Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Hi,
I am an aspiring writer. I am currently working on a project of a series of children-young adult books about a family of witches. I've never completed a story, although I've come close. I've been told by various people that my writing is nice (although my family have been my best for constructive critique i.e.: "You're rambling... you don't need to repeat that point so much, this isn't Charles Dickens you're not going to be paid per word." or "How does this move the story on?" and of course my personal favourite repeated line: That's the wrong grammar! And those words are misspelt.).
*grin* This introduces me... now let me introduce the sticking point that has driven my world slightly crazy.
Self-Publishing... or Traditional?
I know what you're thinking (yeah, I'm that good), you're thinking: "Why worry about this now? Finish the story FIRST then worry!" And you're RIGHT! I definitely should be concentrating on that. However, then I'm asked by friends and family what I intend to do with the book once done. I also bristle when my Aunt Karen's partner repeatedly asks my age (he won't believe I'm 20, thinks I'm 14) and keeps calling me the "height of nonsense" giving the impression of being younger apparently.
Which is better? Self or Traditional?
There seems to be some arguments within the industry about the usage of Self-publishing. Think about it, they've worked a long time to make it a completely closed industry and then a bunch of people are publishing their own books and keeping all their copyrights (okay, so they're losing a good amount of money in the process but if they're good they should at the very least break even).
Self-publishing has been similiar to vanity publishing. It costs money. There's distributors, advertising, ISBNs, having to do ALOT of legal research to know where you stand. That's a lot of work...and you already did a load on writing the darn thing. Admittedly companies such as createspace.com and lulu.com have helped toward this, but there is also another major drawback.
People may not take you seriously as a writer. I had a friend who self-published and unfortunately got sneered at a little. On the flip side, lots of people also admired her for it and asked questions on the process.
Traditional publishing is practiced, experienced, gives you the allure of being a published author on hopefully your own merits alone (you get paid, in reverse of paying). It also has the downside that every major, medium and even some minor publishing houses are now saying they refuse to take unsolicited work. You need to find a literary agent to lobby on your behalf. Lots of these agents won't take you on unless you're previously published.
Ah... this is a bit like the former rules for Equity and acting before the law passed slapping them one and telling them they weren't allowed closed-shop unions no more isn't it?
It's true that those publishing companies that take unsolicited work have ALOT of reading, filing and all sorts to do. Although in this economy it's a pity they wouldn't be able to hire more people to do exactly that. I know hundreds that could use the jobs. Although unfortunately...you may then have one bust publishing house. Double edged sword.
I've found one company that I'm currently researching of literary agents that will take unpublished authors, on a variety of genres AND do not require you to pay them. They only get paid if you do (this is called being completely legal and legit. Any agent that requires up front fees... report to trading standards we need to stamp those beggers out).
Here comes the next barrage... boy...I'm really in the writing mood, going on forever here... Why can't I keep this dedication going on stories for long?
Anyhow.
Now we've covered some of the upsides and downsides of both comes the major rub.
Legal.
Keeping your copyright, resevering a small amount of copyright rights while still selling the printing rights to a publisher, royalties...
Oy vay. You need a lawyer (and if you're lucky you either got the money for it... or a law degree yourself... - and if the latter, I currently seeking representation...willing to go pro-bono for the broke? Alternative I'd have to ask my father, we get on... uh, okay I guess, not much contact, we were estranged for a while [my request] he has the upside though of being a Law Lecturer).
Unless you have a friend or family lawyer willing to go pro-bono (for the goodness) for you, and in the area of contract and book publishing this is...unfortunately unlikely. There are all manner of legal fees to meet.
Even putting a dated version of your manuscript with a lawyer costs money (used to guard againt plagerism if you run foul of the less than legit agents or publishers in this business). You could also do it through a bank... but that also costs money.
I'm aware the main point seems that it all comes down to that little papery stuff I never have enough of.
It's just a question I'd like to propose to you.
Which do you prefer the self-publishing or traditional?
Congratulations... you have reached the END! You're very patient... well done!
- Wolfish
I am an aspiring writer. I am currently working on a project of a series of children-young adult books about a family of witches. I've never completed a story, although I've come close. I've been told by various people that my writing is nice (although my family have been my best for constructive critique i.e.: "You're rambling... you don't need to repeat that point so much, this isn't Charles Dickens you're not going to be paid per word." or "How does this move the story on?" and of course my personal favourite repeated line: That's the wrong grammar! And those words are misspelt.).
