The Three Types of Publishing

To accompany the release of my first published book, I've decided to write about the three types of publishing. They are traditional, self, and vanity. They each have their own pros and cons, and if you're just starting out, it's worth taking a look at them so you know your options.

1. Traditional Publishing

This is the one we all strive for. It's the dream we all see ourselves accomplishing the first day we say to ourselves "I'm writing a book!" Also called legacy publishing (which traditional publishers find offensive for some reason), I shouldn't really need to go into details about this one. You write your manuscript, you (or your agent) submit it, and you're accepted or turned down. If you're accepted, your manuscript gets edited, gets a cover, you receive an advance, royalties, and you get to see your book on the shelf at your local Barnes & Noble. But... there are some drawbacks.

Getting accepted is difficult. You need to have a really polished manuscript and a damn good query. So good in fact, it makes me wonder why the hell they hire editors at traditional publishers--by the time your submit your book, you could be your own editor. And while some people do get six figure advances, they're rare and they're not paid out in full. And you only get royalties if your book sells past a certain quota. Plus, the royalties aren't that high. And! sometimes you don't get to choose the title of your book, and major changes can be made to it as the publisher decides--after all, they're the ones assuming the financial responsibility for it if it flops.

Now, some writers will still choose to go with traditional publishers because they trust the publisher will do the marketing for their book. This is and isn't true. More and more these days, publishers are leaning on authors to take the lead in making sure their books get noticed, which means if you're the type of person who says, "I'm an artist, not a businessman," you may be up shit's creek anyway.

2. Self-Publishing

Ah, self-publishing. The almost too obvious route if all you want is to be published. But hey, a published book on Amazon is better than two on your hard drive.

Now, it's no lie that self-publishing has a lot of benefits, but it also has quite a few cons. Firstly, while you don't have to compete and beat out other writers to get accepted, you still have to make sure that your book is polished enough to read. And that can be a problem as many writers advocate hiring a professional editor, but editors ain't cheap. Ergo, you have to edit yourself which takes time, effort, a lot of learning on your own, and an ability to look beyond your own perspective to see what your audience will actually see what you're writing.

Another bonus is that the royalties are much higher. On Amazon, you can set your own royalties, either 35% or 70%. Why those two? Well, Amazon is a bit weird in that if you want 70% commission, you have to sell your book anywhere between $2.99 to $9.99. If you want to go lower or higher, you need to set it to 35%. Problem is, at 35%, you'll need to sell your book at $19.99 in order to get a commission comparable to 70% at $9.99. But, with Amazon's Matchbook system, you can market your Kindle book higher with your paperback (that's another thing, Amazon has print-on-demand paperback) just slightly more expensive than that and then offer to throw in the Kindle edition for free so it looks like the consumer is getting a sweet deal--two versions of a book for the price of only one of them!

But, the biggest issue with self-publishing is that you have to market everything yourself, or pay for a marketing team. That can be tricky and requires you to learn a lot about social media. It can be daunting. Believe me, I'm still an amateur at it myself and it scares the shit out of me. But, but, but! The best thing ever is the counter to that--total creative control. You choose the title, content, and you design the cover. Don't want to pay Create Space's obscene $400 price tag? Well, both Create Space and Amazon have decent free options. But the real way to do it is to find a college student majoring in art or creative design, and offer them a fraction of the actual price. If you're lucky, you can sell it as an internship-like opportunity and not pay a penny!

3. Vanity Publishing

Now, we come to vanity publishing. But what is vanity publishing? It's the act of getting your book professionally published (that's good), but you pay for the privilege (that's bad). Some people may not think that so bad, but its a little more sketchy than all that.

Some vanity publishers offer a wide variety of publishing packages for whatever your budget is, but the really nice packages are easily 5 to 10 grand. I've seen packages that go up to 13. In fact, just a few days ago on the Facebook page Book Promotion, there was a member who had turned to crowd funding because he needed to raise $6,000 to publish his book. But, like the kind, gentle people we are, we set him on the right path.

If you still think that isn't so bad and you've got $13,000 burning a hole in your pocket, then I should tell you that vanity publishers act more like a business than traditional publishers. Most vanity publishers are known for doing unscrupulous things like taking over the book. Sure, they'll pay you for it, but you'll no longer have any control over how it's sold, marketed, distributed, or even the content. It'll be their property, not yours. And! If vanity publishers think you're interested, they'll hound you like Jehovah's Witnesses seeking a convert or a scam artist thinking you're the perfect pigeon. Hell, I still get emails occasionally from Xlibris and Dorrance Publishing.

And if all that still hasn't turned you off, well then, how about this? If you publish through a vanity publisher and your book does well, it won't be picked up by a traditional publishing house. In fact, your book (or you!) could become blacklisted, and you'll never see a real publishing deal. Compare that to the fact that some traditional publishers give mad props to successful self-publishers and will gladly pick them up, and vanity publishing looks less and less desirable.

But, some people will argue that there is a method of publishing out there for just about everybody. They'll say there are times when vanity publishing is acceptable such as with limited releases like with Grandma's Favorite Recipes Cook Book that she made for every family at the family reunion. But, I would argue that self-publishing is still vastly superior because Grandma's Favorite Recipes Cook Book could be a bestseller and make her and her descendants money long after she's gone.

I should also mention that there are some writers out there who have never had an issue with getting traditionally published and being successful at it. So, you'll need to find what works for you.

Personally, my plan is to self-publish my smaller projects, but hit up the big wigs with my magnum opi. At least then I'll have something they can look at and judge me better.

If you'd like more information on publishing, check out the videos below. They're from two different writers who chose to self-publish and why.

Keep writing, my friends.
Jenna Moreci: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ79ytKgpAM
Texan in Tokyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-u6LSgRxPk