Five Ways to Get a Book Published

Writing a novel was the goal, in and of itself, so it wasn't a priority for me to know anything about the publishing industry before I started.  I wrote my fiction novel in a vacuum, but three years, and many revisions later it occurred to me to take a look to see what my options might be should I ever try to publish.  So much information! It was pretty overwhelming, but I found out what I needed to know.

Traditional publishing is pretty clear cut.  The path is as old as time, well established, and there isn't much variation on what it takes to get in or how it works.  Once you dig deeper into other publishing options is when it gets a little bit confusing.  Words like small press, indie publishing, hybrid publishing, partnership publishing, self publishing, pay to publish, and vanity publishing get thrown around and they often mean different things depending on who's talking about it.

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER: BIG FIVE

Even though, there are many other options out there now traditional publishing is still often viewed as the holy grail path to publishing for authors.  The big five publishers are names you may have heard of, even if you don't know much about book publishing.  They are Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster.  Most of them have a slew of smaller imprints that operate under them.  In order to work with them you must meticulously prepare a query letter and do copious research to find an appropriate literary agent for your book genre.  Then you have to send query letter after query letter until you get an agent to request your full manuscript and say yes. This may or may not take a long time.  They all have some imprints that don't require agents, but you have to do your research to find them, and determine if they will accept the book genre you wrote.

These are the big dogs.  They are highly selective.  They have all the money, their titles routinely sit atop best seller lists, and they publish books by the likes of Stephen King and Candace Bushnell.   Once you land an agent, it is their responsibility to make sure the manuscript is in tip top shape, sell it to a publisher, and negotiate the contract.  This may or may not take a very long time.  You can have the best manuscript in the world, but the competition is fierce, and nobody will take a chance unless they see potential for big money down the road.  The big five publishers tend to be very risk adverse and 100% motivated by big dollar signs.  They usually want marketable authors and marketable manuscripts with wide appeal.  Marketability doesn't always have to do with how good the manuscript is, either.  Someone famous with a large social media following, or an author with exceptional credentials behind their name might have a better chance than an unknown with a better manuscript.  Really great novels are often rejected for being too different, not being different enough, lacking an audience, just not what they are looking for or for any other perceived reason that makes the return on investment too low for the publisher to consider.  Getting an agent who wants to go to bat for your manuscript, and selling it to a big five publisher, is a big mountain to climb.  

The author pays nothing for editing, marketing, or anything else.  Authors who get a big five book deal will receive an advance for the amount of money the publisher thinks it will earn.  That is essentially the sell price, and the author must outsell the advance to make any additional money after that.  The publisher will have a publicist market your novel, however they may not do a whole lot.  I think they used to do more, but these days it seems that big five publishers are only willing to invest in large scale marketing campaigns for established or well known authors.  Traditional publishers have a history of including a life of copyright contract clause that gives them rights to the book pretty much forever, so it is very important to ensure that there are also rights reversion clauses by which author rights would be returned under certain conditions.  The production timeline is lengthy, so it will take awhile from whenever the publisher accepts a manuscript to the time it is available for purchase. The author will most likely have very little creative control during the publishing process. The publisher is taking on all the financial risk, so they will usually get the final say.

Author royalties tend to be pretty low after 15% agent commission and the cut taken by the publishing company. According to this article an average advance for an unknown author with no credentials is $5,000-$15,000, and the author gets paid between 10-15% of hardback royalties, and 25% for e-book.  Debut authors have sold books for six figures.  Some manuscripts are just that compelling, so it is possible, but not the norm.  Books published by the  big five are the ones you see in brick and mortar bookstores nationwide, however they can decide to take it out of circulation anytime they choose if the book doesn't sell enough.  If it does well, you might be on your way to a career as a writer, but if it does not, it may be difficult getting another book deal. Publishing with the big five guarantees nothing.  It does however convey legitimacy, and distinction.  Being associated with a big publishing house provides many valuable perks and advantages that you may not get elsewhere.

SMALL PRESS | INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER 

Any publisher outside the big five is considered an independent publisher, however a small press is still considered a traditional publishing route.  They may or may not require an agent for submission.  They do require a traditional query that must be tailored to their liking and the better ones will also be highly selective.  They tend to be willing to take risks that the big five won't, and are open to non-traditional, literary, and niche market books that aren't always the easiest sell commercially.  A lot of them have very specific types of stories that they are interested in publishing, so you really have to do your research to find the right one for your book.  

The author pays nothing.  There may be a small advance or no advance at all, and the publisher is entitled to a percentage of royalties. They may want to include a life of copyright clause, in which case you have to make sure there is a way built into the contract that would revert the rights back to you.  Marketing will be facilitated, however there might be little to no budget for it.  Royalties paid to authors will usually be higher than with a big five publisher.  The author usually has more creative control, and will likely receive more personalized attention.  In addition to print on demand, e-book or audio book options they may also have a relationships with distributors and bookstores that can get your book into brick and mortar stores, however this is not always the case.

This is a traditional publishing route, but there are a whole lot of them out there, and many many variations regarding press size, selection standards, prestige, and reach.  An example of independent publishers that may be just as hard to get into as the big five are Alongquin Books, Tin House, and Graywolf Press.  They will not accept unsolicited submissions.  Their books are sold widely in large numbers, and win literary awards.  There are also smaller presses that may not be influential in the publishing industry and accept submissions without agents, but still produce quality books that can be found in bookstores.  Even though they don't charge any money up front, there is still a potential for scams.  You need to make sure the small press is legitimate, before signing over your manuscript to their care.