*grin* This introduces me... now let me introduce the sticking point that has driven my world slightly crazy.
Self-Publishing... or Traditional?
I know what you're thinking (yeah, I'm that good), you're thinking: "Why worry about this now? Finish the story FIRST then worry!" And you're RIGHT! I definitely should be concentrating on that. However, then I'm asked by friends and family what I intend to do with the book once done. I also bristle when my Aunt Karen's partner repeatedly asks my age (he won't believe I'm 20, thinks I'm 14) and keeps calling me the "height of nonsense" giving the impression of being younger apparently.
Which is better? Self or Traditional?
There seems to be some arguments within the industry about the usage of Self-publishing. Think about it, they've worked a long time to make it a completely closed industry and then a bunch of people are publishing their own books and keeping all their copyrights (okay, so they're losing a good amount of money in the process but if they're good they should at the very least break even).
Self-publishing has been similiar to vanity publishing. It costs money. There's distributors, advertising, ISBNs, having to do ALOT of legal research to know where you stand. That's a lot of work...and you already did a load on writing the darn thing. Admittedly companies such as createspace.com and lulu.com have helped toward this, but there is also another major drawback.
People may not take you seriously as a writer. I had a friend who self-published and unfortunately got sneered at a little. On the flip side, lots of people also admired her for it and asked questions on the process.
Traditional publishing is practiced, experienced, gives you the allure of being a published author on hopefully your own merits alone (you get paid, in reverse of paying). It also has the downside that every major, medium and even some minor publishing houses are now saying they refuse to take unsolicited work. You need to find a literary agent to lobby on your behalf. Lots of these agents won't take you on unless you're previously published.
Ah... this is a bit like the former rules for Equity and acting before the law passed slapping them one and telling them they weren't allowed closed-shop unions no more isn't it?
It's true that those publishing companies that take unsolicited work have ALOT of reading, filing and all sorts to do. Although in this economy it's a pity they wouldn't be able to hire more people to do exactly that. I know hundreds that could use the jobs. Although unfortunately...you may then have one bust publishing house. Double edged sword.
I've found one company that I'm currently researching of literary agents that will take unpublished authors, on a variety of genres AND do not require you to pay them. They only get paid if you do (this is called being completely legal and legit. Any agent that requires up front fees... report to trading standards we need to stamp those beggers out).
Here comes the next barrage... boy...I'm really in the writing mood, going on forever here... Why can't I keep this dedication going on stories for long?
Anyhow.
Now we've covered some of the upsides and downsides of both comes the major rub.
Legal.
Keeping your copyright, resevering a small amount of copyright rights while still selling the printing rights to a publisher, royalties...
Oy vay. You need a lawyer (and if you're lucky you either got the money for it... or a law degree yourself... - and if the latter, I currently seeking representation...willing to go pro-bono for the broke? Alternative I'd have to ask my father, we get on... uh, okay I guess, not much contact, we were estranged for a while [my request] he has the upside though of being a Law Lecturer).
Unless you have a friend or family lawyer willing to go pro-bono (for the goodness) for you, and in the area of contract and book publishing this is...unfortunately unlikely. There are all manner of legal fees to meet.
Even putting a dated version of your manuscript with a lawyer costs money (used to guard againt plagerism if you run foul of the less than legit agents or publishers in this business). You could also do it through a bank... but that also costs money.
I'm aware the main point seems that it all comes down to that little papery stuff I never have enough of.
It's just a question I'd like to propose to you.
Which do you prefer the self-publishing or traditional?
Congratulations... you have reached the END! You're very patient... well done!
- Wolfish
Tags: agents, fees, lawyers, legal, publishing, self, traditional
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christin Keck on -
First, let's sort out the myth from the reality.
Myth #1: you're subject to plagiarism if you self-publish.
Unless you are posting your writing on the internet without restricting who sees it, any work you WRITE is automatically covered by copyright. As long as you have a dated copy of the work WHEN YOU WRITE IT, you are covered by the United STates Copyright Act. No one can legally take your work and use it for some other publication without your permission. IT IS NOT NECESSARY to register this copyright with the US Copyright office to CLAIM COPYRIGHT. It is inherent in the created work that the copyright is owned by the author from the date the work is created.
