Are you or have you ever been close to being trade published?

[mschenk2016]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Unimportant]

Depends on how you define traditionally published.

 

[MaeZe]

I have 2 short stories published in Sanitarium, a horror magazine. It was only a nominal payment but, hey, they put my stories in their issues. I doubt that is what you are looking for in the OP.

But ego-wise I can say my short stories were published.

 

[shortstorymachinist]

There are definitely plenty of people on this site who have, are you looking for some specific information?

 

[Helix]

Tonnes of people here have been trade published.

 

[Maryn]

There's no shortage of people here who have been trade published. (Note that the word is "trade," as in the publishing trade, not "traditional," which gets thrown around a lot by scammy pay-to-publish people.)

It would serve you well to define your terms, too. At a time when digital-only publishing is normal and common, making up the majority of all sales in some genres, are you limiting your question to print publication? Or do writers whose works were sold only in digital form count? Do you mean only books, or do you include short stories and novellas? Are you limiting your question to fiction, or do you count non-fiction, textbooks, reference works, user manuals, that kind of thing? What about poetry, scripts, magazine articles, opinion pieces?

When I was new here, I started buying books from people I knew at AW, but my budget simply did not allow that practice to continue. Like I said, there's a lot! You might even have some members' products on your shelves.

Maryn, knowing many do not use their actual names here

 

[lizmonster]

There's no shortage of people here who have been trade published. (Note that the word is "trade," as in the publishing trade, not "traditional," which gets thrown around a lot by scammy pay-to-publish people.)

I always use "trade," and it sets my teeth on edge when people use "traditional," especially since self-publishing is arguably a whole lot more traditional than trade. But I do see big-name, well-established, trade-published authors using "traditional" to mean trade, so I don't think it's just scammy vanity presses anymore. The equivalence seems to have entered the general lexicon, sigh.

(And it's worth mentioning I learned the distinction here at AW. I was using "traditional" to mean "not self-published" when I got here. I didn't know much, if anything, about vanity presses. I have learned a lot. )

Anyway, OP: Yeah, lots of trade pubbed folks around here. If you have specific questions, ask away; you'll get many and varied answers.

 

[AW Admin]

As others have noted, you're using a term, in traditional publishing, that is meaningless.

I have been published in a hand-prepared illuminated vellum manuscript written in Bastarda.

I have been self-published in digital form (1989, thank you very much) and produced well over over a hundred ebooks for other people, including books available from university presses.

I produced the ebook and typeset the Absolute Write Absolute Visions SF anthology with contributions from many members.

I have been published in print and digital form by Peachpit, a Pearson imprint.

 

[ElaineA]

I guess I don't understand the direction of the question. What's to discuss at the roundtable by answering? If you simply want to see who's trade published around here, there's the Library sub-forum. If it's something else, seems like a more specific question might be in order.

 

[MaeZe]

I've been here since 2016 and I'm embarrassed to say this is the first time I've thought about trade vs traditional.

Now I know.

 

[Siri Kirpal]

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

You may also want to make a distinction in how large or small the publishing house is.

I've been trade published. The first was by a Mom and Pop press, but they gave royalties. That book went out of print a few years ago and is now an ebook through a non-profit that also publishes. That book's Yoga for Prosperity. The second was published by a larger specialty publisher, also royalties only. That book's Sikh Spiritual Practice. Then there's Spiritual Guidance across Religions, for which I was paid a modest set fee to write the Sikhism chapter.

None of this counts the poems and essays that were paid with contributor copies if at all. But hey, I can say I'm a published poet!

And no, I've never had an agent.

Was that what you wanted? Just finding out what people have done?

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

 

[PeteMC]

Yes, by both Penguin and Hachette. Is there anything you want to know?

 

[waylander]

Yes, but not as well as Pete MC
(Shouldn't you have the Priest of Gallows in your sig line, Pete?)

 

[Harlequin]

Ah god, I've missed people using "trade". So many folks say trad that I was starting to think I'd imagined having that term drilled into me by AW!

Lots of folks have been trade published, check out the Next Circle of Hell thread among others. The successful queries thread will give you rafts of names. One of the admins here won a Nebula, I believe. And many small press folks (because those are valid and should not be left out of mentioning.)

I've had 7 short stories in paying magazines (most just semi pro, in fairness) and have a debut out next year through Tor / Harper Voyager.

 

[screenscope]

I had two novels published a few years ago by an excellent small speculative fiction publisher in the UK and the experience has been terrific. Having seen their team in action, I now have no interest in self-publishing. It's also nice getting royalties twice a year!

I'm now seeking an agent and a bigger deal for a couple of more mainstream novels.

 

[eqb]

I've had eight novels published by trade publishers. (Tor, Penguin, Harper Collins, and Kensington.) I've also had stories and novellas published by Asimov's, Strange Horizons, PS Publishing, and Tor.com. Any questions?

 

[Fuchsia Groan]

Two novels published by Little, Brown and another on the way, if all goes well!

 

[eqb]

I will say that more editors, publishers, and agents are using the term "traditional" or "trad" publishers these days. Language changes.

 

[Harlequin]

yeah it's been a long time since I've seen anyone use trade tbh

 

[lizmonster]

yeah it's been a long time since I've seen anyone use trade tbh

I know. But "traditional" and "trad" (especially "trad") still make me twitch every time.

 

[mccardey]

I know. But "traditional" and "trad" (especially "trad") still make me twitch every time.

Trade is the hill I will die on. I know language changes, but that's my hill.

ETA: For the OP - for novels, I've been pubbed by Pan Macmillan (Australia) and Allen and Unwin (also Australia). I've also done something in the order of seventy-gazillian TV commercials, for which I apologise. SALE ENDS THURSDAY!

 

[lizmonster]

Trade is the hill I will die on. I know language changes, but that's my hill.

Mine is "by accident" instead of "on accident," and yes I know "on accident" isn't new but it's still wrong.

(OP: I'm trade pubbed too, and it sucked, so there's that data point. )

 

[mccardey]

Mine is "by accident" instead of "on accident," and yes I know "on accident" isn't new but it's still wrong.

(OP: I'm trade pubbed too, and it sucked, so there's that data point. )

Derail/

Liz - just got a notification that your latest is arriving today I'm so looking forward to it! Congratulations

/derail

 

[eqb]

I know. But "traditional" and "trad" (especially "trad") still make me twitch every time.

"Trad" makes me twitch, too. But with so many industry professionals using "traditional," I don't see the point of insisting that it's not correct.

The conflating of "uninterested" and "disinterested" however... That is the hill I will die upon.

 

[redstick]

I was fortunate. Had a publisher offer a multi-book (>10) contract. At first, I was more than skeptical, and emailed some of their authors, fearing they were disguised vanity publishers. But they have been wonderful. Formats in Kindle, paperback, Hardback and audio and pay decent royalties (no fees to the author). Even had one translated to Spanish. Have turned around and put on the market more than 25 books and short stories in a little over a year. And yes, now they edit the books thoroughly. Couldn't be more pleased with them.