10 Reasons You Should Skip Traditional Publishers

The article is way too simplistic for my tastes. The problem with giving advice to authors is that the same advice doesn't apply to all authors. There are so many options, so many paths that can be taken on the road to success -- but even "success" is something that varies from author to author. If self-publishing works for you, do it. If traditional publishing works for you, do it. If a combination of both works for you, do it. But rushing headlong down either path for reasons that are mostly emotional is not the thing to do.

Whatever way you choose is going to be tough. You're probably not going to make very much money. You're probably going to get your heart broken. That's just the way it is.

Okay, I'm feeling snarky this morning. Bouncing off that list, here's my own personal of list of why I'm choosing trade publishing (note, not a list of why it's better, just a list of my own reasons):

1. There's a quality bar in place, thus stopping me from publishing things that I may later regret putting out into the world.

2. I'll make more money, on average. (A minimum professional advance is still higher than what most self-published authors make.)

3. I'll get paid faster. It's true that advances are given out in sections, but I'll still get the first part before I make a single sale.

4. I'll have an agent to negotiate my rights in my best interests. Because if I didn't trust him/her, I wouldn't be a client.

5. My book will be published at a reasonable rate, thus making sure the quality is the highest standard before hitting the market.

6. My publisher will hold me to being the professional I claim to be and treat me as such. I will turn in manuscripts on time, not sit around waiting for the muse to hit.

7. People who actually know the business of book and cover design will have control over those things without me paying them upfront for their services.

8. I'll have helpful feedback for how to improve my creative work better from professionals in the field.

9. I'll have a wider audience.

10. (I don't have a good counterpoint for this one, because the original reason didn't make any sense.)

Bottom line: There's pros and cons to whatever you choose. People aren't naive or short-sighted or whatever else for choosing either option.

Auggghhh.

No I'm too tired. I am too tired of this sort of thing. I cannot rebut this shite forever. I will not go and comment, I will not, I will not.

Torgo said:

Auggghhh.

No I'm too tired. I am too tired of this sort of thing. I cannot rebut this shite forever. I will not go and comment, I will not, I will not.

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agreed.

I honestly, truly believe there is some good self-pub stuff out there. Great stuff even. But I have two other things I also believe which give me trouble:

1. there is now such a sea of self-pub stuff out there you probably have to work HARDER to be seen in the seething mass than you do in trade (I don't believe "if you build it, they will come" works in real life....at least not when there are millions of other magical baseball cornfields around you, of varying merit.)

2. Self-pub seems to becoming the new Darwinian tar-pit.....those who do not understand, those who are too lazy, and those who are too impatient find their way in and get stuck there for however long they bother to work. Again, this doesn't disparage those who do excellent work, but I think a lot of folks follow the notion of self-pubbing with the same dreamy look a moth probably wears as it flutters into the campfire, enraptured. In some cases, fine, self-pub just became the glue-trap cutting down a bit on sub-par queries taking time from agents and editors...in other cases, it becomes a hurdle to folks who might have done more, had they been forced to wait until they are actually ready for prime-time.


In any case, self-pubbing as an industry seems to thrive on ignorance, which I find sad both for the authors and for self-pubbing itself. It is a model, one of many, but almost every time I see a sales pitch on it, the thing is one-sided at best, and ridiculously, absurdly dishonest at worst....which doesn't serve anyone, besides folks like Konrath who want their dicks stroked and people who sell "how-to" books. Self-pubbing could be much more than people like that are willing to allow it to be. :-(

Katrina, to each of your points I'll say: 't ain't always so.

1. There's a quality bar in place, thus stopping me from publishing things that I may later regret putting out into the world. Or, stopping you from publishing anything at all. I had a reputable agent for three years, who never sold a single project of mine, and later refused to work with the small presses who love my stuff. Should I have listened to her? Is it truly better for a publishable project to sit on the disc and never go anywhere, than to go to a small press or direct-to-reader? I say no.

2. I'll make more money, on average. (A minimum professional advance is still higher than what most self-published authors make.) Not always, and not all publishers even pay advances. Even the big houses are ratcheting them down all the time. And most authors never see royalties or earn out. Do you really want to sell a year or two's work for $5K or less?

3. I'll get paid faster. It's true that advances are given out in sections, but I'll still get the first part before I make a single sale. And if you choose to self pub, you'll get paid faster still -- after the first month it's out there.