Now there are some things you can't protect: the titles of your works, your own logos, designs, and ideas are among the things that cannot be copyrighted. (You can patent ideas, however--but not copyright them, and if you want a logo protected, you'll have to register it as a trademark--very VERY expensive to do.) But music, writing, poems, even your diary, all copyrightable and you own the copyright when the work is created.
So how often is copyright infringment an issue with self-publishing? Here's the truth: hardly EVER.
Why are people worried about it? I have no idea. It rarely becomes a problem. If you know of instances where copyrighted material has been stolen I'd be interested in hearing about them, because I know of none.
Myth #2: self-publishing is expensive.
No, It's not. Createspace.com which publises all sorts of works, is FREE. Self-publishing sites who CHARGE you for giving you an ISBN or for "editing" your work (with software you probably already have on your own computer) or who want to charge you for cover design, are not worth your time. There ARE such sites, and yes, you can pay lots of extra money for those services, but you can also go to createspace and do it for FREE. The only "expense" you will have after creating your book and publishing it will be in ordering your own proof copies for review.
Additionally, the "upgraded" version of Createspace is a MERE $39!! that's DIRT CHEAP. There's no better deal on the 'net.
Myth #3: Self-publishing is a sure way to being "frowned on".
By whom? Well, by "real" publishing houses maybe. But so what? They don't want to give you the time of day without an agent, (hard to get) or without being a "known" talent (and you're not), so who cares what they think? If you get an ISBN number, you can be listed in "Books in Print" (like the "real" authors!) you can get reviewed in the Kirkus Reviews (for $300) and be sold in any bookstore anywhere. Now what is the difference between you and a "real" author? NONE. Truth is, the publishing houses want you to think that you need them, and you really don't. There are quite a few authors who have started out as self-published authors before a "real" publishing house picked up thier contracts, and I'll be you the only thing they're grateful for now is that someone else is doing the marketing. Because, friends, when it comes down to it, the ONLY REAL DIFFERENCE between being self-puslished and published by a commercial house is that YOU DO YOUR OWN MARKETING if you self-publish.
Myth #4: Marketing is hard. It's not worth it.
Wrong again! Marketing is not hard--it's creative. If you're finding creativity hard, then why are you a writer? There are plenty of great opportunities out there to market your books: most newspapers will review you for free, all Borders' Bookstores will do a book signing for you for FREE (just ASK!), and places that you might not even think about will carry your books on consignment, or for no fee whatsoever. You have to discover these things and opportunities for yourself, yes--but that's actually fun at times. The thing is, you cannot give up after one try, or let it get you down if you want to sell books. One of the most popular bestsellers this year was "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. It's a BESTSELLER. And it was entirely self-published and self-marketed. So it can be done.
Myth #5: Writing a book is a way to get rich.
Oh really? Well, all I can say to that is HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. If you're looking to make a living writing books, you need to be Danielle Steele, or Stephen King, because one bestseller is not going to make you rich--even if you are handled by one of the giant publishing houses. Why? Because they want to sell books--and they produce hundreds of thousands of books a year--and book production is VERY EXPENSIVE. Who pays for that? YOU DO. Yes, that comes out of the author's profits (until the profits go past a certain point, then the publishing house pays. But that point is rarely reached for a single title--that's why authors like Stephen King write so damned many books--because they HAVE to.)
When you use an On-demand printer/publisher like Createspace, you pay ONLY FOR BOOKS THAT ARE SOLD--and technically, you're not "paying" anything--they are printing your books and giving you royalties, just like real publishing houses do. You do not have to pay for the "remainders" that the publishing house made you print up (in case the title sold a lot) and that get stuck on those "discount" tables at the bookstore after your book is forgotten about. On-demand means just that: ON DEMAND. If your title sells, you'll have a lot of them printed, if your title doesn't sell, you're out NOTHING! And you're not stuck getting rid of a clunker either!
So to summarize, which one is better? Well, if you want to take your chance on a major publishing contract, and lose all control over your rights and marketing and sales, then hey--be my guest and hawk your book to some agent somewhere who will work their tail off for you (because if you get a bad one you're not getting anything either!). You won't GET a major publishing house to look at your work without an agent, so start looking now.
But if you want your work published, are willing to do a little leg-work and creative sales work on your own, and want the thrill of having your book in your hands in about a week after publishing, then I'd go with self-publishing, because that satisfaction is truly remarkable.
