Let's talk publishers...

The exciting thing is that there are now so many options and ways to get published. The two most common ways are traditional publishing and self-publishing.

HOW DOES TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING WORK?

If you want to submit your book to a traditional publishing stable (think Little Brown, Penguin Random House), you need a few things. You need a completed manuscript and a strong and polished publishing proposal (for non-fiction) or a book synopsis that really comes alive (for a novel). You submit your idea in the form of a query letter and attach your proposal and the first few chapters.

The publisher will read your book idea and decide whether it’s a good fit for their company. If the publishing house decides to publish your book, it means they think they can sell enough copies to make them (and you) some money. They will buy the rights to your book and pay you a percentage of earnings (royalties). Most often this is around 15–18% of nett sales for printed books and around 30% on digital sales.

A traditional publishing deal means the publisher will pick up all aspects of your book production. They pay for the design, editing and layout of the book, print the book, help you market it and also distribute your book to bookshops. Traditional publishers are in the business of knowing a good book and getting it to market. They have a good idea of which books sell, as well as the books they like to publish. If they buy your book, they believe in it.

HOW DOES SELF-PUBLISHING DIFFER?

Not all authors want or need a publisher to carry all the costs. If you choose to self-publish your book, you basically become the publisher. That means you hire an editor, get your book cover

designed, get the book proofread and you carry the costs of printing. Many highly successful indie (independent) authors choose this path – and you don’t actually have to print the book at all or navigate the tricky path to getting your books into stores. Most authors opt to list their book digitally only, via services like Kindle Direct Publishing or lulu.com.

Can you make more money? Yes you can. When you self-publish, you take in most of the earnings, and platforms like Amazon offer authors 60–90% of the sale price. But you carry all the costs of getting your book to market too. If you get it right and your book is well-written and strikes the right chord, it can fly. One particular new author, Brenna Aubrey, turned down a $120 000 deal from one of the big five publishing houses and decided to do their job herself.

The days of calling selfpublishing ‘vanity publishing’ are long gone – it is a viable business model. The drawback is often a question of quality. If anyone can put their book out into the world, how would readers know if the one they’re buying is any good? This where Amazon reviews help them weed out the amateurs from the writers. So if you are going to self-publish, it is important to put out a professional product. Do your homework and make sure you get the best book possible out to market.