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Publishing Options Do You Have a Book Just Waiting to Be Published

Written by: Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Article Overview: Have you completed a novel and are now looking for ways to have it published? Want to get the family cookbook published? Well, first you should understand your options--and you do have a few. Whether you query New York publishers, use a subsidy publisher or publish entirely on your own, it's a good idea to know the pros and cons of every option.

Publishing Options Do You Have a Book Just Waiting to Be Published

Once you have completed a manuscript for a book―whether a novel or work of non-fiction―you then have to decide how you want it published. This decision will depend on many things, including time and money.

You have two major choices: find a traditional royalty-paying publisher or self-publish. There are pros (advantages) and cons (disadvantages) to each.

Traditional publisher: This is the publishing company (like Bantam, Avon, TOR, Harlequin) that you must query, then follow their guidelines as per outlines, synopses, full manuscripts etc.

Self-Publishing: There are two main ways to do this―DIY or ‘do it yourself’ (some people call this “true self-publishing”) or subsidy publishing, where you pay for a package and the publisher handles some of the distribution.

The main disadvantages of a traditional publisher:
1. Finding a traditional publisher is a long process and there are no guarantees. It can take years of rejection letters before you even get a request for a full manuscript. Less than 2% of all manuscripts submitted are ever published.
2. Your book is NOT guaranteed to be on every bookstore shelf.
3. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
4. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.
5. You will earn less per book.

The main disadvantages of DIY self-publishing:
1. You have to do everything yourself―design the book or hire someone, handle all sales and shipping, and receive returns.
2. You have to get vendor accounts at Amazon.com and Chapters.ca to sell your books there. While this can be done, it is time consuming and sometimes not that easy.
3. You’ll need space to store thousands of copies.
4. Distribution will be done by yourself or by hiring a distributor.
5. You will probably have to do consignments in most stores.
6. Your book will NOT be on every bookstore shelf.
7. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
8. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.
9. You will pay thousands of dollars for set-up and start-up costs to run this business.
10. You won’t have as much time to write since you’ll be too busy with orders and promoting your book.

The main disadvantages of subsidy publishing:
1. You’ll pay anywhere from $400 to $2400 for a publishing package (depending on the company)
2. Sometimes quality is a lacking.
3. You will have to do consignments in most stores.
4. Your book will NOT be on every bookstore shelf.
5. Promotion and advertising is up to the author.
6. Events are also the author’s responsibilities.

The main advantages of a traditional publisher:
1. They have the best distribution. They have their own distributor set up and they take care of all orders and returns. Having a wider distribution enables your book to be on bookstore computer systems and makes it easier to get on the shelves.
2. Often, once you have proven yourself to a traditional publisher, they will pay for some book tour expenses.
3. You don’t have to invest any of your own money up front to have your book published.
4. Bookstores see you as a serious writer.
5. You’ll have more time to write.

The main advantages of DIY self-publishing:
1. You can be published in about 6 weeks.
2. Print costs will be less than subsidy publishing.
3. You earn all the profit.
4. You are in complete control.

The main advantages of subsidy publishing:
1. You can be published in 8-12 weeks.
2. Some subsidy publishers have editors or editing packages, and other talented people (graphic designers for covers, typesetters etc).
3. You won’t have to worry about shipping and receiving or returns.
4. You won’t have to set yourself up on Amazon; most subsidies will do this as part of the package.
5. You earn a larger royalty than from a traditional publisher.
6. You have most of the control, depending on some restrictions from the subsidy publisher (such as size of book).
7. You’ll have more time to write.

There are other pros and cons to each of these, but the above are the main ones and the ones that need careful consideration. If you want to go through the long process of submissions, choose a traditional publisher. If you want a business, choose to DIY. If you want a book published quickly but still want time to write, choose a subsidy publisher. All 3 are viable choices.

If you're interested in subsidy publishing, I've investigated a number of companies in Canada and the US. I've asked their authors about services and products. There is one company that seems to give quality in all areas and they do this for far cheaper than their competitors. I recommend you check out: Infinity Publishing at http://www.infinitypublishing.com.

Regardless of whether you choose Infinity, Trafford Publishing, iUniverse, Lulu or any other subsidy publisher, be sure to do your homework. If their authors are happy, you have a great chance of being happy too. And above all, never give up on your dream.

©2008 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

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Article Tags: amazon, avon, bookstore, diy, guarantees, manuscript, manuscripts, many things, non fiction, novel, outlines, publishing company, rejection letters, royalty, self publishing, subsidy publishing, thousands of dollars, time and money, traditional publisher, vendor accounts



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