In today’s publishing climate, there are a dizzying number of opinions on what you should do with your completed manuscript. Should you send it directly to a publisher, or should you first look for an agent? Should you have it professionally edited before you submit? Should you bother with traditional publishing at all when self-publishing is an option?
Although publishing professionals will give differing responses to each of these questions, I feel strongly that there is no single correct answer to any of them. (My exception is the direct submission vs. agent one: Your book will have an indescribably better shot with an agent. Don’t submit to the slush pile.)
While many authors will argue against this, hiring an editor before submitting a manuscript to agents can be invaluable to getting your book represented. Many of my clients are authors doing just that. In today’s publishing climate, submitting manuscripts is so competitive that anything you can do to make your manuscript stand out among the rest will help you get a book deal.
The most common question that my clients struggle with is whether to self-publish or to embark on the perilous and often heartbreaking road of traditional publishing. While I am not going to give a definitive answer to anyone about this, considering the following might help you decide.
What are your publishing goals?
For many writers, the goal of writing a book is to become a career author. They want to ultimately quit their day jobs and write full time in beautiful home offices with designer bookcases and never-ending supplies of tea.
For the most part, the only way to become a career author is to publish traditionally. To become a career author, a publishing house must discover your brilliance and decide to fund your full-time writing life through significant advances and a promise to market your book. Self-published career authors exist, but it’s much rarer.
I just want my book to be out there!
If becoming a career author isn’t your goal, and what you want is to be a published author with a physical book that you can give to your family, self-publishing can be a great choice. There’s no risk of rejection, you control the whole process, and you’ll get your book much more quickly. Publishing traditionally is typically a multi-year process from the time a publishing house makes an offer to the publication date. If you want your book published sooner than that, self-publishing might be for you!
I want control over my book.
When a publishing house buys your manuscript through a book deal, that publishing house is also buying the rights to make the changes to your book that they think will help make it most successful. Many authors don’t realize that this means the publishing house decides major changes that will be made to your manuscript, what your book cover look like, and even the title of your book.
Self-publishing means that you, as the author, retain full control over all aspects of your book. You get to choose a cover designer and make sure that cover matches your vision. You get to accept or reject editorial suggestions, and no one will cancel your book deal as a result. You get to name your book whatever you want, regardless of what a publicist might choose instead.
Self-publishing has its costs.
While there are inexpensive ways to self-publish—you could edit and format it yourself and pop it on Amazon as an ebook—if you want your book to come out looking professional and polished, it is going to cost you.
Hiring an editor is essential for producing a polished book, no matter your writing skill. Some of my clients have been editors, and while their writing tends to be beautiful and structurally excellent, I have never once come across a grammatically perfect document. Every writer makes mistakes, and hiring an editor is how you fix those.
Many writers don’t have the graphic design skills to create a beautiful cover, so hiring a designer is also necessary. Most writers need someone to format their books for printing, which, again, adds an expense. If you take out ads or hire a publicist after your book has been printed, the cost increases.
Traditional publishing has costs, too.
If you publish traditionally, you don’t have to pay for the in-house editor or designer or typesetter or publicist. As a result, however, about 90% of the book’s cover price disappears in expenses before you make money from royalties. If your traditionally published book has a cover price of $20, that means that you only earn about $2, and that’s only after your book sells enough to balance out your advance. If you work with an agent, they will also take a cut, typically around 10% of what you would make from your royalties.
.While self-publishing has its costs up front, once the book is printed, you take home every penny from the book sales. For many writers, that’s an appealing prospect.
A warning about self-publishing companies:
There are many companies out there that exist to help you self-publish your book. Sometimes, these companies will offer to edit, format, and promote your book, but require a large sum of money up front. While these are not quite scams—they will publish your book, as promised—they are often very expensive with little reward. One of my clients worked with such a company and paid them thousands of dollars to publish his book. The copyediting was such a mess that he hired me to re-edit the document before the book was formatted and again to proofread and fix the many errors that were introduced during the typesetting.
It may take more effort and involvement, but putting in the time to find reputable freelancers is worth it. Our professional reputations hinge on the quality of our service, and by choosing an editor (or designer or formatter or printer) with glowing testimonials, you ensure that your book is in good hands.
Weigh the options and your goals carefully. Both choices have benefits; which is best for you?
As I’ve explored in this blog post, there are benefits and downsides to both traditional publishing and self-publishing. If you’d like to discuss your options further, or feel that you’re ready to move forward, Rookwood Editing is here to help.
Molly Rookwood is an editor, reader, tea drinker, and cat mum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She loves Jane Austen and epic fantasy, and her bookshelves are forever overburdened. When she’s not playing D&D or taking turns about the room, she can be reached at [email protected] or by following @RookwoodEditing on Twitter.
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