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904diva
Newbie Poster
Username: 904diva
Post Number: 3
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 11:25 am: | 
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In exploring the many ways to get a book published, I've run across both of the above. Anyone have any words of advice on either?
I've recently completed a very good fiction manuscript. Can anyone give me an idea of what to do next? I'm on internet overload! Besides sending the query letters to agents and hope to get an interest in my book, should I consider self publishing? Isn't that expensive? Should I copyright? And again, what about Publish America?
Help! |
Afrika
Veteran Poster
Username: Afrika
Post Number: 114
Registered: 06-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 05:23 pm: |
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Greetings,
Neither. See these links on why. They're both vanity publishers.
http://liswiki.org/wiki/Vanity_publisher
http://www.lisamaliga.com/WashingtonPostPublishAmerica.htm
Good luck,
Afrika Midnight Asha Abney |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 580
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 05:41 pm: |
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904Diva,
The following is a compilation of reply e-mails I've sent to new authors asking the same question. The short answer is, iUniverse because you can opt out of your contract and many more iUniverse books have appeared on the Essence Bestseller list than PublishAmerica. For more info, read on...
I'm not a big fan of subsidy publishing because books do not get placed on the shelves of major chains, reviewers from major media outlets rarely review the books, they pretty much accept anyone with a check in hand, and they tend to overprice their books. I believe true self publishing where you buy your own ISBN #s, pay a designer, pay a printer, etc. is much better. There's more cost up front but you keep 100% of the profits and own the rights to your own work. I do believe you can opt out of your contract at IUniverse though, unlike Publish America where you're stuck for seven years.
When I self-pubbed, I used the printer Lightning Source (www.lightningsource.com) which uses on demand technology. It's more expensive per book to use them but there is no minimum amount of books you have to order like with offset printing who may require anywhere from 250 to 1000 books for a minimum order. Another good resource for true self publishing is http://www.selfpublishing.com/.
Lulu.com is okay but you get no distribution like with Lightning Source, which is owned by wholesale distributor Ingram. All Lightning Source books are sold through online retailers and distributed through Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
I believe there is a hierarchy in regards to how you get a book published. The best and most difficult way to get a book published is traditional publishing. You send query letters to publishers explaining why your book will do well and what it is about. If they publish your book, they pay you a percentage of the profits. A lot of publishers will pay you an advance on those royalties. The downside is that it is very difficult to find a publisher and it could take months to years to find one. By the time your book is accepted and published, another year could go by. The great thing is that your book will be in stores like Borders, Barnes and Noble, and Books a Million and it is easier to get a book reviewed by a major publication. Best thing to do is master the query letter, get a copy of The Writer's Market book, and start sending letters. You can also query literary agents. If they accept you, they will contact publishers on your behalf. If they get a deal for you, they keep 15%.
Next is true self publishing, which I mentioned earlier. You know you're truly self publishing when you set the price of your book, buy your own ISBN #s, pay a graphic designer, and pay a printer. The good thing is you keep all the profits. The bad thing is, you spend your money to produce books, which can get expensive. Then there is the difficulty of getting your book in stores and getting it reviewed. Of course, there are no rejection letters when you self publish. You can publish as fast as your wallet allows.
Last on the list is subsidy publishing where you pay a company to publish your book. Companies like iUniverse, Publish America, and Vantage Press are subsidy publishers. You either have to pay for a certain amount of books or for their services, depending on the publisher. Your books will be available in online stores but not on the shelves of major chains. Major reviewers rarely review the books. You earn a percentage of the profits when books sell. Subsidy publishers make the most money from authors who end up having to buy copies of their own books to sell to the public. They also overprice the books and do not do a good job editing them. (I used Publish America for my first book. My 108 page paperback book is nearly $17.00. Although I didn't have to pay them to publish the book, I would have to buy my own books if I wanted to do signings or if I wanted to send a review copy to a publication. The contract is for seven years, which is ridiculous. Most traditional publishing deals are 3.5 years.) Most subsidy publishers are just glorified printers with added on services. Yes you can have a book published fast this way, but at what cost? |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 582
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 06:55 pm: |
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How you publish really depends on your particular goals as an author too. Do you want to live off of writing? Will you be happy selling less than 500 books? How will you deal with publishers in regards to subsequent manuscripts if you've only sold a few self-pubbed books? Will you care that your books won't be in the major chains if you publish non-traditionally? Do you have to have a book out TODAY, or can you wait until a literary agent or publisher gives you the nod no matter how long that takes? Are you willing to hustle your self-pubbed books on the streets, in beauty salons, in barber shops, and at coffee houses? Do you have a book you think publishers will feel they can sell? Is fame and/or fortune your motivation?
These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself before deciding what avenue you will pursue in getting published. |
Hen81
Regular Poster
Username: Hen81
Post Number: 81
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 10:26 pm: |
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How you go to market is a personal decision. I have one book through Publish America. They do what they say. You are not charged to get the book published, but you give up your rights and the book will be priced about $5 above the market for a similar page count book. They have eliminated, from what I can tell, the full editing option. I don't push that book, but it was not a bad choice for my entry back into writing. Most of the bad prees I have seen is from new authors that did not understand how the publishing business worked and assumed certain things about how their books would be available for sale. Believe me I have seen it all including the repetitive chapter book submissions.
My second and third books are through iUniverse. They seemed to have the most straightforward program and I choose editorial review options but not full editing. My second book Rooftop Diva made the ESSENCE top 10 hardcover list in Oct. 2007. Recorded Books, LLC. aquired the audio rights with a traditional advance paid contract. They are placing it into library audio collections. My third book Fools' Heaven was selected as a Rawsistaz Reviewer's favorite.
I have met a couple of authors that have had their self/subsidy books picked up by traditional publishing houses. Dafina picked up one book that was originally through iUniverse and the author wrote a second strictly for the publisher.
My second book has sold a little over 400 units so far with 179 of those through channels(stores, online, Ingram, Baker and Taylor), store consignment - 75 and book signings - 153. I don't mind giving figures. I think it is enlighting.
There are probably a few I have missed here or there and there is a reporting lag time. I don't know what my audio sales are yet as it just came out in the first quarter of 2008.
As you can see there are a lot of things to consider but in the end the author is going to figure large in how much they sell. Midlist and new authors at traditional houses find themselves working just as hard as self/subsidy published on marketing and sales.
If money is an issue an you decide to self pub. there is LuLu and I believe Createspace has a no or low cost option. There is always the traditional submit to agents and publishers route, just be patient.
Just my two cents.
www.DTPollard.com |
904diva
Newbie Poster
Username: 904diva
Post Number: 6
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 - 03:31 pm: |
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WOW!!! Thank you all so much! You have given me more information than I could have wished for. This is exactly what I needed when I put this post out.
Good luck to you all. |
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