Self Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing

by Bruce Wayne Sullivan

After ten years of being a published book author,.I have learned a few tips along the way that may save you a lot of heartache and money. There are two routes into the world of publishing: self publishing, which would most likely be through a vanity publisher, and traditional publishing. I would first like to operationally define the two types of publishing. A vanity publisher is one who charges a fee for services and this means any kind of service that the vanity publisher provides, including, but not limited to, editing, photo design, changes in manuscript after submission, proof reading, etc. In short, a vanity publisher is one who requires payment for services rendered.

A traditional publisher does not charge a fee for anything. They edit, design, do photo ops, font set and any other service your book will need to make it attractive in the market. Traditional publishers are trying to sell books to the public. They are not in this to make their income on selling to the authors. A real traditional publisher does not even charge you for author copies albeit some may call themselves traditional publishers and charge for author copies and this may be the only charge at the end of the process. However, they should let you know in the contract if there are any fees involved, even costs to you for books.

If there is nothing in the contract about a fee to the author when the last stage is reached and the book is ready for publication, then a sudden charge appears out of nowhere, beware! This is a scam unfolding! Let me just warn you up front, it is VERY difficult sometimes to tell the sharks from the Guppies and let me assure you, there are far more sharks in the tank than Guppies. If you get stuck with a deal like this, whatever you do, don’t give them any money! I know, I just got it in this same situation. While I am writing about this, let me also warn you not to sign any contract beyond a year, because you may have to wait out the end of the contract to avoid the scam should one emerge from out of the shadows. If you have money then you can hire an attorney to void the contract and get out of it before the year deadline is up. Can you imagine what horror would ensue if you signed a six year contract under these type of circumstances? In addition, there are not many traditional publishers who pay author draws any more. If you find one who does, Hallelujah for you!

Lastly, there is a great watch dog agency that is extremely helpful when trying to find a legitimate publisher. It is called Predators and Editors. They list the publishers and issue warnings concomitant the ones that are not legitimate; although their list is not exhaustive, it includes volumes of agencies and publishers. They are also very good about answering any questions you have through email. Predators and Editors has been my life line over the years. A great vanity publisher that I had an excellent experience with was Createspace.com. Good luck with your publishing, and remember to keep your eyes wide open and listen to your gut feeling.

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Bruce Wayne Sullivan is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. He completed his undergraduate work at two private schools in Mississippi. His concentration was in history and social science. He attended the University of Memphis and earned his Master's degree. He’s a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor and a Clinically-Certified Forensic Counselor with more than a decade of experience in mental health care and treatment. Bruce is the author of Up From the Ruins: Based On a True Story, Refections from the Other Side, Vodka Tonics for the Soul. His website is  www.brucewaynebooks.com

Getting Published: Decisions, Decisions.

by guest blogger Terri Leidich, President of BQB Publishing

Technology has a “constant change” effect on many industries and publishing is no exception. At one point, the only way to become a published author was to be accepted by a traditional publishing house, which for many authors didn’t happen. In today’s world, a traditional publisher is just one of the options available to writers. Here is a quick synopsis of the options for getting published:

Traditional Publishing Houses—With their business model of picking up all of the expenses for publishing a book and taking all the risks, traditional publishing houses are limited in the number of books they can publish each year. Before taking a risk on an author, they have to be certain that there is a strong, viable market of readers that would be willing to spend their money on the final product, which usually is not the case for new authors. That’s why traditional houses often publish books by celebrities—because there is already an established market. New writers occasionally get picked up by a big house, but the process can be long and arduous. 

Independent Publishing Houses—These are smaller publishing houses that typically concentrate on a region of the country or on specific genres. Their business model is similar to traditional houses in that they pick up all of the expenses for publishing a book and taking all the risks, so they are usually very limited on the new titles they publish each year.

University Presses—These are academic, nonprofit publishing houses that are typically associated with a large research university. They mostly publish scholarly works, textbooks, or reference works, but will often also publish titles designed to reach a particular target audience. 

Self-Publishing Companies—With the advance of technology, self-publishing companies abound. There is typically a relatively small cost to an author upfront to get their book “edited” and “formatted” but there is a myriad of other costs an author has to pay to get a book into the marketplace. The biggest problem with self-publishing companies is the lack of quality in the editing process. Self-publishing companies accept all manuscripts, and the level of editing that is offered is basic proofreading at best. As any serious writer knows, it takes a strong editor with developmental abilities along with strong editing knowledge to take any manuscript and turn it into a polished book. Once a book is created, distribution of the book is typically limited to Amazon because most booksellers will not sell print-on-demand (POD) books because of the general lack of quality.

