Author Support Group discussion

Alright, so just wondering, what does one need to know when publishing? And what is better? Self or Traditional publishing?

Why am I asking? Because, I am a newbie to this trade, and I often find myself lost or overwhelmed when it comes to the publishing process. Some people tell me self-pubbing all the way, yet others tell me traditional is way better. Lost? That would be me.

Another thing. What are good places to go for a newbie author such as myself? And how does one get into the industry.

I am just looking for something that will help me in the future, and all of this info would be lovely.

(If this is in the wrong spot, I apologize.)

Hi, Milly. I moved your topic to the HELP section. :o)

The problem with your question is that self-pubbing and trad pubbing are both filled with pros and cons.

With self you are responsible for 100% of the marketing. This is a royal pain if you have little or no experience with internet marketing. With trad you still have to market but your publisher will do some for you. Their sites and blogs get more traffic, generally speaking.

Self involves more work from beginning to end. You are responsible for editing and proofreading, jacket design and blurb. With trad publishers they take care of most of that and hook you up with pro editors.

Many trads will only take you if you have an agent. Agents can be harder to get than a publisher. With self, obviously that is not a concern.

If you are talking small presses, they seem to fall somewhere in the middle. They do some marketing but you are responsible for a lot of it, too. They take the lead in jacket design and blurbs, editing and proofreading but you have more of a say in all of these than with a bigger house.

Honestly, I would say small presses are the way to go these days. But, if you are a total control freak, self-publishing may be your only option. I went with self-publishing because I am impatient by nature. It probably wasn't the wisest move on my part.

(I used createspace.com which is an Amazon company.)

Disclaimer: I have firsthand experience with self-publishing, specifically with CreateSpace. Everything I've said here is how I understand the situation from the bit of research I've done into the subject. If anyone with more experience in these areas would like to correct any misconceptions I may have, please do so. :o)

Thanks Jaimey. Right now I am looking at lulu.com and authorhouse. I have researched many other companies, but I need more info and more experience before I just go out and decide.

Hi, Milley. I strongly recommend a visit to Preditors & Editors. This will give you a lot of good advice.

I also recommend picking up some copies of Writer's Digest and similar publications that will help you learn about the industry.

I am very happy with my small press (I'm a US author whose publisher is in the UK), and I second Jaimey's endorsement of the small press world. Traditional presses are seldom taking on new authors and, honestly, your youth will stand against you in that regard.

Be *very* careful with self-publishing. Sometimes you have to price your book unreasonably high to even make $1/copy after expenses. You might want to consider an eBook publisher like Smashwords as an alternative.

Given how little promotion many (not all!) publishers now do for their authors, the big advantages of traditional publishing are really a few, but they're biggies:

1. They can afford to put out a book with a lower cover price. In order to make a profit at all as a self-publisher, you may need to price yourself out of the market. A mass market paperback should never cost more than 9.99 (I know of a small press that charges 13.99 and yep, the author was told by family and friends it was too much! And that's a small, independent publisher, who ought to know better.)

2. Editors. Experienced staff who'll help make your book better. (that includes better cover art. Often. I've seen some real clunkers, and then there's Bloomsbury.)

3. Distribution. Let's face it, most of us self-pubbed folk lose out on the impulse buy that is vital to many new and mid-list authors. That's because bookstores won't take a chance on a self-published book. I don't blame them.

I self-pubbed the two Demo Tapes anthologies because it's what my audience wanted. It's the perfect niche thing -- short stories (which historically don't sell well), previously published on my blog (and, thus, given away for free), about a rock star (a subject that, historically, doesn't garner large sales). Going e-book only made no sense; my readers specifically asked for print.

So be sure to think about your audience, Milly, and what they'll want/expect/demand. And if any of the three points I made are things that are important to you.

Will do, will do. I knew that you people would give me pretty good and reasonable answers that were helpful, and *surprise!* I was right. Thanks ladies.

I am wondering how can I get my manuscript to a publishing house and if they need requirements of sort. Or whether self publishing is worth or might not reach a certain fan base.