by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Recently, I’ve realized through emails and direct messages that there’s sometimes some confusion about what traditional publishers offer writers.
The reason this concerns me is because I get the impression this is causing some writers to pursue traditional publishing when they might otherwise have chosen to self-publish.
One person who contacted me about my thoughts on publishing mentioned that they didn’t have much money for promo and needed a traditional publisher so that the publisher could take care of all of that.
Others have thought that publishers send authors on books tours and set up their websites and social media for them.
Others have had fairly grandiose ideas about the size of an advance for a typical genre novel from a debut author.
What I’d like to do with this post is to tell what my experience as a midlist writer with both a major publisher and a midsized press has been. If you have a six-figure deal with a publisher and a high concept novel, this won’t apply to you. :)
In my experience, traditional publishers have:
Edited: They’ve done both global/developmental editing and proofreading. If you read all the editorial notes and changes in your submitted manuscript, you can get quite an education…for free.
Provided covers: These covers have been created by either an in-house art department or sub-contracted to artists that the house uses.
Promoted: They have submitted review copies to major book reviewers (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly) and industry magazines. They’ve included the books in the publisher’s catalogue. They’ve sent copies to the most well-read book bloggers for my genre. Upon request, they will send copies to smaller newspapers who want to write a review or a story (local papers, for instance.)
Distributed and provided good shelf-placement: They’ve distributed copies of books to bookstores and, in my case, provided extremely good shelf-placement for them.
Intervened with issues: When I’ve had a problem with something to do with social media (for example, I had a migration issue with Facebook), they’ve intervened for me directly with the platform/service and gotten quicker results.
Provided promotional copies of my book: Provided me with free copies of my books for my own promo purposes. I receive, per my contract, ARCs for the first book of a series, and author copies prior to the book’s release. If the book goes to large print, etc., I receive copies of those books as well.
They have not:
Provided promotional materials for me. If I want bookmarks, pamphlets, or business cards, I purchase them myself.
Set me up with a website or other social media platforms. We’re on our own with this one…and they’d like for us to have an online presence.
Sent me on a book tour.
Paid for me to attend conventions or conferences.
Paid me large advances on books. If you’re a debut genre fiction author, it would not be unreasonable to expect a $5,000 advance for each book (in some genres, like mystery, you’ll get a 3 book deal) and then royalties once you earn out. Your mileage may vary, but just a heads-up in case you’re planning on paying off your car loan with your advance. It would be best to think of your book money, as a debut genre writer, as something to provide extra money to your regular income (wherever your regular income comes from.)
This advance money is usually not paid out all at one time. In my case, the money I receive for an advance is in three parts: a portion when I sign my contract, a portion when I deliver the manuscript and it’s accepted, and a portion when the book is published.
Remember, if you have an agent, your agent will generally receive the publishers’ checks and take 15% of the check as payment (if they negotiated that particular contract).
Royalties may be paid out every six months (or quarterly, depending on your publisher) along with sales statements and you might reasonably expect to make 8% of the publisher’s suggested retail price on a mass market paperback. You might expect to receive 25% of the amount received by the publisher (this is net income received by the publisher) on digital copies sold of the work.
Obviously, this is a much smaller amount than Amazon, for instance, would currently pay in royalties for a book priced at $2.99 and above (they pay 70% royalties for sales of these ebooks.)
Again, this information is specific to my own experience working with a midsized press (Midnight Ink) and a large publisher (Penguin) and in writing genre fiction. Some publishers pay larger advances for new writers, but then it can be harder to earn-out (and you want to earn out, if you’re writing for a traditional publisher.)
This post is not intended to negatively reflect on traditional publishing—it is what it is. There are pros and cons of writing for a publishing house. But if, for instance, you write science fiction/fantasy, romance, or mysteries and you’re trying to decide whether you want to pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing, hopefully this will give you some additional information to help make your decision.