Author Self-Publishing—Some authors choose to go the total self-publishing route where they have the books edited, designed, and printed, and they handle all of the distribution themselves. The drawback with this option is again the limited marketing and distribution that is available.

Independent Hybrid Publishers—This genre of publishers is relatively new on the scene. It is typically a combination of the high-quality processes for acceptance, editing, and book design that are indigenous to the traditional houses, combined with the author’s financial participation that is a part of self-publishing. These houses share the publishing costs with the author, which enables them to accept more books per year and to accept books based on the quality of the content and the writing and not on whether or not there is already a strong marketing platform. However, the distribution and marketing processes can differ greatly in this type of publishing house with some independent hybrid publishers using the POD method of distribution while others use full-service distribution that gets books into entities like Barnes & Noble Stores, Books-A-Million, and Baker & Taylor wholesalers.

The bottom line for choosing the right publishing model for a book depends on an author’s desires and intentions around their book. Deciding which publisher to pursue is one of the biggest decisions as an author. I encourage writers to keep publishing options in mind long before they ink the manuscript’s final page.

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Terri Leidich is the president of BQB Publishing and author of From a Grieving Mother’s Heart and For a Grieving Heart. Founded in August of 2010, BQB was created to be “the writer’s publisher,” focusing on quality writing from new authors. An independent hybrid publisher, BQB combines the quality processes of traditional publishing with hands-on author involvement to bring today’s new writers and tomorrow’s best sellers into the hands of booksellers and the reading public. To learn more about BQB, visit www.bqbpublishing.com.

Have you gotten your free online copy of Southern Writers' anniversary issue yet? Get it now! www.southernwritersmagazine.com/july-gift.html

A Futuristic View of Books

by Scott Anderson

What is the future of books? That’s a good question.  Right up there with: What is the future of art? Or, what is the future of music? The answer to all of them is, I don’t have any idea, but I’m not afraid to make some guesses.

To draw reasonable conclusions of what the immediate future holds for books we need to look backward at the history of commerce. Mankind throughout time has placed value on things based on the perceived rarity of the object under consideration. Gold, diamonds, oil, even Van Gogh oil paintings are all valued based on this same yardstick. Virtually any commodity or service derives its value through the public’s perception of its availability or exclusivity.

Is a digital print as valuable as the original canvas painted by Van Gogh? Of course not. Anyone can have a digital print of Starry Night. The same isn’t true for the painting.

The devaluation of music and the shift from recorded music to live performances as the dominant source of musical artist’s income today is based on an unmitigated flood of digital musical output into the marketplace for little or no cost. There were gems in the flood somewhere, but pirated, copied, and downloaded versions being offered for virtually nothing rendered the legitimate versions almost worthless to the merchants offering them. The outcome was the demise of the local record shop most of us grew up with.

Self-publishing, e publishing, mass-market hardbacks and paperbacks, all of these things are a part of the flood of supply that is pushing the publishing industry, and bookstores in particular, to the brink. Gutenberg didn’t start off selling 80,000 copies a month of his bible, but he revolutionized the printed word and started us down the path that led to digital downloads and the creation of electronic media. With each step on that pathway the unit price of “the book” has diminished. That’s good; a lot of us have learned to read because of it. But it didn’t help Guttenberg who underestimated the effect of competition and as a result ended up penniless.

Books, as we know them, will survive for the foreseeable future. They may become rarer as many readers flee to the simplicity of the digital download, but that very rareness will, in the end, enhance their value. Perhaps at some point almost no one will start off being published as we currently perceive it and only those that have demonstrated value in the electronic sphere will ever be considered for paper publication. Who knows?

Hardback volumes will fare better than paperbacks, cheap and disposable paper loses to digital in a heartbeat. Textbooks and reference books are more difficult to predict. I still have my old copy of the first edition of Johns and Cunningham, a physics textbook covered with underlining and notes made in my own hand and decades out of print. But modern students will have different values I suspect.

