Whether you take the Indie route or the traditional book publishing path, there are many possibilities. You need to find one that will suit your needs. Listed below are the pros and cons of each one.
COPYRIGHT
If you are ready to publish your book, do not do it until you ©Copyright your work:
It is not expensive, but necessary if you ever want to stop people from copying your work, selling it online, or using it for any other purpose.
Once your book has been Copyrighted, you are ready for the next step! Congratulations! Let's get started!
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DECIDING TO SELF PUBLISH OR WORK WITH A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER:
Below are a few of the questions you need to ask yourself.
Do you have realistic expectations?
Is this your first book?
Do you expect to write more books?
Is it important to you that your book be published exactly the way you wrote it, or are you flexible?
Are you willing to hand over the rights to your book?
How quickly do you want to get your book published?
Are you willing to make less money per book by going with a #traditional #publisher?
Do you handle deadlines well?
How good are you at accepting rejection?
How comfortable are you working with social media?
Are you an introvert or extrovert?
How much effort are you willing to invest in learning to market your book?
All of the above are questions that you should ask yourself when it is time to publish your book.
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HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING:
If you have only written one book, it is even more difficult to find a publisher interested in it.
If you expect to write more books, they may take it with the expectation of another book in progress. Expect them to set a time-frame for completion. If you don't do well under pressure, this may not be for you. If you aren't willing to give up rights to the book, this option is probably not the best one for you.
Expect a #traditional publisher to take a very large percentage of the earnings. They are using the connections they have worked hard to earn and their skills, to help you promote your book.
How many traditional publishers do you need to give your book to before one takes it seriously? There is no simple answer. As many as it takes. It may be one. It may be fifty or more.
How long is the process? First you have to find one that will take an interest, make you an offer and execute a contract. Plan roughly on anywhere from six months to two years or maybe never.
Finalizing a contract: Don't ever sign a publishing contract without first obtaining a legal review of the contract by a lawyer.
Do you have what it takes to promote yourself and your book? If not, a traditional publisher may be the right choice for you. However, don't assume if you go the traditional route, you won't be assisting with promoting your book. You almost certainly will.
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SELF PUBLISHING VS. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING:
The following are reasons I don't like traditional publishing and why I made the decision to self-publish. I didn't want to:
give up rights to my book,
let anyone change my work,
write with a deadline for completion,
work for a publisher,
mail out my manuscript to publishers with the hope of finding someone that will take an interest,
wait to find out if a publisher is interested,
wait for a publisher to market my book,
negotiate a contract and pay contract negotiation legal fees,
pay a publisher a percentage to promote it.
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SUMMARY: After careful consideration of all of the above, I decided to self-publish my book. I must admit there have been bumps in the road. It hasn't always been easy, but overall, it has been an amazing journey!
I think that in order to switch a self-published book to a traditional, you may have to pull it off from KDP or whichever online platform you're using.
A traditional publishing company will want to control where the book is being sold, which ironically often includes Amazon.
I don't have experience with traditional publishing, it may be worth asking authors that have done both for a better answer.
Question - If you self-publish a book and revise it numerous times based on feedback, can you go Traditional afterward? Or do you think a Traditional Publisher would turn away from a book that has already been self-published?
If I think a review has value, self-publishing allows me to do some rewrites at a minimal cost. I enjoy the ability to pull my book off market and tweak it. Obviously, when going the traditional route, you don't have that flexibility.
All very good points to consider. There are Pros & Cons to both and it's not to say that you can't do both, especially if you have a few manuscripts finished and are unsure which method is best for you. What's your budget like? Is writing a hobby or is it the main source of your income? Do you aspire to have your book rank on the New York Times Best Selling List? If your budget is minimal, Self Publish. If writing is a hobby, Self Publish. Is writing your main source of income, Traditional Publishing may serve you better. Getting your book to rank on the NY Times Best Selling List, You HAVE to go Traditional and be sure …