4. I'll have an agent to negotiate my rights in my best interests. Because if I didn't trust him/her, I wouldn't be a client. The agents by and large have the publishers' interests at heart. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard agents say they "can't" peddle this or that book for fear of their own reputation with the publishers. Now, you may have a good one, whom you trust. Many are not of this calibre.

5. My book will be published at a reasonable rate, thus making sure the quality is the highest standard before hitting the market. Again, not always. All the self-publishers I know use paid editors, many of whom have been downsized from the shrinking trade publishers. And how many trade-published books have you read that have typos, homonym-problems, and generally messed up quality? I know I've read quite a few. Trade publishing is no guarantee of a high quality product.

6. My publisher will hold me to being the professional I claim to be and treat me as such. I will turn in manuscripts on time, not sit around waiting for the muse to hit.
Who will hold your publisher to a like professional standard? Read "Harlequin Fail" as an example of how they withhold rightly earned income from the author, and so forth. A contract binds both parties, not just the author.

7. People who actually know the business of book and cover design will have control over those things without me paying them upfront for their services. Maybe. Or you could get Christina Dodd's cover with the three-armed woman. You will have no say in the cover, despite what they seem to offer you. You could approve a cover with a blond man firing an Uzi and get a brunette guy sleeping in a hammock, for all the control they give. Small presses are much better in this regard than big ones.

8. I'll have helpful feedback for how to improve my creative work better from professionals in the field. No, you won't. You'll just have "change this" letters and sometimes you'll have someone else change your work for you. It's not supposed to happen, but it does.

9. I'll have a wider audience. Possibly. Possibly not. The 'net is full of stories of authors declined by big houses who sold over 100,000 copies of their work. It's also full of stories of midlist authors kicked to the curb because the publishing house invested nothing in marketing or promotion -- or even distribution. Once you let the book go, your control goes with it.

Now, all that said -- no two writers' paths are the same, nor should they be. But to put one's entire faith in one path, in an industry that's changing so rapidly...

Let's just say it's not the path I've chosen, for many reasons. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I wish you all success no matter which way you travel.

Deb Kinnard said:

Katrina, to each of your points I'll say: 't ain't always so.

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Which is probably why she said it was her own personal list?

I haven't even got to the comments yet---the list itself was atrociously misleading. It plays on the frustrations and insecurities all writers share in the beginning of their careers. As it happens, I just posted a piece called WHAT IF J.K. ROWLING HAD SELF-PUBLISHED? in my blog, making the opposite argument: seven reasons why it's better for new writers (especially writers of mainstream fiction) to seek mainstream publishers rather than dive into self-publishing. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE the fact that writers now have more options, and I think there are many good applications for self-published ebooks. But I think naive writers who don't know the industry are being fed a lot of crap, lots of it by people who have some service or another to sell them.

Deb Kinnard said:

Katrina, to each of your points I'll say: 't ain't always so.

1. There's a quality bar in place, thus stopping me from publishing things that I may later regret putting out into the world. Or, stopping you from publishing anything at all. there is, if you choose to be that bar....and know enough to. Not everyone has that ambition, discipline, self-control, whatever....which is half the problem with the sea of stuff already out there....

2. I'll make more money, on average. (A minimum professional advance is still higher than what most self-published authors make.) Not always, and not all publishers even pay advances. Even the big houses are ratcheting them down all the time. And most authors never see royalties or earn out. Do you really want to sell a year or two's work for $5K or less? are you really assuming MORE than 5K is not a very non-typical amount per self-pub book?

3. I'll get paid faster. It's true that advances are given out in sections, but I'll still get the first part before I make a single sale. And if you choose to self pub, you'll get paid faster still -- after the first month it's out there.and on average, far, far less. I'd wait 6 months for a grand rather than do cartwheels over a fat $70 check next week....

4. I'll have an agent to negotiate my rights in my best interests. Because if I didn't trust him/her, I wouldn't be a client. The agents by and large have the publishers' interests at heart. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard agents say they "can't" peddle this or that book for fear of their own reputation with the publishers. Now, you may have a good one, whom you trust. Many are not of this calibre. agents have THEIR best interests in mind. That means working with BOTH authors and publishers. The fact they "can't peddle a book they think publisers won't take" doesn't mean they are working against you, it means they are saving their efforts for works they believe they can sell. That's not, not, NOT whoring themselves for the PublingingEvilEmpireofEvilness.....

