BOOK PUBLISHING

Whether you take the indie route or the traditional publishing path, the possibilities are endless. Choose the path that best suits your needs. Below are the pros and cons of each option.

How to Choose the Best Publishing Path for Your Book

If you are ready to publish your book, do not do so until you copyright your work.

Copyright

https://www.copyright.gov/forms/formtx.pdf

It’s not expensive, but it’s 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’re ready for the next step! Congratulations—let’s get started!

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Deciding to Self-Publish or Traditional Publishing

Before choosing your publishing path, it’s helpful to think about the following questions and research any areas where you feel unsure:

• Do you have realistic expectations?

• Is this your first book?

• Do you expect to write more books?

• Is it important 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 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 an extrovert?

• How much effort are you willing to invest in learning how to market your book?

  
  

All of these are important questions to ask yourself when deciding the best path for publishing your book.

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What We Know About Traditional Publishing

If you have written only one book, it can be even more difficult to find a publisher willing to take it on.

If you plan to write more books, a publisher may consider your submission with the expectation that another book is already in progress. Be prepared for deadlines—they will likely set a timeframe for completion. If you struggle with pressure, or if you are not willing to give up the rights to your book, traditional publishing may not be the best option for you.

Expect a traditional publisher to take a large percentage of the earnings. They are using their connections, industry experience, and professional resources to help promote your book.

How many publishers do you need to submit your manuscript to before one takes it seriously? There is no simple answer. It could be one—or it could be fifty or more.

How long does the process take? First, you must find a publisher who is interested, receive an offer, and finalize a contract. Plan on anywhere from six months to two years—or possibly never.

When it comes to contracts: never sign a publishing contract without having it reviewed by a qualified attorney.

Are you willing and able to promote yourself and your book? If not, a traditional publisher may be the better choice. However, don’t assume that going the traditional route means you won’t be responsible for marketing. You almost certainly will—most publishers expect authors to be active on social media and participate in promotion.

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Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

The following are the reasons I chose not to pursue traditional publishing and decided to self-publish instead. I didn’t want to:

• give up the rights to my book,

• let anyone change my work,

• write with a deadline for completion,

• work for a publisher,

• mail out my manuscript hoping someone would take interest,

• wait years for someone else to approve my work,

• risk being rejected simply because my book didn’t fit a publisher’s current trend,

• wait to find out whether a publisher was interested,

• wait for a publisher to market my book,

• surrender creative control over my title, cover, or marketing direction,

• negotiate a contract and pay legal fees for contract review,

• pay a publisher a percentage to promote my book.

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Summary

After carefully considering all of the above, I decided to self-publish my book. I’ll admit—there have been bumps along the way. It hasn’t always been easy, but overall, it has been an amazing journey and one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

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