HYBRID PUBLISHING | PARTNERSHIP PUBLISHING

This is where it starts to get dicey.  Hybrid publishing models are set up to provide the support and infrastructure of a traditional publisher, but places the burden of financial risk upon the author.  They do not require an agent for submission, but you still need to have a solid manuscript.  Even though they aren't taking on all the financial risk, a good one will be selective.  A good hybrid sells books, so they will have a vested interest in publishing a quality finished product. The author pays up front fees for things like editing, cover art, production, distribution, and title management, however the author collects a much higher percentage of profit.  Marketing will be facilitated, however the author will most likely have to pay if they want a more aggressive approach. A shady hybrid publisher may try to include a life of copyright clause, but it is more reasonable that they propose to retain rights for a designated contract period.  The author usually retains a high level of creative control.

Books will likely be sold as e-book, print on demand for online ordering through several online retailers and/or audio book.  Getting them into brick and mortar bookstores and libraries is possible, although not guaranteed.  The reality of it is that it's not very likely in most cases.  Shelf space is limited.  Bookstores routinely place orders with big five publisher books because they have a proven reputation and long standing track record of publishing books they can sell. They also have the means to accept book returns that small press publishers and hybrid publishers may not.  Placing orders for books that may leave them with unsold inventory or on the hook for slashed prices and returns is a financial risk they may not want to take.

There is no official list of hybrid publishers, nor a specific business model that defines a hybrid publisher so it can be really hard to tell the difference between an actual hybrid publisher and a self publishing company pretending to be hybrid. Some argue that there is no difference.  This Indie Author's Guide to Hybrid Publishing from Publishers Weekly has an interesting article about it.  SheWrites Press is a well known and established hybrid publisher that came up repeatedly when I searched for information.  It will cost $5,900 to publish with them, but they are selective.  They do have connections that may allow some of their books to be sold in brick and mortar stores if the author is willing to pay the expense.  Selection standards, quality of books produced, and quantity of books sold is the key to determining if a hybrid publisher is legitimate or not.  Independent Book Publishers Association released a list of nine criteria for hybrid publishers.  I also found some really good information here at JaneFriedman.com. Hybrid publishers may not have the prestige of traditional publishing, but they are increasingly capable of producing books on par with traditionally published books.  Hybrid publishing is evolving, and I think standardizing what it means to be hybrid is a big step towards becoming more widely recognized as a legitimate path to publishing.

SELF PUBLISHING

If you can write it, you can publish it, and the level of quality and editorial vetting is up to your own discretion.  You maintain your rights and creative control 100%.  Getting into bookstores and libraries is either impossible or very difficult.  It can cost zero dollars to a lot of dollars depending on how you do it and what your goals and intentions are for the book. The upside is that you do not have to split profits with a third party. 

Anyone can self publish a novel as an e-book and make it available for sale online via print on demand using services such as CreateSpace, Kindle Direct Publishing, Draft2Digital, BookBaby or Ingram Spark . The company will take a cut of the sales, but it can be done with little to no up front costs.   If you want editing or cover art services you can hire someone.  It can be that simple.

SELF PUBLISHING COMPANY | AUTHOR ASSISTED PUBLISHING

What if you can't figure it out on your own?  If you want to explore additional options for making your book the best it can be, feel overwhelmed by the nuances of publishing, or just don't want to puzzle all the pieces together on your own paying a self-publishing service is an option.  You can still maintain your rights and creative control.  A good self publishing service will know the ins and outs of ISBN numbers, pricing, proper formatting, and online retailers.  They can offer packages to include things like quality editing, an appealing cover design, and marketing assistance.  Depending on the package and desired services it can run anywhere from hundreds of dollars to thousands.  Some only offer author services, while others will also offer to sell your book on their website.  There are self-publishing companies that care about the quality of the finished product and require that authors take advantage of services to enhance it, but those seem to be much fewer and far between than the ones that will take your money and publish anything.  In my opinion, you are better off self-publishing on your own than paying thousands of dollars to a company who only pretends to provide some kind of real benefit or advantage.  You really need to make sure their services are worth the money.

I came across Lulu, Breezway Books and Infinity Publishing, then found that all three indicate proceed with caution on this list of best and worst self publishing services, put out by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI). This organization is based out of the UK, but it was one of the only solid resources I could find dedicated to self-publishing authors.  Another good resource I found for information on publishing scams and what to look out for is Writer Beware.

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The internet is riddled with hybrid publishers pretending to be traditional publishers and self publishing services pretending to be hybrid and there is no clear consensus or understanding on what any of it means.  There is no guarantee that your book will do well or that you'll make much money no matter which path you choose, so what is a writer to do?  Investigate your options, and ask yourself some important questions.  How good is your manuscript? How much does validation of big five and traditional publishing mean to you?  How badly do you want to see your book in Barnes and Noble?  How long are you willing to wait for publication?  How much money are you willing to spend? Do you want to share your book with the wider world, or make it available for friends, family, and online circles?

Weigh all available options against your limitations and goals, then proceed accordingly.