5. My book will be published at a reasonable rate, thus making sure the quality is the highest standard before hitting the market. Again, not always. All the self-publishers I know use paid editors, many of whom have been downsized from the shrinking trade publishers. all them you know....which is clearly a self-selected subset. And how many trade-published books have you read that have typos, homonym-problems, and generally messed up quality? how do you honestly feel those compare by percentage? I see more typos by % in self-pub....but more interestingly, you seem to be so eager to bolster your argument that you're somehow suggesting those "trade-pub editors downsized into e-markets" just dun got smarterer....on one hand you point to all the errors in trade books, then say you don't have errors 'cause you hire one of the same editors. I see a bit of a flaw in logic there....I know I've read quite a few. Trade publishing is no guarantee of a high quality product. nothing is. but this is like saying seatbelts are no guarantee of crash survivorship.

6. My publisher will hold me to being the professional I claim to be and treat me as such. I will turn in manuscripts on time, not sit around waiting for the muse to hit.
Who will hold your publisher to a like professional standard? Read "Harlequin Fail" as an example of how they withhold rightly earned income from the author, and so forth. A contract binds both parties, not just the author. agents and legal counsel, if needed...any time you have a contract there is some chance the other party will act in bad faith....on the whole, do you honestly think these are the norm, rather than outliers? Or are you pretending to for the sake of bolstering your side? Because to be fair, this is almost like someone in trade trying to argue you can only self-pub crap, and I don't believe anyone from "that team" has stooped to that level of dishonesty.

7. People who actually know the business of book and cover design will have control over those things without me paying them upfront for their services. Maybe. Or you could get Christina Dodd's cover with the three-armed woman. so, I assume, again, she has dozens of covers with three-armed women? poor girl; you'd think she would have noticed after the first novel or two. Oh, wait, that's right, she's an outlier. But you're playing that game. Should katie or someone find the most ridiculously shitty self-pub book they can and hold that as an example of self-pub, in trun? no, that's silly. But that's exactly what you're doing. You will have no say in the cover, despite what they seem to offer you.you should read some threads on this; there was one just last week and several folks got new covers....they had 2-armed women to begin with and argued,; I assume Dodd, had she caught the error, could have especially had a new cover. You could approve a cover with a blond man firing an Uzi and get a brunette guy sleeping in a hammock, for all the control they give. except, as mentioned, that is often not the case. Small presses are much better in this regard than big ones.

8. I'll have helpful feedback for how to improve my creative work better from professionals in the field. No, you won't. You'll just have "change this" letters and sometimes you'll have someone else change your work for you. It's not supposed to happen, but it does. and self-pub fails to weed out the grossly illiterate....as I said, you can pull outliers all you like, but that's what you are doing--you know as well as I do that someone else steamrollering in changes is not the norm

9. I'll have a wider audience. Possibly. Possibly not. The 'net is full of stories of authors declined by big houses who sold over 100,000 copies of their work. It's also full of stories of midlist authors kicked to the curb because the publishing house invested nothing in marketing or promotion -- or even distribution. Once you let the book go, your control goes with it. But, by numbers, you are saying you don't think it even more full of self-pubbers who are sitting in anonymity?

Now, all that said -- no two writers' paths are the same, nor should they be. But to put one's entire faith in one path, in an industry that's changing so rapidly...

Let's just say it's not the path I've chosen, for many reasons. Your mileage, of course, may vary. I wish you all success no matter which way you travel.

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I wish everyone success. I just wish folks would stop cherry-picking examples. These arguments seem to wind up akin to me saying I'm never gonna marry because last year there were three married couples where the wife went batshit crazy and castrated the husband in his sleep, so I could be next.


Everything Katrina said is not universally true, but not an extreme rarity, Deb. And I'm glad you're doing your homework, doing it right, and having some success. but from your lottery-odds examples, and desire to play them off as real risks while ignoring your own, it seems you have a very large chip on your shoulder.

I'm going to publish my next book using traditional publishing. I've already located the right sort of clay for the tablets, river reeds, and a source of clean sand for sun-baking the tablets.

This is a book that will outlast the ages and all these new-fangled concepts like pages.

Medievalist said:

I'm going to publish my next book using traditional publishing. I've already located the right sort of clay for the tablets, river reeds, and a source of clean sand for sun-baking the tablets.

This is a book that will outlast the ages and all these new-fangled concepts like pages.

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FTW

Torgo said:

Auggghhh.

No I'm too tired. I am too tired of this sort of thing. I cannot rebut this shite forever. I will not go and comment, I will not, I will not.

