Which Kind of Publishing is Right for You?

One of the FAQs I get a lot from writers who are either endeavoring to write a book or have written a book is what to do next. There are a few options all of which have legitimate pros and cons for you to consider depending on what your goals are.

I’m starting this 3-piece series with traditional publishing. Let’s dive in.

Traditional publishing is where your book is acquired by a publisher and then produced at no cost to you (other than perhaps your sanity) and then is thusly edited, produced, published, and marketed by said publisher. In this model, the publisher owns the rights to your book. In acquiring your book this way and thus putting out the moolah and the costly effort on the front end for production, they’re basically buying it from you. Your contract negotiates your rights for your book as well as anything that comes of it (read: film or TV options, merchandising, international rights, translated editions, etc.). Before you sign anything, spank your enthusiasm into submission and have a lawyer who is experienced in the publishing industry, not your divorce attorney, look over it and advise you on negotiating rights in your best interests. I know a lot of authors who have had to fight tooth and nail to get rights back to books that went out of print and have been collecting metaphorical dust for ages upon ages—if they got it back at all.

The benefits are, of course, that your publisher (ideally) knows what they’re talking about and are doing and will help you get your book in the best possible shape to reach the ideal readers. Think Simon and Schuster, Hatchette, Penguin Random House, Tor, Hay House, etc. In these major publishing houses (note—a lot of them are corporately owned now. The reason for this is that publishing is an industry that operates on a razor-thin margin, and production, marketing, and publicity costs are not cheap. I know, what a bummer.), you have the benefit of various editors ranging from those who will provide feedback for you do do edits to the ones who are running comps when your agent and editor are trying to “sell” your book to the publishing company. They often will have the rights to decide things that you might want creative control over such as how your book cover looks to the title of your book. This might not sound appealing, but consider that they also know what’s sexy and what’s selling and what’s grabbing readers’ attention.

This gives you the time to focus on your other writing (that next book that you’ve been side plotting while you were finishing the one you were writing, for example) as well as connecting with your audience. And for the introverted authors who cannot think of anything more excruciating than social media marketing, getting “out there” and really connecting with authors, traditional publishers absolutely and justifiably expect you to be doing the work to get your beautiful name out there, so when your book does go out to be purchased ahead of your publishing deadline, you actually have people other than your mom* (*not guaranteed to all authors) who buy a copy. Advanced sales are what land people on the NYT and USA Today bestseller lists. Well, that and banging sales after the book drops, natch.

The process for traditional publishing is this:

· Blood, sweat, and tears writing and revising the book; torpors self doubt, impeccably clean living space due to the need to avoid confronting creative work that vacillates between the best thing ever penned to steaming pile of shat, to a completed manuscript that you chuck out into the world with the same “come hell what may” disoriented madness as a soldier gone AWOL with a live grenade. You just scream and throw and then duck and cover your head. Good times.

· The method for throwing your book grenade is thus: you write a sexy query letter specifically following guidelines (this is not the time to be creative. That time passed when you were shaking and crying at your keyboard.) and then start pitching it to agents who you’ve carefully researched (thanks, Writer’s Market!) who actually represent your kind of writing and who have authors you feel that you actually fit the mold of.

· Once you get an agent, you can unclench your sphincter slightly. This is a moment to celebrate! If they’re good agent (again, see what work they’ve represented and check when the titles they rep were published because as much as we’d like to believe they are magical book fairies, agents are people, too, and not everyone in a given role is actually good at it or motivated), they will hustle to get your literary masterpiece into the hands of an editor at a publishing house.

· If your book is really good, there will be a bidding war, and if it’s a big enough house, you’ll get this happy little payday called an advance upon the book being acquired. You get to keep this money. Wheeeeee!

