In my last blog, we looked at some ways in which assisted publishing could benefit the author, as opposed to the DIY approach to self-publishing where the author does everything themselves. In this blog, we will be considering the flipside of this – some of the disadvantages of using an assisted publishing company. What method you choose is down to you, but hopefully you will be better equipped to make the decision once you know the pros and cons of each option.
To start with, we will briefly review what each method is and what it requires from you, the author. The first method is assisted publishing, which is where you pay a self-publishing company to deal with all aspects of production on your behalf. What exactly this includes will vary from company to company and may also differ according to what package you have selected, if they have multiple options.
Typically, assisted publishing services will include things like cover design, formatting, possibly proofreading and editing, and some may carry out marketing for you, or at least have resources to help you do this. As mentioned above, you may well be able to choose which services you need. This option means that you can take a fairly hands-off approach to the production side of self-publishing.
On the other hand, DIY publishing is where you handle all of the production elements yourself. This doesn’t literally mean that you have to do everything yourself, such as artwork and proofreading, just that you are the one responsible for it. This means that you will find and vet professionals who do each of the services your book requires.
Using a DIY approach is a lot more time-consuming for you but means that you have complete control over the whole process and know who will be dealing with the work needed. It will require you to be a lot more involved in each individual step and you may decide to do some things yourself, such as formatting, if your book has a simple layout, or carrying out some marketing.
Risk
One of the main disadvantages of assisted publishing is the risk involved for you. Sadly, a lot of the companies out there are running scams, getting authors to pay large amounts and offering very little – or nothing – in return. It’s not at all uncommon for companies to take payment, or even half -payment up front, then disappear and stop responding to any attempts to contact them.
It’s not always easy to tell which companies are reliable and which aren’t, especially as the scam companies tend to prey on new authors that they know won’t have as much experience with the process as someone who has published before. To avoid this, it is best to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible, by researching the publishing process and what you should expect from an assisted publisher.
Won’t Get Your Book in Bookstores
Another disadvantage of assisted publishing is that it still rarely leads to getting your book on shelves in bookstores, if this is what you are aiming for. Even though many assisted publishing companies suggest that this is possible, it is not very likely. In general, this requires the company to be owned or run by someone who has connections in the publishing industry or used to work in traditional publishing, but even this is no guarantee.
More Expensive Overall
In addition, assisted publishing will earn you, the author, less money. You won’t receive the full sales amount from the company; instead, you may just receive royalties or, alternatively, the full net profits. Either way, it is unlikely that you will make as much money as you would from DIY self-publishing.
This leads well into another point – assisted publishing is definitely the expensive route. Obviously, you still have to pay for all the individual services required for DIY self-publishing, but you pay this and extra for assisted publishing, as you are also paying for them to organise everything. If you don’t have much money upfront, this may make assisted publishing a less attractive option.
Copyright Issues
Finally, be very careful about what you are agreeing to when you enter a contract with an assisted publishing company. As the author, you should retain all the rights and ownership of the work, not the company. You should be free to publish your book elsewhere, even market it to publishers if this is what you want. An assisted publishing company should just be a service you pay for – they don’t get any rights to your work.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this helps you to decide how you want to publish your book. There are pros and cons to both methods, and it may simply come down to your personal preference. Next time, we will be considering the advantages of the DIY method, so come back in two weeks for that!
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