Ned Marcus
Maester
With self-publishing it depends how good you are at marketing. How good you want to become.
Oh definitely! I'm aware it'll be a ton of work to make it a successful venture, and I haven't researched too deeply into the ins and outs of it. I just thought it was worth a mention in case it was something the OP hasn't considered and would have been of interest.I didn't watch the episode (I will at some point), but I think the main issue with selling direct is that it's very hard to scale it unless you put a lot of effort into it.
The thing with other platforms is that they reward you for sales. If you go to one of my novels on Amazon, then at the bottom of the page you'll see a reference "readers of this book also bought", where it shows part 2 in the series. But also if you go to a few other books from other authors you'll find my novel there. Amazon also sends out emails to buyers advertising their next book. The more sales you get, the higher you'll rank in certain results and so on.
All this means that the more I sell on Amazon the more organic sales I'll get.
Selling direct this is a lot harder. I could create a website that attracts a lot of natural traffic. That would take a lot of time and effort though. Otherwise, I'll be reduced to always spending money on ads to drive traffic there. And if I'm doing that, then maybe sending them to a store where they have shopped before makes me more money. People are more likely to buy from Amazon than from some random online website.
What I've heard of other authors is that for most of them, direct sales plateau at a certain level, simply because they can't drive more traffic to their own website easily.
Also, having a website that sells stuff internationally can actually be quite the hassle. Don't underestimate how much work running a succesful webshop is.
I think you just sold me on going with a traditional publisher. I'm a marketer and I enjoy working for companies but, I don't know why, I really hate doing it for myself.From what I've seen most people here on these forums are self-published. I am not, I have a traditional publishing contract. Bear in mind that I am in Sweden, so the process here isn't the same as it would be in the UK or US.
Personally I appreciate the support I get from my publisher. They arrange all the editing, all the typesetting and printing, the cover, all the marketing, getting the book into the stores and onto the shelves (a neccessity in my view if you want visibility) - and they take care of any piracy that might occur. They sort out book signings, interviews etc. For this they take 70% of the wholesale price of the printed book (for e-books they take 45%). I get the rest in royalties - and I get an advance equivalent to the royalties I would get for sales of 50% of the first print run of a new book. For a print run of 1000 copies that isn't much, but once you're established and the first print run of a new book is 4000 or 5000 copies you're starting to talk about some real cash.
The real advantage for me is continuity, I have the same editor for all my books, the same cover designer. It keeps the style and image the same across the books and it makes the editing process very much easier. That's important for me because I am very severely dyslexic.
What a traditional publishing contract does not take away is the need to be visible - you as the author still have to do your bit, so you have to be available for interviews, book signings and talks. And when you do these things you do take a box or two of books along to sell to the audience.
One other advantage of a traditional publishing contract is that you don't have to find the cash for the editing, formatting, marketing etc. The publisher coughs up. The costs mount up fast, and my editor says publishing is really a form of venture capitalism, because the publisher is betting quite a lot of cash that your book will sell enough copies to cover all those costs. Which is why publsihers are so very selective about what books they choose to publish.
Yes, self-publishing means you have almost complete control - and it also means you are taking the full financial risk.
I think you just sold me on going with a traditional publisher. I'm a marketer and I enjoy working for companies but, I don't know why, I really hate doing it for myself.
I am an American though, so, I'm not sure how realistic getting a sweet contract like the one you have it.
I think you have to be a bit crazy to try to be an author. That goes for both indie and trad.
That said, in my opinion, if you are publishing in English, there is less and less reason to go with traditional publishers each passing day. The exception probably is if you can somehow land a large advance. Otherwise there are plenty of tales where authors pay for editors before getting accepted to trad publishers, and of authors having to do their own marketing even though they're traditionally published.
If you want a (biased) view of why you should never publish traditionally, read Kristine Kathryn Rusch blog. She's been in the game a very long time, so she knows what she writes about. Though she does have a very strong bias.
If you're scammed into paying anything by going indie, then you're doing it wrong. The only money you may need to pay is for editing, covers, and advertising. Perhaps a few other services, too.I feel like if you take out the money equation then trad publishing is a no brainer, given that you aren’t scammed into paying anything to get published, should be on merit. Bit of self promotion on social media would be fine.
Those who indie publish are ALL IN, because I suppose you can’t be half in and expect any success.
I feel like if you take out the money equation then trad publishing is a no brainer, given that you aren’t scammed into paying anything to get published, should be on merit. Bit of self promotion on social media would be fine.
Those who indie publish are ALL IN, because I suppose you can’t be half in and expect any success.