Looking back over this post, I guess you could say the biggest pros for traditional publishing are that you get your editing and covers and store distribution for free and that you receive some payment in advance. The cons would be that you don’t have as much control and you could potentially make more money long-term by publishing a book yourself (if the book is good and if it finds an audience).
Cons for self-publishing would be the initial investment for editing and covers (which can potentially be recouped later in the process), frequent lack of presence in brick-and-mortar stores, and no advance payment. Pros for self-publishing would be the potential to make more money in the long-term and more control over the product itself.
I think that the right path to take depends on the book and the writer and what works for one writer or one book may not work for another writer or another book. (How’s that for noncommittal?) :)
If anyone would like to ask a question, I could try to answer it out of my own experience. Or if anyone would like to share their own experiences with either traditional or self-publishing—as a way to supply information to other writers—I’d love for you to chime in.
Wednesday I’ll talk a little about discoveries from my self-publishing experience (again in the for-what-it’s-worth department). :)
Image: Frank McMains c.c.
I’m curious about the relationship with a publisher.
Do you feel like you develop a professional relationship with them that lasts beyond the book they’re editing / marketing? Or are you “in” for the time that book is on the shelf (or that contract is still open), then “out” as soon as you’re done?
Elizabeth – Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Understanding what publishers do and don’t do for the author is I think a very big part of deciding what one’s going to do when it comes time to make a publishing decision.
I’m trying to make a decision which route to take at this point so this is extremely helpful to me. I suspected most of that, but it’s nice to have it confirment. Finding the audience is so important – that plays such a big role in the decision!
Aimee–The only person at the publisher that I get to really know is my editor for the series. Because I’ve been hired for series that last several (or more) books, then I *do* feel I develop a professional relationship with the editor. I guess it’s more like we get in sync with the series…we both get to know the characters. Sometimes an editor will write to me about her impressions on a character and it actually gives me more insight into the character because of their observations (funnily enough, I can sometimes get tunnel vision with regards to a character.)
Aside from my editor and (sometimes) the publicist for the series, I really don’t have any direct contact with anyone else at the publisher. The editor is in contact with marketing, the art department, the publisher him/herself, etc.
Good job — you cover the essentials. Looking forward to Wednesday’s post.
You covered this subject very well. I’m looking forward to reading your Wednesday post, as well. Not only can the choice be different for every author, it can be different for different books an author writes.
Thank you for a balanced post on traditional and self-publishing. Too often it feels like many in the writing community think we have to come down strongly on one side or the other, and it’s a real pleasure to read something that says “Hey, both have their advantages and disadvantages, and really it’s about what works for you and your particular book.”
Excellent list, Elizabeth. I’m amazed how many writers think publishers do all of the promoting. A lot of writers think they have to find an agent – they don’t even realize they can query some publishers directly.
Margot–Knowledge is key to making decisions for different projects, I think.
Jody–Thanks! And thanks for coming by.
Louise–Thanks. I like both, so I can’t really see what all the fuss is about in the community. There are many projects that I can imagine doing *much* better with self-pub (projects, for example, that may not seem commercially-viable enough for a major publisher to take on) and there are some that just scream trad. publishing. I think we can thrive with both and perhaps can make success with one parlay into success with the other.
Diane–Good point you bring up there. I submitted a manuscript directly to Penguin, which is how I ended up with a contract there (on a different project…but that’s a long story.) I didn’t have an agent at the time, although I got one before signing my contract with them (not when I submitted a project.)
This is a wonderful post, Elizabeth! I love your books and am looking forward to the new series you’re doing as an “indie.”
Thank you for sharing. It does make things clearer, but I’m a long way from being published at this point. :-)
My publisher does send me some bookmarks, but the tradeoff is I only get one review copy and one final copy of my book.
I think you’ve done a good job of outliniing the pros and cons of each publishing avenue–without denigrating either one! It’s the “fit” that counts most (ie, some books are better traditionally published, others self-pubbed, depending on the writer’s goals).
Jemi–The audience is huge–either way. The *good* thing is that genre authors have a built-in audience…there are readers who will read just about EVERY bit of fiction in their particular genre that comes out that month. I love those folks. And, if you treat them right (by giving them a good story), you’ve got a loyal reader.
Alex–I’ve also heard of some writers who’ve gotten promo materials–I know Silver Dagger pub used to do that. My author copies vary…I’ve gotten anywhere from a large box to a small one. I never get ARCs for anything but the first book in a new series. It’s all part of the contract for different series.
Very helpfu
Post. Thanks!
Carol–Yes, absolutely. If I wanted to write something that was likely to appeal to a very specific group of people or something that didn’t seem particularly commercial, I wouldn’t even try to shop it with publishers. If I had some kind of (unusual) brainchild and came up with an original high-concept piece that seemed bestseller material….I’d (probably) try to get it traditionally published. Very much would depend on the book. But then, I’ve got a cozy series that I’m writing for self-pub and the only explanation for that is really that I just don’t want to take the time to go through the whole querying/production process with it. It’s got readers…I should just go directly to the readers with it (and am.)
One of the big pros to going traditional, which you stated at the beginning of your post but then did not use in your summary at bottom, is that your publisher sent your book out for reviews.
This is huge and harder for self-published writers.
Yes, as a self-pubber you can get reviews. BUT, the most popular and influential book bloggers generally do NOT accept self-pubbed books for review. So an entire group of influence is closed off. Also, Kirkus reviews, for example, cost money – a lot of money for a self-publisher.
When you couple lack of influential reviews with not being in the catalog and poor ability to distribute paper copies, traditional publishing still has something to offer writers. Whether it’s worth giving up 90-96% of the royalites or not is another questions.
Mary–Thanks! And you know I love your books. :) And I love how supportive you are of other writers.
Emaginette–Just file it away for future reference. :) And best wishes for your writing!
Alan–Thanks! You’re right about the fit. And sometimes the fit can even be determined by what the market is like in traditional publishing–what’s hot? What’s selling? If something’s not selling well with trad. publishing, it might do better and even find an audience quicker with self-pub.
Elizabeth–Thanks for coming by!
Natalie–You’re making a strong point…but honestly, I’m not sure how long it’s important, which is why I didn’t include it in my wrap-up. I think everyone needs to take the pulse of the brick-and-mortar booksellers and the newspapers every couple of months. It’s changing so quickly that my head is spinning. We’ll get to the point where shelf placement and distribution and a mention in a print newspaper won’t matter worth a hill of beans… but we’re not quite there yet. It’s such an evolving situation that we need to stay on top of it. I think book bloggers sell more books for me than anyone else…hands down. I also believe that, eventually, the process of vetting a self-pubbed author (by bloggers) will change and we’ll see more reviews of these books by bloggers.
There is one other advantage to self-publishing that people don’t like to talk about:
If you write something that is unlikely to make much money, a traditional publisher won’t touch it.
People don’t like to talk about this because one of the reasons a book might be rejected is that it’s badly written. However, self-publishing has always provided options for poets and other skilled non-commercial writers as well as for the amateurs of the world.
Elizabeth, I thought this was a very fair comparison between the two ways to publish now. I was really struck by your comment regarding reviewers. I think you are absolutely right, and it makes me feel better about self-publishing my latest novel. Thanks!
Jan–I think *most* readers will read the reviews on online bookseller sites and some book blogger reviews. I can’t remember the last time I read a PW review or a Kirkus review. Library Journal helps with library placement, of course. Other than that…I think online reviews are much more helpful.
The Daring Novelist–Commercial viability absolutely comes into play when making that decision, I think. A book of poetry, some types of literary fiction, books meant to appeal to a very small niche, short story anthologies….these might all be difficult to sell to a publisher. Online, though, the books can find readers. Distribution isn’t an issue.
Elizabeth, I gobbled up this information. Thanks so much. James Scott Bell also blogged about the “why not both” scenario. These days we have plenty of choices, and that’s so refreshing.