I am an author with a book out in e-format right now. I run IsoLibris Publishing, we started with e-books only and have only just started to venture out into the world of POD.  A friend of mine, a book collector, asked, “What are you going to do, sign my Kindle?” I understand his concern because I collect signed first editions, too. I love books. They have value to me and I am willing to pay to own them. I think some people always will. 
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Russell Scott Anderson M.D. is a Radiation Oncologist who serves as the Medical Director of Anderson Cancer Center in Meridian, Mississippi. He is a former Navy diver who worked in operations in the Middle East, Central America, and in support of the Navy’s EOD community, SEALS, the US Army’s Green Berets, the Secret Service, and the New York Police Department at various times during his time in the service.

He has written the family oriented literary columns Una Voce and The Uncommon Thread in the JOURNAL of the Mississippi State Medical Association as Scott Anderson M.D. for the past five years. He has also written as screenwriter R. S. Anderson on several feature films and written novels as Russell Scott. Time Donors Wanted was his first novel and his second, The Hard Times, is due out in the Spring of 2012.

Connect with the good doctor online at Facebook, Twitter, his blog or his website. 

What's the Point of Publishers?

by Rob Eagar

Are publishers the new dinosaur destined for extinction? As Amazon grows and bookstores close, there's a growing sentiment in the new era of publishing that publishers are no longer relevant. E-books and e-readers are rapidly gaining sales over print books. Authors can self-publish their books and get digital distribution on their own. So, who needs a big legacy publisher or any other organization to "publish" their work? This sentiment is magnified as we see frustrated authors start to leave their legacy publisher and chart their own path. A greater sense of freedom and control is offered in this new world where the author becomes the new publisher.

However, this blissful utopian image that futurists predict forgets one major point...human nature. All authors come standard with a healthy dose of ego. Remember, it takes kahunas to tell the world, "I've written a book and you should read it." And, the ego will never disappear, no matter what new technology might bring. The inner influence of ego makes a critical impact upon the way an author chooses to make his or her work public. Thus, I suggest that the author ego may be the single biggest reason that publishers will continue to survive.

As an author and a marketing consultant who's coached over 400 authors at all levels of success, I've seen one desire remain constant. Almost every author loves having someone else value their work. Authors light up when someone else is willing to pay money, dote upon, handle boring details, or sing the praises of their book. This is where publishers make their stand for survival. When authors hear, "You're special and we'll help you," how can they resist?

The more success an author achieves, the stronger the ego's influence. For example, most of the recent successful self-published authors, such as Amanda Hocking, Paul Young, and Darcie Chan, don't stick with self-publishing. They jump ship to lucrative contracts and a team of helpers at a legacy publishing house. Even Amazon, the company responsible for making self-publishing popular, has created their own legacy publisher imprints. Why? Because authors will always make publishing decisions according to their ego. If you're skeptical, let me be more specific. Here's how the author / publisher dance works:

1. Authors want to get paid for their work. Publishers act like big literary banks, paying out money up-front to purchase a manuscript. Most authors can't resist someone offering a check for $25,000, $100,000, or more. And, most authors have no desire to become a business-person or a full-time entrepreneur. They simply want to write and enjoy the accolades. Why self-publish a book and try to sell each copy yourself, when you can get paid up-front with one fat check?

2. Authors hate dealing with the details. Publishers will do the dirty work. Creating a book involves boring stuff, such as editing, page layout, cover design, converting the manuscript to e-book format, sending sales information to retailers, setting up distribution accounts, managing payments, handling returns, etc. And, these steps don't include the all-important need for consistent marketing. How can the author ego rebuff a team of people who are willing to handle these aggravating details?

3. Authors want everyone to read their books. Publishers hold a key to access the masses. They can provide the inside track to national bookstore distribution and a coveted appearance on Good Morning America. While this aspect of publishing has largely become an empty promise, authors will still take the bait. A writer's ego can't resist telling friends, "My publisher is doing these great promotional activities for my new book." When those activities usually fail to occur, authors get mad and breakup with their publishers like pouty teenagers. But, the ego can't survive alone, and before long, they're flirting with each other again.

This love/hate relationship between authors and publishers has endured for over a century. Digital self-publishing and e-books represent wonderful new opportunities. But, the power of new technology is no match against the power of human nature. Therefore, publishers need not fear extinction. The literary ecosystem is bound by a mysterious force that too many people seem to forget. What's the point of publishers? To exist and thrive by keeping the author ego healthy and alive. 

