What finally sold you on either self or trade publishing?

Dave.C.Robinson

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I went for self-publishing because I wanted to do something outside the norm. I'm writing 50-60k retro pulp adventures that are too short for most trade publishers and have a pretty niche market. After publishing five of them I signed a contract for an RPG supplement based on the series, which gives the publisher's fiction division the right of first refusal on any related fiction after the supplement comes out.

This approach worked for me, but I'm not sure how well it would work for anyone else.
 

Prophecies

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My plans are trade publishing. I considered self-publishing for a while. Here's why I changed my mind

-Accepting That I Need Help: My marketing experience is humble, I'm not skilled at graphic design, and my time is limited. Treade publishing with say, HarperCollins (gotta dream big!) could assist me with those areas. Yes, I know trade authors have to do some marketing, but knowing that a large company believes in it, and helps it get into bookstores / catalogues is a help.
-I can't afford self-publishing: I have set a budget for my hopeful debut, around $AUD4,500. That money took a year to raise, and I'm thankful that I'm on a university scholarship that encourages my ambitions. But still, that's not enough money to self-pub a book of 120,000 words, with costs like formatting, marketing, cover design, editing, proofreading, etc. I want my book to be the best it possibly can, and I'm spending that money on writing software, editing, beta readers, manuscript critique and thank you presents for family members that gave me slack or helped out in some way.
-An odd dream: I want to be eligible for prizes, and in my genre (literary fiction), it's the norm for trade publishing. That may change in the next 50 years, but for now, if your literary book wants success, some 'social proof' can help, particularly with sales. Also, the thought of a publisher handing me my shiny work, all nicely published, makes me cry. Silly, I know.
-The dream of trade publishing pushes me: When I think about querying and submission, I get all motivated and driven. Must be a psychological thing. But if I want an agent, I know I'll have to work for it.
 

veinglory

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I send books to the best place for that book. So far that has included large academic/non-fiction presses, small presses, self-publishing, small trade presses. If I write something more commercial I would send it to a large trade press. My works in progress are for another large acaedmic press (contracted), probably a small fantasy fiction press, and a cross-over non-fiction press, online publishing, and kindle.
 

AstronautMikeDexter

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I'm leaning toward self-publishing the book I've finished with the possibility of looking at trade publishing for future works. I'm not having luck finding an agent right now, which is disappointing but that's the business. I feel like I've put a ton of work into the book and I don't want it to just sit on my computer. I feel like I owe it to myself to do something with it. So I've been reading up on self-publishing and how to promote the book and I'm excited to try. My main reason for wanting to originally go the trade publishing route was because I worry about my ability to promote and sell my book. I don't have high expectations for sales when I self-publish but I look at it as a learning experience and we'll see where I go with book 2.

I've hired a copyeditor and I'm looking at cover artists and hopefully I'll have something set for release this fall. It's scary and exciting but I want to do it because I believe in my work.
 

Narkissos

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I settled on self-publishing because of the cost-effectiveness of it.

I live in the Caribbean... and production costs here are horrendous. By the time your book makes it market, the per-unit cost is practically double that of established authors.
 

LilyCookie

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Does anyone know when a binding contract is usually signed? If I go with a trade publisher that wants me to make changes that would ruin major characters, change the theme, etc. Until what point is it possible to back out? Until the book goes on the shelves, or some time much earlier?
 

lizmonster

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Does anyone know when a binding contract is usually signed?

This varies depending on how much you negotiate the contract. (Never sign the boilerplate.) In my case it was 6 months from the verbal offer and acceptance, but that's extreme. Generally negotiations take weeks and not months. If you're working without an agent, your timing is going to depend on your own ability to negotiate (and I'd strongly suggest you get a lawyer with publishing experience to look the contract over for you).

If I go with a trade publisher that wants me to make changes that would ruin major characters, change the theme, etc. Until what point is it possible to back out? Until the book goes on the shelves, or some time much earlier?

This is going to depend on the contract's termination clause. In my case, I could have pulled the book at any point, as long as I was willing to return the advance. Similarly, they could choose not to publish it at any point - but if I'd lived up to my side of the contract, I would keep the money.

ETA: Having said this, I suspect there would have been a point after which the publisher might have become a little cranky with me. For example: the books went to the printer about 6 weeks before release date. I imagine if I'd wanted to yank it after that, there might have been some conversations. But it would have taken something really extreme for me to do that after working with them on the book for the preceding 18 months.

And now, some commentary: Publishers are buying your book because they want to make money off it, yes; but they really and truly want you to be happy with the final result. Why wouldn't they? If the book does well, they want you to sell to them again, and you won't do that unless you're happy.

This means they're unlikely to want you to "make changes that would ruin major characters, change the theme, etc." I'd side-eye a publisher who routinely made offers on books they thought were so far from finished.

Before you accept an offer, have a conversation with the acquiring editor (and your agent, if you have one) about the publisher's vision for the book, including the marketing. It's perfectly OK to decide not to sell to a particular publisher if you think they don't see your work the way you do.
 
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starrystorm

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Does anyone know when a binding contract is usually signed? If I go with a trade publisher that wants me to make changes that would ruin major characters, change the theme, etc. Until what point is it possible to back out? Until the book goes on the shelves, or some time much earlier?

Thanks for asking this question, I was wondering how much a publisher could change as well. I'm pretty nervous about how someone might see my book and try to change it just because something's "in" or would draw more readers even though that would change major things in my book. I want to be able to say no. Another reason I should get an agent.
 

LilyCookie

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Thanks for asking this question, I was wondering how much a publisher could change as well. I'm pretty nervous about how someone might see my book and try to change it just because something's "in" or would draw more readers even though that would change major things in my book. I want to be able to say no. Another reason I should get an agent.

I'm nervous about that too, especially as a marginalized author. I'd rather be told outright that I'm unmarketable then attempt to find another publisher or self-publish than have a publisher force me to change things to make my brand more "mainstream" or "acceptable."

And lizmonster, thank you for your in-depth answer.
 

frimble3

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Look how many people have books they want someone to publish, versus how few are actually accepted. I suspected that it's easier for a publisher to move on to the next book than arguing with a writer about making changes.
I doubt than anyone would sign a contract for your book, and then, without warning, want to change the whole thing.
 
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mccardey

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Yes - I doubt that many publishers are interested in books that need to be changed in more than minor ways. Unless they're publishing you for your already-established name value.

They just don't have the time. And there are always more books.
 

Putputt

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Does anyone know when a binding contract is usually signed? If I go with a trade publisher that wants me to make changes that would ruin major characters, change the theme, etc. Until what point is it possible to back out? Until the book goes on the shelves, or some time much earlier?

Thanks for asking this question, I was wondering how much a publisher could change as well. I'm pretty nervous about how someone might see my book and try to change it just because something's "in" or would draw more readers even though that would change major things in my book. I want to be able to say no. Another reason I should get an agent.

Usually, when a publisher is interested in making an offer, they'd ask to have a phone call with you. (This is highly anecdotal, so please take with a grain of salt!) During the phone call, they will discuss the changes they want you to make to the book, and see if you're on the same page. The changes can vary from minor tweaks to major rip-apart-the-plot type changes. So it's very important during the call to get an accurate picture of what the publisher is looking for, and to make sure that you both share the same vision for your book.

I think once the contract is signed, if your publisher springs a change that you strongly disagree with, you can ask your agent to step in and be the "bad cop" on your behalf. Good agents will know how to navigate this sensitive process and hopefully help you resolve the issue. I will say that my first editor has so far been great when I'm unsure about the changes she's proposing. She doesn't do the changes for me; she points out issues and gives suggestions on how to fix, and she's willing to listen to my reasons if I say I'm not fully on board with the suggested change.

Yes - I doubt that many publishers are interested in books that need to be changed in more than minor ways. Unless they're publishing you for your already-established name value.

They just don't have the time. And there are always more books.

I imagine this is true in most cases. However, recently a publisher got on the phone to chat about my book and basically asked me to change the entire plot. I'm talking "take the same characters and the same setting, but think up a whole different plot". :D I very nearly burst into tears during the call, lol. Inexplicably, they still made an offer, despite the book they want not having been written. My agent had a talk with them afterwards and confirmed that yes, they really did want an entirely different book, but with the same characters. Fortunately they weren't the only offer on the table, and other publishers did not feel the same way, so I ended up not going with them. But that was a pretty bizarre situation, and I hope a very uncommon one.

My advice is to always have a talk with the offering house to make sure your visions are aligned before accepting the offer.
 

WeaselFire

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I have only chosen self publishing when the market is too limited for a publisher to bother printing a book but large enough where a profit can be made. Easy decision.


Jeff
 

allryuken

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We decided to self publish first, we self-published 2 books and learned a lot from that process and felt like we got an understanding of the publishing world and how Amazon works.

We got a publishing deal offered to us for our third book and we've been in traditional publishing ever since. If you are in a genre like ours which sells a high percentage of paperbacks over eBooks then trade publishing is far superior to self-publishing due to the extra exposure you get from bookstores. We're now about 10 books in and going strong. However if we were in a genre that was more ebook dominated, then we might be more interested in self-publishing.