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Permalink Reply by WolfishAura on -
First off, Thank you for contributing. It's been a really good thing to be able to read your view.
I'm especially glad as my article was a little... one-sided and it is good to get the other point of view. I'm sorry I didn't put more in the main article.
On point 1 - United States copyright law doesn't operate everywhere. I live in the United Kingdom, so for me British laws are slightly more previlant. And work that you publish on the internet, even without it being restricted, IS still your copyright under the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act - which is international law). If anyone anywhere tries to sell something you've written and published on the internet as a book anywhere, you can sue them and be well within your rights (always good to keep dates though to back you up). - On a side-point, my point on plagiarism was to do with traditional publishing houses, not self-publishing, as my friend had been alarmist about the chance of it happening going through an agent. But thank you indeed for helping clarify that point, it's sure to put some thoughts at ease.
On your second point, Createspace and Lulu were both cited in the article, but I had left out that they are for the most part free and helping with the self-publishing side, my bad, sorry. Admittedly I've seen certain things on both that would require you to pay and there are, unfortunately, some restrictions. I like to illustrate the series I'm doing as they are aimed for a younger audience and under createspace I'd have only 10 interior images... and it appeared you had to pay for that particular previliege, I didn't understand it fully. I know that Lulu does not charge for the illustrations in your book... but in general aren't full colour (although I maybe doing black and white anyway).
Also... $39 or £23 for me personally is not dirt cheap... it's two weeks to a solid months groceries (in my current situation that counts for a lot... I do not HAVE a disposable income, at this moment I don't have an income full stop [*grumbles about bank*]). It maybe different for others however, I'm fairly sure it is different in many cases.
Point three... you're right, the tradtional publishing houses is likely to frown, and not many others at all (aside from some snobs and some of the authors [depending on their viewpoint on the whole process] who got published through the traditional publishing houses).
Point four - Creativity for me personally is not hard... finding time to allow the creativity to flow... a little bit. And your advice on marketing is good. Although there aren't all THAT many Barnes books in my area... Waterstones is more common here. I do not doubt that it can be done successfully. I looked at the website for the book you've quoted "The Shack". It appears that yes, he self-published... set up, now owning and running a publishing company that appears to be run upon the same principals of the other tradtional publishers (i.e. - no unsolicited work).
Point Five - Me personally? Don't want to get rich...too many problems. I'd like to use writing as many books as possible that I enjoy as a way of winding down and letting my imagination roam (hopefully that others would also enjoy), then publishing them to hopefully gain padding for a deposable income while working at the same time as soon as I can find employment. But this is just me personally.
Thank you very much, once again, for your input. It was a nice counterpoint and brought up some very useful points.
- Wolfish
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Permalink Reply by Christin Keck on
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On point 1 - United States copyright law doesn't operate everywhere. I live in the United Kingdom, so for me British laws are slightly more previlant. And work that you publish on the internet, even without it being restricted, IS still your copyright under the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act - which is international law). If anyone anywhere tries to sell something you've written and published on the internet as a book anywhere, you can sue them and be well within your rights (always good to keep dates though to back you up). - On a side-point, my point on plagiarism was to do with traditional publishing houses, not self-publishing, as my friend had been alarmist about the chance of it happening going through an agent. But thank you indeed for helping clarify that point, it's sure to put some thoughts at ease.
There doesn't seem to be any quoting mechanism on this forum...too bad. it makes for sloppy posting.
I should have been more clear on this point---you're absolutely correct that US COpyright law does not extend everwhere. And what I meant by posting on the 'net was that it's far more likely to be stolen if you publish on the net than by publishing anywhere else--whether or not you use a commercial publisher or a self-publisher. I didn't mean to imply that you did not own the copyright by posting work on the net. By US Copyright law, you own the copyright even if you don't PUBLISH at all. I do not know specifically how British law works, but copyright laws are very similiar in most countries. Of course, as it is said, however, the "devil is in the details," so it pays to find out your specifics for your location.
Also, the $39 cost in Createspace is only for the upgrade to the "Pro Plan". Otherwise, all you pay for is the cost of your proof copy. It is definitely the least expensive way to publish, even with the upgrade. There are no other costs or hidden costs.
I hope that clears up any misconceptions I posted!!
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