Should You Publish with a Traditional Publisher or a Self-Publisher?
Before you think about how to publish your book, you have to motivate yourself to write it. Many people want to write a book, but they don’t know where to start. One way to fire up your inspiration is to start with a great title and go from there. I’ve written all my books this way. An excellent title leads to a top-notch story because it captures the essence of the story you want to write and attracts readers like a magnet. Everything in your book should relate to the title.
When you’re creating your chapters, try clustering techniques to help you write your book logically and creatively. I use fully opened letter-size file folders to jump-start writing my books. I use one to develop the chapters that will appear in the book, the table of contents, and as many folders as needed (one for each chapter) to flesh out every chapter. When I complete the process, I’ll usually end up with eleven or more folders. It’s a foolproof way to organize a book. Everything flows from these folders once I cluster the table of contents and then each chapter.
When developing the table of contents and each chapter through clustering, I write some ideas in each section of the file folder about the chapter’s content, and then I repeat the process with each chapter. Using pencil makes it easy to modify your ideas later. I can use, not use, or expand on these ideas when I begin to write each chapter’s content. You’ll be pleased to see your book start to take shape from the information in your two file folders.
These folders, with the ideas you’ve clustered for the table of contents and each chapter, provide the roadmap for writing your fiction or non-fiction book. Make sentence structure and word choice work for you. Let your unique writer’s voice permeate the book from first to last sentence. Use strong, vibrant verbs and avoid passive voice (any form of the verb “to be” plus the past participle of the main verb (were written, for example.) Weak verbs and passive grammatical constructions weigh down your writing. Cut your writing to the bare bones without sacrificing meaning.
Once you write your book, it’s time to think about how you want to publish it. This article will help you decide whether to go the traditional or self-publishing route. Ask yourself which publishing option offers the best choice of getting your book in readers’ hands.
Many writers prefer a traditional publisher. Those who choose to seek an established publisher often do so because they feel more secure doing this. For one thing, traditionally-published authors have a company to back them up by providing them help with editing and book promotion.
If you don’t have a past history publishing traditionally, it’s often difficult to find an agent because agents often look for the established authors that publishers prefer. If you can’t find an agent, you’re on your own, which can present challenges if you don’t understand how to approach editors or how to negotiate a contract.
If you’re a non-fiction writer, you’ll need a writing platform. That means you’ll provide a publishing company with a list of impeccable credentials that prove you’re an expert in your field and have appeared on TV and radio shows to promote your previous books. You’ll also have to provide a traditional publisher with a book proposal that is similar to a mini doctoral dissertation.
The proposal includes explaining why your book is important, a comparison to similar books on your topic, chapter summaries, three sample chapters, and a bio. The Fast Track Course on How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal will guide you through the proposal process. If you self-publish, many editors will accept a synopsis of your book instead of a complete proposal. Whether you choose to traditionally or self-publish, if your book is fiction, you’ll need to write the entire book before you send it out.
Here’s how to find an agent to help you acquire a traditional publisher: Look up agentquery.com for a list of agents that represent your type of writing. Begin by looking at authors they’ve published. If you’re new to the writing business, research agents who are open to acquiring new clients. In a one-page query letter to the agent, discuss your book’s content, style, and length. Proofread your letter carefully for any spelling or grammatical errors. Also, include your resume on a separate page or a short bio within the body of your query.
Address all agents and editors by name. It often takes time for agents to get back to you, if they ever do. If they express interest in seeing your work, send it promptly and make it flawless. Give agents exactly what they ask for, whether it’s the first five pages, the completed fiction book, or a proposal. Follow their directions to the letter. Only submit to more than one agent if a time if they indicate they accept simultaneous submissions.
If you don’t choose to work with an agent or can’t find one, submit your completed book or proposal directly to publishers who accept unagented material. Search for a publisher in Writers’ Market. Think about buying the Deluxe Online Edition as it contains frequent updates of publishing houses and editors. If you’re offered a contract, consult The National Writers’ Union because this organization will look over your contract and offer valuable advice about contract terms. The Writers’ Guild is another organization that advises writers.
The National Writers’ Union provides you with a contract bible that spells out book contract terms in plain language and tells you what to consider when negotiating a contract. “Time is of the essence” is an example of terminology used in contracts. It means that the publisher can sue you if you don’t provide the completed manuscript within the time specified in the contract. In other words, any delay in providing the book written to the publisher’s specifications will be cause for cancelling the agreement. The contract bible will also alert you to red flags you should watch for in your contract.
Ask for the best terms to benefit you when negotiating your contract with a publisher or editor. If you don’t understand something in the contract you’re about to sign, ask the publisher to explain them, or hire an intellectual property attorney who can help you understand contract terminology and help strike the best deal for you.
Get the copyright in your name when you sign a book contract so the rights will return to you when it goes out of print. Always request an escalation clause in your contract, whichever way you publish. This clause ensures that each time you sell a certain number of books, you can move to the next level to make more money. Also, ask for at least a 50/50 or more split on subsidiary rights so that you reap more royalties. Don’t sign a contract without insisting on subsidiary (sub) rights as they’ll greatly increase your earning potential.
When you search for a traditional publisher, look at the books on the companies’ websites. Study their mission statements to see how your vision of your book meets with the publisher’s. Determine whether the content and style of their books are similar to yours as you look for the perfect fit with a potential publisher.
You don’t have to buy books from companies to learn about them. Search Amazon, using the “look inside the book” feature to get a good idea of books that relate to yours on a publisher’s list. Ask your local bookstore to order a few copies of books you’d like to examine to see if your book will complement a publisher’s list. If you don’t want to buy the books, no worries. The bookstore will return them to the company or put them on their shelves for interested readers to purchase.
Do your homework when researching publishers so you get ideas about where your book belongs on bookstores’ shelves. Check to see that other books on your topic exist, but also ensure that the market isn’t flooded with books like yours. Look at reviews on Amazon to see what readers like and dislike about books similar to yours so that you have an idea of how readers will react to your content.
Take time to research smaller traditional publishers on the web. They’re sometimes called Indie publishers. Many e-book publishers also use this term. Sometimes, smaller traditional publishers will more readily publish new writers than more established larger companies. Look at Absolute Write, a watchdog website, to see if anyone has posted negative comments about the publishers you’re querying. First sign up, and then plug the name of the publisher or agent in the search box on the site, or simply google those names in your browser.
If you decide to self-publish, you’ll take care of your own publicity and find ways to get your books in readers’ hands. You’ll need to promote your books on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to pique readers’ interest without sounding like a bragger. Facebook lets you create a free author’s page to promote your book and engage with readers.
Be sure to post your website, which every author should have, on your regular Facebook and Author Facebook Pages. Whichever way you publish, you’ll need a website where you post pictures and information about your book. Find a free or low-cost one that offers templates for you to create links to your book. You can hire a professional website designer if you don’t want to create one. I have a MAC and use One-Web Hosting, which is inexpensive and user-friendly. The staff answers your questions about building and maintaining your website by phone or e-mail.
Be sure the e-book company you work with is reputable. Look it up on the watchdog site above. Ask self-publishing companies questions about how much they charge for print books. E-books are usually printed for a reasonable file conversion fee, but most companies charge an appreciable amount to publish in book form. It’s best to publish your e-book first to see how it sells so that you’re not stuck with unsold books.
If you self-publish, you’ll edit your own work or hire an editor. If you work with traditional publisher, they’ll provide one. However, I’ve found that some copy editors and proofreaders make mistakes that the writer needs to correct. You’ll get a free cover design with a traditional publisher and consult with your editor about your cover. Self-published authors have to find their own cover designers.
If you’re self-publishing, one way to publicize your work is to stage a virtual book tour to generate interest in your book. It’s like a regular book tour where you make the rounds of different bookstores, but you do everything on your computer. A book blog tour director sets up interview questions with various bloggers, and you answer them to promote your book. I’ve used Goddess Fish Book Tours with a self-published book that I published with Book Baby after it went out of print with a traditional publisher.
Here are two additional resources for writers who publish traditionally or self-publish: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King is the best book I’ve read to help you edit your own work, and The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing by JA Konrath contains a wealth of publishing information.
In the end, you’re the one to decide how to publish your book. Write the best book you can, carefully research publishers, choose the best method to publish it, and go for it. You can do it.
About the Author: Dr. Catherine DePino wrote over twenty books about Mindfulness, spirituality, bullying, writing/grammar, and women’s issues. Her forthcoming books are: How to Ask for and Get What You Want: Common Sense Tips that Work (Rowman and Littlefield) and Help Yourself Every Day: Thirty Magical Meditations to Help You Manifest Your Best Life Now (Sunbury Press). The author earned a doctorate from Temple University and worked as a high school teacher and department head in an urban school district and later as an adjunct assistant professor at Temple. Visit her website at http://www.catherinedepino.com.