The Book Launch and the Aftermath

by Warren Adler @WarrenAdler 

The launch of a book, be it the first for an author or their most recent release, has always been the established gateway for traditional publishers to introduce a new work. The launch of a book is like the birth of a baby: crucial and necessary. There is, after all, no future for an unsuccessful birth. For the author, like anything born into a lifecycle, it is the aftermath that really matters, and for those authors seeking career continuity, and even enduring recognition, digital publishing has offered a widening arena of options for keeping a book from disappearing.

Should I Sign with a Traditional Publisher, Self Publisher or and Independent Publisher?

Last week I began posting about different types of publishers and what they have to offer an author:

• Traditional
• Self
• Independent

If you missed the Thursday's post click here and catch up!

Today I want to continue by giving you some circumstances that would cause you to choose one type of publishing over another.

Traditional Publishing

This option may seem like the most desirable method of publishing, but that’s not always the case. While it’s true that the author doesn’t have to invest any up-front money in the process, you also won’t get a large cut of the profit.

When to consider it:

• When your manuscript concept will appeal to a wide audience, but you don’t direct have access to them.
• When you already have a relationship with the publisher.
• When your manuscript is fiction. At this point in time, it’s still quite difficult to sell fiction through the self-publishing avenue. This is changing and I believe there will come a time when this will no longer be the case.

When to look at other options:

• If your manuscript has a limited or niche audience. Most publishers have a specific minimum number of potential readers before they’ll consider a project.
• If you have access to your customers without publisher distribution (like a large speaking ministry).

Self Publisher

Again, many people have preconceived notions about this path to publication—and it tends to be negative. But I urge you NOT to be too quick to judge. There are many instances when this is the best decision.

When to consider it:

• When you have easy, direct access to your audience. If you go the self-publishing route, even though you must invest up-front, your profit will be substantially higher.
• When your audience is limited or a niche audience. For example, a book on caring for aging parents has a wide audience, while a book about caring for quintuplets would have a limited audience.

When to look at other options:

• When you’re trying to publish fiction. As above, it’s difficult to get wide distribution and audience access with self-publishing. Again, difficult, not impossible.
• When you don’t have direct access to your audience or readers.

Independent Publishing

This option is becoming more and more popular. Although you may not get the widest possible general distribution, these publishers frequently cater to niche audiences. And they know their audiences VERY well. One of the best at this—Marcher Lord Press—a Christian Speculative fiction publisher.

When to consider:

• As a first-time author. Frequently, these publishers are more open to untried writers. BUT this does not mean they accept work that is sub-standard. The competition is very stiff and these publishers generally have very high standards.
• If you do not have an agent. Most traditional publishers won’t even consider a manuscript unless the author has agent representation. This isn't the case with Independent Publishers.

When to look at other options:

Actually, Independent publishers can be a good option to consider in almost any situation

One Last Thing:

The biggest negative to self-publishing has always been the quality of the work. We’ve all seen self-published books that make us want to cringe.

If you do decide to self-publish, I urge you to hold yourself to the highest standard. You will have to overcome some substantial negative opinions and the only way to do that is to offer a superior product.

Now it’s your turn. I know Blogger has had some comment issues lately, but I believe I’ve solved the ones affecting this blog. So even if your comment pertains to last week, feel free to chime in. No one knows all the answers in publishing and if you’ve personal experience with any of these avenues for publishing, I’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Thursday Review—What’s an Author to do—How to Make the Best Decision for YOU in the New Frontier of Publishing

Today’s marketplace has turned the publishing world into a new version of the Wild West. In some ways that’s good. But in other ways . . . well, not so good. For those wanting to publish book-length manuscripts things are especially rough. And the main reason is, even if the terms haven’t changed, some of the meanings have.

In this post I’m going to give you an up-to-date review of all your options—from traditional print publishing to online to self publishing. So it’s easier to understand, I’m breaking down the comparisons into several categories:

• Author Investment
• Author Advance
• Royalties
• Rights (who owns the work in question)

Traditional Publishers, print and eBook – This option has always set the standard within the industry. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest is the fact that someone else judges your work to be so good they are willing to back the idea with money.

Important Note – It’s never considered a traditional arrangement if the author invests ANY money in the publishing of the book. This means if the publisher requires the author to buy books up front—even at a discount—it is NO LONGER a traditional agreement and has drifted into the murky realm of self or subsidy publishing

Author Investment – None. The publisher pays all the costs of publishing, warehousing and distributing the book. Generally print runs will be around 1500 or more. The books are warehoused in the publisher’s space.

Author Advance – Varies by publishing house. In addition to paying for the book to be published, the author is given an advance. This can vary in when the author receives it and how big it is. It’s called an advance because the author must earn it back in royalties before they receive additional money from royalties.

Royalties – This is the percentage of the purchase price given to the author. It also varies from house to house, but generally ranges between eight and fifteen percent of net for print and twenty-five to fifty percent on eBooks.

Rights – In traditional publishing, the publisher owns the rights. Frequently the contract contains a clause that allows for the right to revert back to the author or be purchased by the author when the book is no longer in print.

Independent Publishers, print and eBook – This is a new breed on the publishing frontier and one that I personally believe is long overdue. The changes from traditional have more to do with the size of the house and publishing model or niche.

Author Investment – Still none. The publisher pays all the costs of publishing. A lot of independent publishers use a POD (Print-on-Demand) publishing model. This means they print the books as they’re ordered and not warehoused anywhere. Many independent also specialize in publishing eBooks.

Author Advance – This varies widely by publisher. When advances are offered, they’re generally much smaller than those offered by traditional publishers.

Royalties – These also vary by publisher, but on print books are generally around fifteen percent and as high as fifty percent or more on eBooks.

Rights – These are generally the same as traditional publishing.

Self Publishers, print and eBook – This category is the most difficult of all to quantify. The publishers using this publishing model call themselves by various names—and seem to come up with new ones almost daily. One derogatory one that some in the industry uses is Vanity Press. But for obvious reasons, I’ve never seen one refer to themselves by that moniker. Here are two of the more common ones you’ll see:

• Subsidy Publishing
• Partnership Publishing

Author Investment – With this publishing model, authors are expected to contribute to the cost of publishing their book. This can be required in many different ways, from an outright investment cost, to being required to purchase a set number of books in advance. Any time an author is expected to contribute to the publishing of their manuscript it’s some variation of self-publishing.

Author Advance – None. See reasons stated above.

Royalties – If the self-publisher retains the rights to the author’s manuscript, the author will be offered royalties and these can vary widely. But my thought is if I’m investing money, I should get the lion’s share of the profit.

Rights – This depends. But this is a very important thing to consider if you choose to self-publish.

This post has gone on long enough. Next week I’ll continue and share my opinion on when each model works best.

It’s important for you to know that I am NOT against self-publishing—quite the contrary. There are many times when it’s the best option for the circumstances. BUT, I do object when self-publishers try to pass themselves off on unsuspecting writers.

What about you? Have you had any experience with any of the above models? What did you like/dislike about your experience?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie