We have already covered some cost-effective ways to self-publish your book, as well as how to market your book online and offline. Another important point to consider, however, is whether self-publishing is right for you and your manuscript. This is the start of a series explaining some of the pros and cons of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, as well as considering what may be the best decision for you in certain circumstances. This blog will be looking at some of the advantages of the traditional publishing process.
No Upfront Costs
Straightaway, a major advantage of the traditional publishing route is that there are no upfront costs for you, the author. A publisher is making an investment in you and your book, taking on the costs of editing, cover design, marketing, printing, distribution, etc. Needless to say, all of this can amount to a lot! Publishers are used to this sort of expenditure and know how to get the absolute best possible for their money, as well as choosing what to invest in.
This saves you from having to pay to make money back on your book, or even just to get it out in the world if that’s all you want. A publisher accepts your manuscript and you work with them, simply receiving money from them rather than taking on costs.
A Warning
If a publisher offers you a deal where you have to pay any money upfront, be very wary. This is the hallmark of an unfortunately common scam in the publishing world, where the publisher demands money to take on your manuscript, but never invests in polishing and marketing your novel. All too often, this means there is no profit and you will have made a loss, whilst the publisher profits from your initial investment.
Advance, Guaranteed Payment
In addition, when you sign a book deal, you will likely receive an advance on payment known as a signing bonus. The amount will vary from publisher to publisher and will likely be paid in instalments. This sum is guaranteed, no matter how well your book performs, so this takes away some of the risk for you.
Working with a Team
Another advantage of traditional publishing is the team of professionals that should be helping you every step of the way, from the start when you work with a literary agent on to editors, cover designers and marketers.
Of course, you can hire all of these professionals if you decide to self-publish (and certainly should hire at least some), but this all costs. This is another advantage of “no upfront costs” that comes with traditional publishing. Even if you do hire some of these professionals in self-publishing, it is unlikely that you have the budget to work with all of them.
Being able to work with all these people is brilliant for an author, especially if it is your first book. A good literary agent isn’t simply someone who sends your manuscript to publishers on your behalf: they are your champion, fighting for your book at every turn and drawing the right people’s attention to it. After they have found a publisher for your manuscript, they will negotiate in order to get you the best deal possible and give you advice using their experience and knowledge of the industry. They can help you in the long-term by mentoring you throughout the whole process.
Then there are the other professionals at the publishing house itself. These include editors who will get your manuscript in the best shape possible for publication, consulting with you wherever necessary to make sure your intentions are still present. In fact, you will have to review all the changes made, so you can see what they have done and what queries they have.
There will also be formatters, putting your book together to look its best; cover designers, ensuring your book catches the eye of the casual browser and a marketing and PR team. Marketing is one of the most important stages in the publishing process, making sure there is interest in your book before it is even released.
Increased Visibility
This leads to the next advantage, which is the greater exposure you will have with a traditional publishing house. The fact remains that books from traditional publishers will almost certainly have greater visibility than those that have been self-published. This allows you to reach more readers and generate more anticipation for your next book, not to mention the fact that you are likely to get another deal with the same publisher if your last book sold well.
More Time Available to Write
If you decide to self-publish, you don’t have the team described above – it’s all down to you, either to hire someone (which is costly) or do it yourself. Obviously, doing it yourself may not work well for some elements, for example, you may simply not have the skills necessary for cover design or formatting. Marketing is also a skilled job and very time-consuming, whilst completely editing your own work is a recipe for disaster!
The point is, all of these take time and possibly skills that you don’t have, meaning you need to hire someone else. Which is then expensive and still takes time – finding a suitable person and probably spending more time reviewing their work than you would in traditional publishing. There, this is all taken care of for you, leaving you with more time to do what you do best – write.
You will still have to invest some time reviewing cover design, going through the edits given back to you, dealing with marketing enquiries or attending events, but not as much. Also, the publishing house should deal with all the organisational issues and just let you know when you are needed, taking off some of the pressure for you.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to the traditional publishing process, but there are also disadvantages, which we will be considering next time. Of course, this hasn’t covered all potential advantages – maybe there are others that helped you make up your mind? Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments and why these are important to you. Happy writing!
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