The Publishing War
BY CHERYL KAYE TARDIF
Looking for a publisher? In North
America, there are hundreds of thousands of people who dream of becoming
a published author. They write in their spare time, on their days off
and well into the night. Most of them, however, are reluctant to step
into the 'war zone' that is the publishing world. "Do I self-publish?
Can I get Random House to take me seriously? Should I use a
Print-On-Demand publisher?" The war is on!
There is a 'war' going on in
the publishing industry. Some people believe a writer should
only approach publishing houses like Harper, Bantam or TOR.
Other people believe that smaller, independent or POD
publishers are the way to go. One thing is for sure; there are
many aspects to contemplate when looking for the right
publisher. First, what is right for one person may not be
right for another. In order to make a well-informed decision
you must consider the differences between the three main types
of publishing.
Traditional publishing is the
writer's dream. A 'big house' publisher contacts you and loves
your manuscript. You sign a contract a few months later.
Approximately two to three years later, your book is in print
and on the shelves. If you self-publish (or use a vanity
press), you invest a hefty sum of money ― usually $10,000
or more. You must store hundreds of books in your basement or
pay for warehousing. Your book is in print and usually on the
shelves in less than six months. If you use a Print-On-Demand
publisher (POD), you invest a minimal amount―usually less than
$2,000.00. You receive 2-40 FREE books to do with
as you please, and your book is in print in about two months.
Traditional Publishing
With traditional publishing, a
writer must abide by strict guidelines and every publisher has
their own specific preferences. Some of the 'big houses' such
as Berkley, and Random House will not even consider looking at
an author if the writer does not have an agent. Most will not
accept unsolicited work (which means simply that they have to
request to see your manuscript, whether through an agent or as
a result of your query letter).
The most important step is the
query letter, and there is one rule to follow. The same rule
applies to any piece of work you write, and is what I call The
Three Firsts – first sentence, first paragraph and first page.
The first sentence must grab your audience (even a potential
publisher) and should contain the title of your work. It must
give them a reason to read further and 'hook' them into
wanting to read more. The first paragraph must give an even
stronger hook; otherwise, your query will be filed... in the
trashcan. The first and ONLY page in a query letter should
answer the 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why) and how. Who
will buy and read your work? What is the plot? Where does the
story take place and where do you see it going? When will it
be finished? Why will the public be interested and why should
that publisher invest their time and money in you and your
work? And how are you going to help promote your work after
it's finished?
Once you've sent a query
letter, you may be required to wait up to 6 months for an
answer. If you have not already been published, or if your
query letter did not grab their attention, you will receive a
standard form letter, a.k.a. the rejection letter. If the
publisher is interested, he may ask you to submit a proposal
or plot summary and a few sample chapters. This may sit on his
desk for months before he digs through the slush-pile of
submissions he receives daily. During the editing stage, the
editor assigned to you will ruthlessly cut, shred and tighten
your story, to their satisfaction. Sometimes you may agree
with their editorial scissoring, and other times you may not.
Some editors will work with you and help you churn out a
top-notch novel. Others may wield their power over you until
you feel someone else has written your story.
With a traditional publisher
your book could take years before it sees the bookstore
shelves. In the process, the publisher will determine the
cover design (you may have some input, but usually the
publisher makes the final decision). In most cases, you will
make less than a dollar per book sold.
There are, however, undeniable
benefits to being published by a traditional publisher. These
books are accepted and found on most bookstore shelves. These
books are returnable; this is an advantage for the customer
but a disadvantage for the author as a large percentage of
traditionally published books are returned or damaged. A 'big
house' publisher will spend money on promoting you and your
work; they will often arrange for interviews, appearances and
book signings. Your work will qualify for more contests, be
considered more readily for movie options and, in general, you
will be regarded as a professional author.
Self-Publishing
You can self-publish your book
by taking your files to a printer, having them do a large run
of copies, and finding a bookbinder to bind the cover or using
a vanity press self-publisher to do everything. Years ago I
self-published three books. I hired a layout editor, a printer
and a bookbinder to publish my children's books. By the time I
was finished, I had paid $150.00 for 18 hardcover,
picture book prototypes ― $150.00 each! My
childcare directories were cheaper to publish (they cost about
$5.00 each for about 100 copies) They sold for
$5.99 so I made very little from them. (I still have
unsold copies sitting in my basement.)
With self-publishing the
biggest drawback is that you will usually have to invest
thousands of dollars to publish a large print run of your
book. You can print off smaller runs of your book but that
will affect your retail cost and profit. Some people have
invested $10,000 to $20,000 (especially
with vanity presses) for thousands of copies of their book, as
this reduces the individual copy price drastically. This means
that when you sell your book, the profit margin is greatly
higher than what you would receive from a traditional
publisher.
The downside to this is that
these thousands of books must be packaged (usually
shrink-wrapped and boxed) and then stored. This leads to
additional costs and often to a basement loaded with boxes of
books. Some authors who chose this method are still wading
through the boxes of unsold books, after years of trying to
market their work.
When you self-publish you must
constantly find ways to market your own books. This means
either hiring someone or spending hours per day organizing
book signings and trying to get your book onto a book
distributor's list. Most distributors will not even look at
self-published books. Then there are the constant trips to the
local bookstores, where even they will not look at you unless
you are listed with a traditional publisher or a recognized
POD publisher.
The advantages of
self-publishing are that you have complete control over every
aspect of your product ― your book. You can design your own
cover, layout the pages exactly the way you want, have the end
product the size that you desire and market it wherever and
however you feel. You can hire a publicist to help you,
advertise any way and anywhere you want and schedule book
signings on your own schedule.