Very insightful! Have you heard of “Hybrid Publishing”? It’s a blended option between the self and traditional pub models. Check out this other helpful publisher overview I read recently on Southern Writers Magazine: http://southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/07/getting-published-decisions-decisions.html
I forgot to comment on this one when I read it the other day, but while I was not at all surprised by your list of what Traditional Publishers DON’T do, I didn’t actually know much about the details of what they DO other than just editing and placement. The information about how you’ve had advances distributed isn’t something I’ve heard before either.
I really enjoyed this summary of your experiences. As a non-fiction writer of niche topics, even local publishing houses were not willing to take a chance on my books due to the narrow audience. So I set up my own publishing company because I believe there are readers interested in my material, and it has been an interesting process. As a board member of the St. Louis Publishers Association I am mostly surrounded by self-publishers, so it was enlightening to hear how the traditional publishers operate.
Julie–It’s so nice to have the opportunity to do both!
Anon–Thanks and thanks for the link. Hybrid is a good term for it.
Callie–Glad you found the post helpful! Yes, they do a lot—but I guess the question is really if what they do will be important down the road…as we go to the epub model for reading more and more. So the distribution and shelf placement and even the reviews with PW, etc–it just won’t matter as much later on.
All the published buddies of mine who are on various email loops with me…we’re all paid our advances the same way. (But then again–these are all cozy mystery writers). So it trickles in very slowly at the front-end. Actually, I guess you could say it trickles in slowly on the back end, too! (Royalties every 6 months.)
Kim–That’s the frustrating thing about traditional publishing. You *know* there’s a niche market that’s very interested in what your book covers. But the niche isn’t congregated at one particular bookstore in one particular state, of course. So, for a publisher, the idea of sending out books to many bookstores in many states to find this niche isn’t viable. BUT…online, finding the niche is easy. In fact–the niche finds *you!* That’s one of the reasons why self-pub is a great option and you took it farther, obviously, by developing a publishing house for your niche.
I *think* the traditional publishers are trying to evolve and meet the new challenges they face. I’m definitely not pulling against them. But the question is how *quickly* they can evolve. I’m a little worried at the slowness of their response so far. But then…all that matters in the end is readers. And we can reach the readers on our own.
There are some nonfiction markets where the author’s works are not considered “legitimate” unless they are traditionally published through certain publishing houses. I’m am speaking mostly of scholarly editions, but I can see that this could also be true for other nonfiction works, with the possible exception of self-help. I write for academia, national and international, and my books would never make it into universities, libraries, or large booksellers if they weren’t traditionally published. My books go through a strict peer-review process, which offers my readers some assurance of quality and factual accuracy.
I have to say, fiction writers have so many options open to them, and certainly more than most nonfiction writers. I wonder, though, how likely it would be for unknown, self-published writers to have their works sold in large booksellers, such as Barnes & Noble or even Walmart, since they don’t have the backing of a publishing house. I’m speaking with complete ignorance here, mind you. I really don’t know if that is possible. I mean, can a self-published writer contact Barnes & Noble or Walmart and ask them to purchase their books to sell? Or do self-published writers rely mostly upon the internet (blogging and Amazon) to sell their books?
My primary issue with traditionally publishing is the lack of control I have over the selling price of my books. I’m sure my publisher has some sort of magical algorithm that covers just about every financial matter, but I have often wondered about why they set the price of my books so high ($50-$85 per volume), when they could probably sell more books by lowering the price a bit.
J. Hall–They *can* ask that. But it’s tough. I know that some chains (not Walmart) will sometimes take some self-pubbed print books for their local author shelves. It can be an uphill climb, I think. But I really believe it will become less important to have shelf space at bookstores. It makes me a little sad, too.
I know what you mean about non-fiction. Textbooks, in particular, remain very steeply priced. I think change is coming to that market (maybe even reader-induced change…because of pricing), but who knows when it will happen.