________________________________________

 

The author of SELL YOUR BOOK LIKE WILDFIRE,

Rob Eagar is a marketing consultant who provides authors, 

businesses, and non-profits with innovative strategies to 

spread their message like wildfire. His consulting firm, 

WildFire Marketing, is at www.startawildfire.com. When Rob

isn't consulting, you'll find him fly-fishing, flying down a rocky

trail on his mountain bike, or loudly playing his drums. However, 

his wife Ashley prefers that he join her to quietly paint, 

work in their garden, or watch Jane Austen movies. 

They reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Flow of Passion

Today staff writer and author Londa Hayden takes a turn at the Tune-In Tuesday wheel. Gary will be back next week.

by Londa Hayden

One of my favorite singers is Josh Groban. In fact, it was his music that initially inspired me to write in the first place. It started with his work in Africa for an orphanage filled with children who had lost their parents to AIDS or war. After viewing the video where Josh visited the children of Soweto, my heart was captivated by their spirit. Thus began my journey with the Grobanites for Africa charity. I was inspired to write a poem that captured the essence of Josh's work with the children of Africa. I grew as a writer and revised the poem many times over to simplify the thought pattern. I decided it would work best in a children's book format.

My good friend, Connie Orlando who happens to be a gifted artist, created and contributed two beautiful watercolors to my project. When I saw the first picture, I was awestruck with the beautiful, vivid colors, and I knew immediately that would be the cover of the book. I spent several months researching the various and languages so as not to offend or cause misunderstanding in the text of the poem. Then it was time to find an appropriate publisher. I settled on Blurb.com, a publish on demand firm that allows you to create your own book and provide your own pictures at little to no cost. My obligation was to purchase the final edited version to get it published and posted in the online bookstore. You have the option to purchase copies at a discounted rate and you can set your own retail price.

But before I could finish my layout, I needed more pictures. I researched the Internet for photos of Africa and African children that were royalty free and in a public domain status, which meant they were absolutely free to use for whatever purpose I had in mind. There are lots of free photo websites out there, but not all of them offer royalty free and public domain status photos—so it is important to do your homework. I found out the U.S. Army offers free photos and they had many options available on their website. With my chosen photos properly resized and stored, I finished the layout of my first picture book In the Savanna. The whole process was fun as the website software is very user-friendly.

All the proceeds go to an orphanage in Africa, namely the one supported by Grobanites for Africa. You can get a free preview and purchase In the Savanna at blurb.com. I also offer it on my website at http://londahayden.com. I have received feedback from many of my Grobanite pals who have purchased a copy for themselves, their children, or grandkids. Last year, I was fortunate enough to learn that Jon Christos, another well-liked operatic singer in the Great Britain area, read it on his radio program.

You should write what you know and even though I've never been to Africa, I definitely had a passion to know more about what was going on over there. The Internet was a great tool to find lots of information along with several books and periodicals I researched at the local library. I even interviewed with people who have either lived or visited various places in Africa on mission trips. It was an inspiring adventure that opened my eyes to a world way beyond my own. I have now set out to write my first action/adventure/romance novel Rescue in the Congo.

Go with the flow of your passion in whatever you choose to write, you will accomplish something far greater than you ever thought possible.

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“In the Savanna” is Londa Hayden’s beautifully illustrated picture book with watercolors and photographs that offer a gentle introduction to young children about the orphans left behind, because of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. It offers positive reinforcement to find a cure in this next generation through a simple poem that will inspire compassion and hope for the future of Africa and the world. 100% of all profits will go to a charity that help the orphans of Africa.

Tuning in to 2012

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

In my early teens, my favorite radio station was the kind you don’t hear anymore. They played pure Top 40, had “boss jocks” with echo on their voices, and, best of all, they had a request line where you could record yourself and dedicate a song to a friend. You’d listen all night to see if they played your request with your intro, and it was 15 seconds of fleeting – but very satisfying – fame when they did.

One night the DJ made a comment that I’ve never forgotten. He said he had a board in front of him full of lights that showed all his listeners, and every time someone tuned in or tuned out, a light reflected that. Even as I heard that, it sounded a bit far-fetched, but I didn’t know for sure until I met a DJ who straightened me out.