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And here was me, thinking you were going to tap dance through the thread, twirling your Evul Moustache(tm) while singing, 'No, no, no, we hate good books to publish'.

I am sorely disappointed in you, mister.

Medievalist said:

I'm going to publish my next book using traditional publishing. I've already located the right sort of clay for the tablets, river reeds, and a source of clean sand for sun-baking the tablets.

This is a book that will outlast the ages and all these new-fangled concepts like pages.

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I have a chisel with me. Could you sign it?

IdiotsRUs said:

And here was me, thinking you were going to tap dance through the thread, twirling your Evul Moustache(tm) while singing, 'No, no, no, we hate good books to publish'.

I am sorely disappointed in you, mister.

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Oh, but it's getting me down. I don't go around telling people they're shit and evil for self-publishing. Maybe if I did I'd be able to make a living out of it the way a lot of these asshats, jabber-jaws, and tosspots seem to, flapping their gums about the horrors of "legacy publishing"

I'm actually being trolled and people are making money off it. Let me tell you: I went to get some goddam keys cut the other day and the woman in Timpsons was on the phone complaining about her weekly salary while she did it, and I did some maths, and worked out that she earns the same as me. Let ME work in Timpsons, please. The hours are way better and I would actually like to sit there, grind a few keys, make a few phone calls, and not have to deal with aggressive dicks telling me how the keymaking industry is a bunch of tyrannical slave-driving bastards.

And the fucking keys didn't work, either. I'm getting trolled. I'm getting trolled in part by goddam PAJAMAS MEDIA, a Breitbart-esque yellow-journalism troll site full of trolls trolling people. I can't take another one of these articles. They make me bilious and hyperactive.

I would like the Publisher's Association to run some kind of a PR campaign to explain to people what publishing even is, please, instead of spending all their time running around trying to kill the Pirate Bay, like a bunch of doomed vainglorious dickheads. And perhaps some - or even, pray God for my blood pressure, even just one - of these diarrhoeic squirts of journalistic arse-gravy could be prevented. It is all I can stand and I - can't - stands - it - no - more.

Torgo said:

It is all I can stand and I - can't - stands - it - no - more.

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I'm not surprised. It's like a tidal wave at the moment. I have whiskey. Will that help?


Also:

diarrhoeic squirts of journalistic arse-gravy

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Best

Description

Ever.

IdiotsRUs said:

I'm not surprised. It's like a tidal wave at the moment. I have whiskey. Will that help?

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I am drinking Lapsang rather than Laphroaig, but feel I may slink off early today. After all I have to get to TIMPSONS before they close to get my DAMN KEYS RECUT *head explodes*

These kind of pieces tend to stretch elements of truth to their breaking point. This one is no exception.

The worst stretch is #10. The right side of history? Doesn't the history at least have to be written first?

(Robert is a nice guy and a good writer. There's no denying he had some valid personal reasons for self-publishing, or that doing so has worked out well for him.)

IdiotsRUs said:

I have a chisel with me. Could you sign it?

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I don't think my river reeds will work on a chisel.

P'raps we could work something out using papyrus? I hear it's the new way to go.

arhooley said:

Hello, everyone

My second post here (first of substance) although I am a long-time lurker.

I saw this column at a politics/lifestyle website and I thought the advice might have been half-good, but it's the sort of advice that's dangerous to give to writers who are very new to the business and the craft. I have no disrespect for self-publishing but I don't consider disdain for "the gatekeepers" to be the best reason to go straight for self-pubbing over traditional publishing. (In fact, self-pubbing a particular title will probably be beneficial for me down the road.)

I'm curious about what others think. The Comments especially made me shake my head.

10 Reasons You Should Skip Traditional Publishers and Self-Publish Ebooks Instead

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I didn't read the article, I am assuming it says more people use ebooks than any other.
Everyone I know including myself likes to have the book in our hands. Nothing more satisfying than getting mad at the author and throwing a book or hugging it when I cry.

My husband asked me last year if I'd like a kindle for Christmas. I asked him if he wanted a black eye.

Yeah.

On the plus side, the ease and low cost of electronic self-publishing appears to be kicking the tails of the vanity presses, which is a good thing all on its own.

----------------

More substantially: Say you've written a dandy book, one that could have been commercially published, but you decide to electronically self-publish it.

So, how does anyone hear of it or want to buy it? Walk me through the mechanism, please. Facebook page, twitter.... yeah, yeah, yeah.

