like to be controlled, independent is the way to go.
Why traditional?
Traditional publishing has been around for years for a reason. Being associated with a publisher means you have access to the expertise of editors, marketers, cover designers, etc. Publishers and all their staff members are experts in design, editing and marketing, but this expertise comes at a cost. One cost is lower royalties than for independent publishing. The other “cost,” is the lower access to publishers. Given the high number of authors trying to publish, being chosen by a publisher is the holy grail of publishing.
There are a number of ways to access publishers. This post from Jane Friedman outlines the process and some of the links. She highlights Writer’s Market, and includes links for finding both agents and publishers. These include Query Tracker, Poets & Writers, and Duotrope, three well known sources of information and access to agents and agents. Friedman emphasizes over and over again that finding an agent and a publisher is a long-term endeavor: it’s not something that will happen overnight. I’ve mentioned many times that as a writer starting out later in life, I have some ground to make up. Because of this, I’ve held my first Mitchell Novel, Diaspora, and chosen not to publish it independently. I plan on writing the second in the series this Fall, though it would be nice to have the first novel on the streets first.
Guess I have to keep working the plan.
