Traditional publishing: the pros and cons
Most authors would love to be published by a famous New York or London publishing house, be a multi-million dollar bestselling author and be in all the bookstores around the world. But are there any downsides? The benefits of a publishing house include: The kudos and prestige of gaining publication with them. They are the professionals at editing, printing and distributing books. Your books are more easily accepted at bookshops and other retail outlets (although this doesn’t guarantee sales). Some marketing costs are covered and you may be provided with a publicist. Advance is given from potential royalties (but don’t expect it to be much for a first time author). If the book does well, you could be offered a longer term contract for multiple books and enter into a long relationship with a publisher. The drawbacks are as follows: There may be long lead times so you need to be patient. Lack of control over the process and finished product. For example, you might hate the cover, but you are unlikely to get much say. The rights to the book are held by the publisher. This depends on the contract, but usually includes digital, audio and country specific rights. If you don’t sell many books, you may not be important anymore. Beware the publishers pulping meeting which may destroy your books if they do not sell. You will need to carry on promoting your book after the initial gloss has worn off to keep sales going, as publishers move onto the next big thing very quickly. Consider all your options including self-publishing, ebooks and print-on-demand.
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2 http://www.TheCreativePenn.com Writing, self-publishing, print-on-demand, internet sales and marketing…for your book