ambivalence about publishing

I agree with Mrsmig. Unless you just really want to go it alone regardless, we can't say much that's helpful without knowing which small publisher you are speaking of. Some are great. With others, you'd probably be better off going it alone.

Ah, I see what you're saying, turningpoint. "No warnings" might be great or it might just mean they're so small it hasn't come up yet.

P.S. And then it also depends on what you want.I am not really interested in learning how to self-publish. But if you are, then I guess it would tip those scales the other way for you.

turningpoint, if you want to tell me the name of the publisher via PM I'd happily let you know, in confidence, what I think. A link to their website would be helpful.

You're right to be cautious, especially if this publisher is less than two years old. An awful lot can go wrong in a publisher's first two years.

If you're worried about the contract, there should be writers' organisations which can help you: if you're a member of the UK's Society of Authors they'll give you free (and excellent) legal advice on the contract, and I bet there are American equivalents if you look for them. But don't sign anything until you understand exactly what it is you're signing.

And congratulations on the offer! Even if you decide not to accept it, it's great that you've reached this stage.

You're very welcome. I hope that next time you submit your work anywhere you'll check them out here first. It is time-consuming, but it makes things easier in the end.

If you'd like to start a thread about the publisher in BR&BC, you're welcome to do so, turning: but this isn't really the place to discuss that cover design.

Giving up control can be hard. Perhaps you need to figure out why you are afraid of this. Do you think they'll do a bad job producing the book? Are you concerned that you won't get the best deal in your contract? Have you been burned in a similar situation before?

What are your real goals for this work? If you just want to see it on your device, than do it yourself. If you want readers, than look at your marketing capabilities vs. theirs and yours together.

In the US the Author's Guild also offers legal services though I'm not certain they are free. I'm not a member.

turningpoint said:

Thank you so much, Debbie V. Those are good questions. Maybe all of the above. I am concerned the likely price of the book will scare away readers. I'm afraid I'll want to make changes. And I'm afraid I don't know what I'm doing since I don't have an agent.

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In my opinion worrying about the newness of a publisher is a valid concern. It's a bit sad for the new publishers, but the respected wisdom is avoid a publisher without a two year track record.
Not wanting to make changes however, should not be an issue with a good publisher, editing should improve your book. So personally I think worrying about that is a mistake as a writer, unless you don't trust that you're dealing with a good quality publisher with good editors, in which case, why would you consider them?

One point, a high cover price is not necessarily a bad thing. Low cover prices sometimes put off reader and leave them thinking the product's not worth much. Counter intuitive but true.

I was worried about the cover price on my self published science fiction epic but that didn't stop any of my buyers and happened because it's an epic, huge at 800+ pages. It's actually two books in one volume, if I pull it to rewrite it I will cut it into those two books and sell it as a pair. But buy a crate of first editions to sign and sell as collectibles first.

Glad to help.

Perhaps you should make a list of benefits and drawbacks to each possible course and see what wins.

You can try getting in touch with some of their current authors and seeing how they feel.

Personally, if I'd reached this stage and I was having serious doubts, I'd probably pull out to give myself time to really think about what I wanted and why I was having these doubts now, rather than earlier. A book that's accepted by one will be accepted by others.

You could try best and worst scenarios for each. Sometimes when I'm at a real crossroads, I try to project myself ten years into the future. If you go with either and it does well, you'll have no regrets in ten years. If it turns out poorly, which will you regret less? That's the correct move.

It depends... Self publishing can be great because you hold all of the control, but this means you are responsible for everything from editing, formatting, cover design, marketing... If you are not equipped to handle all of the aspects of publishing a novel, a small press is the way to go because these people are (or should be) trained to handle it. If your prior self-pub books are doing well then you may not need a press.