Many is the time I’ve wished that had been true, so that somebody somewhere would notice how quickly I change the station anytime “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” comes on.

These days – with the advent of cable TV, where everyone’s interconnected by something more tangible than mere airwaves – it’s a credible possibility that our television viewing habits may be automatically calculated via master control computers. Just in case, I leave Nickelodeon on all day for the dog instead of the Game Show Network, lest Baggage get any points for accidental viewing.

In a short time, modern technology has changed everything we know, and is continuing to. In the year ahead, this is especially good news for writers. While corporate greed (and the ability to air 24-hour national programming on all its stations) has broadcasting chains sending local DJs to the unemployment line, the publishing industry is seeing a huge chunk of its power going to the little guy. Writers are e-publishing their own books, and doing just fine.

In 2011 Amazon reported that its sale of e-books is now slightly surpassing sales of print books. This news has brick and mortar bookstores shivering in their Rockports, but despite the demise of Borders last year, there’s no need for Barnes & Noble to get out the white flag yet. A great number of readers still prefer reading from a printed page rather than peering at pixels on an e-reader.

Which, by the way, is one reason we offer both print and online versions of Southern Writers Magazine. Currently our readership is at exactly the same ratio that Amazon reports, with e-subscriptions hovering just above those receiving the print edition.   

What this all means to us writers is, we have more ways than ever to get our words out to the public. We can still pursue the traditional route of going through agents and submitting to publishers, or we can create an e-book and test the online waters ourselves. In addition, there are corporate blogs which hire writers to create their content, and companies willing to advertise on your own site if your blogposts generate a buzz. None of this was possible even a decade ago.

Isn’t it great to be a writer in 2012? I hope all your writing dreams come true this year, and I only wish there was still a radio request line somewhere so I could dedicate “Paperback Writer” to you and your upcoming e-book.

Running for Cover

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

You may have heard something in the past week about a new research study that made this stunning discovery:

 

Women who wear makeup appear more professional.

 

Really? Who would have guessed such a thing? That study seems about as necessary as one that determines whether men who wear ties look more authoritative. I’m seriously considering applying for a grant to see if being given a million dollars enhances your bank account.

 

Some things are just so obvious it’s hardly worth the thought.  And yet — going back to the makeup thing — it’s surprising how many authors overlook the importance of putting on a good face; that is, giving their book an attractive cover.

 

In a previous post, we talked about making a successful first impression with an intriguing title. The other essential key to wooing a potential reader is using the look of the book to hook.

 

Granted, if you’ve been lucky enough for a major publishing company to accept your manuscript, they’re going to commission the artwork and layout themselves. In this scenario, the publisher takes care of the creative post-production. A writer need only conjure up a great book and, after publication, look presentable at book signings (lipstick optional, although apparently highly recommended). 

 

Meanwhile, in this modern era of self-publishing, more and more writers assume complete control over the entire process, including designing the cover, with varying results. To their credit, some self-published books look breathtakingly professional, easily on a par with the bestsellers they share shelves with. Regrettably, others don’t do justice to the excellent words inside. Sometimes you can’t even read the title because of poor font or color choice.

 

A blurry photograph, even if the subject matter is appropriate, screams “amateur” and one will automatically assume that the book itself is equally out of focus. Likewise, a friend who does some painting on the side may not be the best choice to help you put your best foot forward. The price will be right, but you’ll pay a higher price when book sales disappoint. 

 

Those who’ve been there recommend searching out an artist or photography pro, ideally one near you, whose style resonates with you (they can easily be found online, where you’ll see examples of their work). Stock photo sites are also ideal for scouting out images. In conjunction with the artwork, an experienced graphic designer should be enlisted to put it all together in an attractive format.

 

Then, just as you’ve gotten trusted, literary-minded acquaintances to read your manuscript and give you practical feedback, don’t skimp on seeking qualified judgment on your proposed cover graphics. Artistic opinion is especially subjective, so get as many critiques as it takes to be sure you’ve got yourself a winner.

 

What if your book is already on the market and you realize your cover is not what it could be? Don’t kick yourself. Some of our favorite self-published authors have changed their covers in recent months, using their second-edition printing to upgrade. They report that the investment is paying off.

 

You’ve poured your heart into your book.  Why not get it in the hands of your audience by making it one they’ll be proud to be seen reading in public, and inspires others to ask, “What are you reading?”