POD Publishing
Print-On-Demand is becoming
the wave of the future in the book publishing industry. POD
publishers are sprouting up all over the world because there
is a huge demand for publishing companies that will take
anything the public can crank out. Consequently, anyone who
wishes to be published CAN be published. While this is
terrific for the person who simply wants to write his memoirs
and keep it in the family, or for the grandmother who wants to
leave behind a collection of family recipes, this method of
publishing has its drawbacks for the serious author.
For a Canadian author, POD
publishing requires a payment amount that ranges between
$500.00 to $3,500.00. This will usually pay
for a specific package. Every POD is different in what they
offer in their packages, and you must be careful of POD's that
do not disclose all fees up front. Many POD's will charge for
every process: ISBN numbers, printing costs, cover design,
layout services, listing services, and internet or regular
marketing services. A few companies actually give you your
money's worth ― Trafford Publishing is one.
With Trafford Publishing, the
largest POD company in Canada, they offer comprehensive
packages, and even allow you to upgrade later by paying the
difference. They promise to deliver a completed product in
four to six weeks. I have personally used Trafford Publishing
twice and have found their services beyond compare. There were
no hidden charges, no waiting for email responses, and no
issues with the finished products. In fact, both books were
comparative to anything you'd find published by a 'big house'
publisher.
Trafford was recently featured
in PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success and ranked
5th in the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in Canada. Over
4,000 authors (representing 5,500 titles) from more than 75
countries use Trafford's service. 2% of all new titles
published in North America, and about 250 new titles every
month, come from Trafford Publishing.
There are other POD companies,
as mentioned above. 1st Books, iUniverse, XLibris, and many
more use the Print-On-Demand technology. You should always
compare services. And there are things to look for before
deciding which one to use. How long has this company been in
business? This is a very important factor, especially with all
the 'fly-by-night' POD's that have come and gone. In general,
you should not even consider a company unless it has a track
record of at least 5 years.
The best way to find out how a
company rates is to go directly to the source. Read
testimonials from other authors that have used their services.
Then ask the publisher for three names and email addresses not
on the testimonial list. If the publisher will not release
that information, check their site. Research their authors,
find email addresses and contact them. It's amazing what you
will learn about a company by talking to the people who
actually use their services. You will find out if the company
is slow, if they return emails promptly, if there are unusual
contract clauses, and if that company is worth your
investment.
You should also thoroughly
research the publisher online. Look for complaints or articles
about the company and look especially for the publisher's
site. Warning: If the publisher does not have his own .com,
.net or .ca website ― STAY AWAY. Never deal with a "publisher"
who uses a sub-site address. A serious, respectable publisher
will always invest in a proper website! Otherwise you will be
using "Joe-Blows" service or "Grandma Mae's In-Home
Publishing". If a POD publisher expects to be taken seriously,
they will invest in a professional site, hi-tech equipment and
experienced staff.
Remember to ask the 5 W's and How
Who owns the company? Are they
experienced as a publisher? Do they have the contacts to
promote you? How many years have they published books?
What have they published so
far? Do they have hundreds of satisfied customers…or two or
three? Some 'publishers' have advertised their services when
they have only self-published their own work. What technology
do they use for their printing, or do they hire out?
Where will your books be
promoted? Will you be listed with book distributors? Will your
book appear on Amazon.com and other prestigious websites?
When will you have a complete
final product in your hands? Some POD's take up to six months
before you have a finished product.
Why should you trust this
company? What do they offer that is over and above the other
POD's? What are their policies? Ask for a copy of the
agreement or contract ahead of time. Take it to a lawyer if
you must.
How much is their service
going to cost? What is the total cost involved from beginning
to end? Are there any hidden charges? Is it a safe risk and a
realistic investment?
The advantages with a POD
publisher are varied, depending on the company and their
package deals. By choosing Print-On-Demand, you'll be helping
the environment and saving thousands of trees. Your book will
be printed as each order comes in; therefore, less waste. With
a POD publisher, you can supply your own cover or hire someone
to design a cover for you. You are free to promote yourself
and your books any way you want. You can walk into a
bookstore, speak with a manager and arrange for your book to
appear on their shelves. A professional POD company will be on
all the right 'lists', so you will not be as limited in what
you can do with your book.
Of course, for an author the
best reason to go with a POD publisher is that you will not
get a rejection letter, your book will finally be published
and will be available to the public in less than six months,
and you can finally call yourself a "published author".
So, you want to be a published
author. Do you have talent and can you actually write
something worth reading? Have you researched your market and
target audience? Do you have the wisdom to have all your work
edited by at least three other pair of eyes? Are you willing
to 'shamelessly promote' yourself? If you have answered 'yes'
to all of these questions, you can be published. With today's
technology and new outlook on the world of publishing,
'getting published' is easy! Choosing the right method of
publishing is the difficult part. Trafford was 'right' for me,
but it may not be 'right' for you. The war continues ― the
publishing war.
Note: This article
reflects the viewpoint of the writer. It is a culmination of
years of research and various publishing experiences (either
the author's or those she interviewed). It is up to you, the
reader, to glean what advice you can, to research on your own
and to make your own informed decision. Although Trafford
Publishing is highlighted in this article, there are other
professional, well-respected POD publishers in all areas of
publishing. And there are certainly pros and cons to all three
types of publishing. ~ CKT
Copyright © 2004 Cheryl Kaye
Tardif
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is the
author of Divine Intervention, the 'psi-fi' suspense
thriller that was compared to Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb’s 'In
Death' series. She also wrote
Whale Song, an emotional mystery novel suitable for all
ages being considered by a leading Canadian film producer.
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