· However, your book will have to sell enough copies to make up for said advance before you start collecting royalties. Many contracts never actually get to that point. (Womp-womp). This is why putting yourself out there with the same enthusiasm as Taylor Swift on a billion dollar tour is essential—or, if you’re a geriatric millennial like me, like Britney with that snake at the VMAs. However, as you are an author, you don’t have to wear glitter and sequins and a glorified bikini someone on set calls a “costume” unless you absolutely want to (it probably wouldn’t hurt, TBH).

· Next are any edits or revisions. Now, I’m not talking about copy edits. You need to have a clean, polished, and sexy manuscript from the word “go”. Nobody wants to see your shitty first draft or even your somewhat improved second or third draft. They want to see a well-organized MS that delivers a solid narrative with a consistent theme. It’s smart for you to have your manuscript professionally edited by a freelance editor before you actually pull the pin and throw it out there. As an aside, don’t be disheartened if you have done “the work” and an agent bounces it back with a “no”. That’s your cue to ask what you can do to improve it. They may not respond or they may tell you straight up what you need to do. If they like it, they’ll actually give you pointers in the hopes you’ll revise and resubmit. It’s entirely up to you if you do this or if you want to try other agents first, but successful authors know how to take feedback, and they don’t make it personal. The writing process is actually collaborative. Personally, I’ve grown to love how other people’s insights spark “aha” moments that improve what I’m doing. The vacuum that is my writer brain does miss things as it shoots through the paragraphs.

· That said, your editor might have some recommendations, and who are we to flip it on someone like Ben Dreyer or Amy Einhorn and say, “I think I know best.” Listen, I’ve been an editor for almost 20 years, which is crazy because I’m still 22 (wink), but I am opening to listening to any input anyone has about my work that will make it better.

· The rest is the publisher getting it produced and “out there”.

The process—per Publishing for Profit, which was one of the most insightful but equally terrifying books I read when I started my masters in publishing at GWU, can take up to three years. I’d be lying if I said whether or not that’s still true, but just keep that in mind. It isn’t like Amazon publishing where you finish writing and (God-willing) have your book professionally edited and then you format it upload it and viola! Book!

In my hot take, the pros to traditional publishing are this:

· Validation. You’ve been vetted and approved by industry leaders. This is totally brag-worthy, and I highly recommend you brag away. You’ve earned those rights. You are the Crimson Tide of authors. Well played, writer.

· Reach—they have the ability to get your book in stores across the country.

· Publicity—they have the ability to get your face on major networks and in major presses and to get you some top-tier reviews for your jacket cover.

There are other pros, but the cons are:

· They put more of that effort into producing big-name books they know that will sell well.

· They have their darlings, of course, editors are always able to get a few titles each season that are near and dear, but while writing is an art, publishing is a business, so more funds and effort are going to be expended on the super big titles by authors who are make the best seller list with each new title.

There are smaller publishing houses, of course. My new company, Yellow Ink, is in its infancy. I’m starting with a literary magazine because my primary goal is to help writers who haven’t had much success penetrating the industry as its evolved over the past 20 years (and it’s changed a lot) actually get their names out there. I believe in the art of publishing. I want to help people make their dreams come true while teaching prospective editors in my community the business and giving them resume material.

There are also university presses, which are great options for more academic-type books. There are presses that focus specifically on poetry or literary fiction. There are some publishers that take unsolicited manuscripts, which are those that don’t require an agent. It’s worth researching and seeing what’s out there for you if you’re interested in publishing traditionally and just bearing in mind there are many pros and cons to each of the options.

In my next post, I’ll talk about hybrid publishing, and next, self-publishing. Again—there are pros and cons to all types of publishing.

Yellow Ink Publishing Company is a hybrid publishing company founded and operated by writer, editor, and publisher, Amy Delcambre. Amy has over 20 years professional writing and editing experience and a passion for helping other writers actualize their dreams of publishing their work and pursuing their dreams of being authors. She also supports educating future editors on the business of publishing as well as how to become an editor.

Click here to follow Yellow Ink Publishing Company on Substack.