What a load of rubbish. You always retain copyright. The period you sell the publishing rights for is up to you and your agent (if you have one), and this is one of the things you negotiate with the publisher before you sign the contract. The rights you sell are also up to you, and a publishing deal should be for the book, the formats it will be published in (eg hardback, paperback, e-book, audio book), the region in which you are selling those rights (eg North America, Europe, the Nordic countries or whatever) and nothing else. The publisher will probably want an option on your next book, at least if they think you're any good.I agree with Demesnedenoir . When you sign a trad contract, you're signing away all rights for life +70 years.
I wish she would elaborate on that.An excerpt from a Sarah J Maas interview:
For readers who are self-publishing their work, what would you say are the advantages and disadvantages facing them?
Well there’s a difference between posting on FictionPress and self-publishing. I think FP is a great place for aspiring writers to get feedback and have fun—so long as you’re careful about protecting your story from would-be plagiarists. I’m sure there are tons of advantages to self-publishing (meaning, putting the work up for sale), but you’re also your own publisher, which seems like a ton of work to me, and it’s unlikely you’ll ever see your own novel in a bookstore. So I’ll always recommend traditional publishing—it’s a harder and longer road, but absolutely worth it.
Just found this interesting, considering I always thought indie would be the longer harder road.
Oh please. You, the author, always own your book and the copyright to it. You sell publishing rights. Your agent should have your interests at heart when they sell in the book to a publisher. Your job is to make sure you know what you want to sell in the way of rights and then give a clear directive to your agent. If you haven't got an agent then make sure you have a good lawyer who knows contract law.If the publisher owns the right to selling your book, then they effectively own the book. This is why quite a few writers end up buying back the rights to their books in order to retake control. Keeping audio rights is the new fight, similar to the old fight of keeping movie rights. One Indie turned Hybrid was looking at turning down 6 figures in the fight to keep their Audio rights on a series.
Of course getting a book published takes time. For those of us with traditional publishing contracts it takes time. It takes time even if you do it all yourself. Time to edit. Time to set for print. Time to print. Time to do interviews, time to sign books. Time to prepare and give talks. Time to write the next book. No-one has ever said it was an easy life.Longer, harder road. It depends on what aspect you're looking at. Signing an agent, finding a publisher, and running through all the edits does take longer if it's possible at all. Sign to publish can take two years. Either can be a quick road to success (with luck) but more than likely they both take time to make a living.
Given that most authors don't earn enough to make a living from their writing no matter how their books are published the question is why we do it and what we mean by success. I don't write for a living - and I don't need to. I write for fun, because I enjoy it. Having a publishing contract is good, seeing the books out on the shelves is satisfying and having readers say how much they like the books is a real ego boost. But it isn't why I started writing.Seeing your book in a bookstore is the perk of trad? One: Indie books do end up in bookstores and libraries. Two: So what? That feels like an ego driven answer, which I totally understand, as I get a little rush every time I find my books in a library, or Target.com carrying my titles, or listed in a college text book buy back, or being sold in Nigeria. But in the end success is the key, and brick and mortar doesn't drive success like it used to.
That is not true. There are many ways copyright may come to belong to the publisher. It is something you would have to negotiate, and if you are not careful, you may lose it.Oh please. You, the author, always own your book and the copyright to it.
Oh please. You, the author, always own your book and the copyright to it. You sell publishing rights. Your agent should have your interests at heart when they sell in the book to a publisher. Your job is to make sure you know what you want to sell in the way of rights and then give a clear directive to your agent. If you haven't got an agent then make sure you have a good lawyer who knows contract law.
Always remember that you decide what rights you want to sell and for how long. Sure, the publisher may want more rights for longer than you want to sell. At that point you have to decide what you can compromise on and how much you want to compromise. That means asking questions. It also means accepting the risk that the publisher will walk away if you are too stubborn.
Caveat venditor.
Of course getting a book published takes time. For those of us with traditional publishing contracts it takes time. It takes time even if you do it all yourself. Time to edit. Time to set for print. Time to print. Time to do interviews, time to sign books. Time to prepare and give talks. Time to write the next book. No-one has ever said it was an easy life.
Some authors make the best seller lists worldwide. Some authors (even self published ones) win prizes. Most don't. Most of us don't even earn enough to write for a living.
Given that most authors don't earn enough to make a living from their writing no matter how their books are published the question is why we do it and what we mean by success. I don't write for a living - and I don't need to. I write for fun, because I enjoy it. Having a publishing contract is good, seeing the books out on the shelves is satisfying and having readers say how much they like the books is a real ego boost. But it isn't why I started writing.