I used Grammarly to grammar check this post because I'm pregnant and I'm not sure if I just spilled my milk, tinkled on myself, or if my water just broke....
The publishing industry is transitioning into something bigger and perhaps better than it ever was before. Authors who want their words to reach wider audiences now have a multitude of paths to choose from, and each path to publishing is as diverse as the writing community is.
Today I'd like to provide a very brief overview of three paths to publishing and what these paths offer authors.
1. Traditional Publishing: When most people think about getting a manuscript published they envision a hardcover book sitting on a shelf at a major book retailer. Authors imagine ridiculous advances and--cha ching!--a big pay day. While this path to publishing can certainly lead to those things, there is no guarantee of a giant pay day. In fact, there is no guarantee of getting rich regardless of which path to publishing you choose. If you're writing for the money, then you're writing for the wrong reasons and you might as well find something else to do.
Traditional publishing requires a literary agent. You must have an agent who knows the business represent your work to traditional publishing houses (think "big name" publishers like Penguin, etc). Getting an agent to represent you is an extra step. You will need to research agents, query agents, and hope someone will want to work with you.
If you get an agent then that's fantastic. Once the agent lands your book deal with a traditional press you will have the benefit of recognition. People will likely recognize that publishing house's name. The press will have a website and will help promote your book (though most of the promoting/marketing will be up to you no matter what path to publishing you take). You will have a literary agent and various professionals from your publishing house in your corner to assist you with a variety of things, and that support can certainly prove invaluable.
Who knows? If your book is a bestseller you might just get rich!
2. Independent Publishing: Independent presses are smaller presses that typically offer authors more personalized attention than they'd get elsewhere. Some independent presses only accept manuscripts submitted by a literary agent, while many others allow authors to submit their work directly. You will have to do a bit of research to determine which independent press is right for you, and whether or not you'll need an agent to sub your work. Check out the submission guidelines on the independent press' website for more information. You should always pay close attention to submission guidelines regardless as these guidelines vary by press and your work must follow the guidelines.
Independent presses can certainly get your name out there and get your work to a wider audience. Independent presses can even get your books in bookstores.
Most importantly to many authors, however, independent presses usually offer much higher royalties to authors than traditional publishing houses. Independent presses may also offer you marketing assistance, and many even have marketing teams and editors to help you along.
These presses are smaller and tend to be less well known than the bigger, traditional publishing houses. Most of your work will likely be sold online. Nevertheless, indie presses will often find value in work passed up by larger houses and most indie authors are more than willing to help you promote your work with blog tours and social media--they'll just want you to return the favor later.
3. Self Publishing: Self publishing used to be a dirty little secret most authors would not cop to in public. That attitude is changing though.
Amanda Hocking made quite a name for herself (and quite a lot of money too) publishing her works in ebook format and selling them through Amazon. She eventually garnered so much attention that she landed the traditional publishing deal that she had given up on when she took to publishing her novels herself. As a caveat, I must add that Amanda Hocking is the exception not the rule. Don't choose self publishing just because you've got it in your head you're going to be the next Amanda Hocking.
Amazon and CreateSpace offer authors the chance to self publish their works and sell them through a variety of online retailers. There are many other pay to publish presses out there, and while I would caution against such publishers, you may find these presses are exactly what you need/want.
Self publishing offers authors a great deal of latitude and (pretty much) total control of the entire publishing process. You can design your cover, pick your font, select publishing formats yourself, and even name your price (how much your book will sell for). If you're the kind of person who likes to have total control from beginning to end then this might be the path for you.
There are nearly as many paths to publishing as there are writers trying to get published. Each path has its own benefits and pitfalls, but each author also has their own strengths and weaknesses. The bottom line is only you can decide what kind of writing career you want to have and how you want to get where you're going. Do your research. Ask questions. Be proactive. Most importantly, roll up your sleeves and get to work because getting published is hard work!
On a side note: my water didn't break. I'll let you figure out which of the other two options got my pants wet. LOL
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