You dress up in a clown suit, set your hair on fire, and run down the street screaming "Look at me!" while waving a "Buy my book!" banner -- in the middle of a crowd of ten thousand other screaming authors all wearing clown suits, with flaming hair, and snappy banners.

1. Nobody Can Stop You from Publishing Your Book.

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Yep. And no one can make readers buy it.

Do you know why there are "gatekeepers"? Because the readers want 'em. Bypass the old gatekeepers? The readers set up new gates, just for you!

2. You’ll Make a Lot More Money.

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Unstated assumption: You'll sell as many copies--more!--than you would as a commercially published author.

Reality check: Which is larger, 70% of 100 or 15% of 1,000? Lookit that! 15% of 1,000 is more than twice as much!

3. You’ll Get Paid Much Faster.

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Faster than the advance on signing the contract? Before I've even written a word. Faster than that? Explain to me how you managed it.

4. You’ll Keep All Rights to Your Work.

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I have all the rights to my works right now. This is nonsensical.

5. You Can Publish Your Book Incredibly Fast

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So can commercial publishing, if there's a reason to do it. But I fail to see how this is an advantage.

6. You Can Publish At Your Own Pace.

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So do I. So can anyone. This is nonsensical. Again.

7. You’ll Have Total Control.

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Meaning that instead of having professional cover art provided to me free, I have to go hire it? In addition to being a talented author, you have to hope that you're also a talented artist, a talented designer, a talented editor, a talented marketer, a talented publicist, a talented typesetter, a talented proofreader, a talented bookkeeper.

This "my book is my baby" thing: No, it isn't. I've had kids. I've written books. I have no trouble at all telling the difference. My books are items of commerce.

8. You’ll Have Complete Creative Freedom.

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I have that right now. And by not having to be an editor, cover artist, marketer, etc. etc. etc. I have more time and opportunity to be creative.

(Did I already mention that the readers have complete freedom to not be impressed by your complete freedom?)

9. You’ll Have Time to Find Your Audience.

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AKA sitting around refreshing the Reports page at your Kindle account wondering why you've only sold three copies this year.

10. Finally, You’ll Be on the Right Side of History.

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Admit it: You just threw this in because you needed to make the list ten items long.

Let's say that Amazon manages to break publishing with their predatory practices. What the practical effect will be is that talented newcomers, instead of finding readrs very, very difficult will find it nearly impossible. If ever the phrase "Don't quit your day job" was pertinent, self-publishing is the place.

A year or two ago I took an article like this and, with the author's permission, explained what was wrong with it, line by stinking line. The article I discussed didn't match precisely with this one, of course: but if anyone cares to take a look at it, they'll see the sort of things that run through my head when I read such pieces and they might understand why I, like Torgo and others, have such a strong negative reaction to them.

The short answer is, it's nonsense.

Well, I told myself I wasn't going to throw in my two cents, but oh well.

Although I don't agree with the article and find it to be extremely biased, it bothers me a little that if the title was "10 Reasons You Should Skip Self-publishing" probably very few would even bat an eye. IMO, self-publishing has come a long way and has more advantages than it did in the past. More than commercial publishing? Eh, I'm no expert on the subject, but I'd venture to say they both have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on what the author wants to accomplish.

I'm of the mindset that there doesn't have to be a war between commercial publishing and self-publishing. I think there's enough space (especially cyberspace) for everyone. I don't get the ongoing arguments as to which is "better" when it all comes down to personal preference.

In the end, no matter who the publisher is, the readers will be the ones to decide what sells and what doesn't. A book can just as easily fail with a commercial publisher as it can with self-publishing, and same goes for success. It depends on the book, and it (sadly) depends on luck.

Katrina S. Forest said:

Okay, I'm feeling snarky this morning.

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I'm disappointed. That was not at all snarky. It was perfectly reasonable.

Having no one to stop you from publishing is both a pro and a con. There's no one to stop you from publishing! But... there's no one to stop you from publishing.

I'm doing self-publishing but not for any of the reasons that guy said. I don't expect to be rich or famous or think that traditional publishers are mere roadblocks to my inevitable success. I just want to get my work out there, preferably after sufficient beta reads, so that I can entertain folks.

I, like Torgo and others, have such a strong negative reaction to them.

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I suddenly feel like giving you both a hug. And whiskey.

*whiskey hug*

Lol I hate these articles. Both paths have good and bad reasons but what matters the most is you make the best decision for you as a writer and author.