Pros vs Cons of Traditional Publishing

When you finish your book and want to reach an audience, most authors imagine the traditional route. They imagine the established publishing house with a team of professionals at the ready to make their book shine. While this route does reap some benefits, the traditional route to publishing can be the more difficult option to get started in and navigate. These are some pros and cons for those interested in the traditional route.

The Pros

Advances & Royalties

Let’s talk money. When most authors hear “book deal” they imagine a substantial sum of money heading their way on a regular basis. For the most part, that’s true. When a publishing house offers a book deal, they will offer the author a monetary advance upfront, which varies depending on how popular the publisher thinks the book will be. For a new novel, this is typically around $10,000. What most new authors don’t know is that you don’t start receiving royalties until after you earn back your advance in sales. So, if you were given a $10,000 advance, your book has to make more than $10,000 in sales before you can start receiving money from royalties, which is typically 7-25% of the net book price.

You don’t pay for anything

Another point to keep in mind is that there is no cost to the author when signing on to a traditional book deal. Any deals that require the author to pay the publisher anything before signing a deal are scams and should be avoided.

Bookstore browsing

With traditional publishing, it is easier to get your book onto shelves in bookstores. This means that there is a higher chance for people pick up your book when browsing. A sales team provided by the publisher will help with distribution, with books typically having a shelf life of one month unless they make a decent profit.

Just writing

Publishing houses will typically handle all of the work writers most of the time don’t want to do. This means they will provide a team of professional editors, cover designers, and marketers to handle your book. You can also hire an agent to help with promotion, press interviews, book signings, etc. With all of this provided, it leaves the writer only one thing left to do: write.

The Cons

Publishing at glacial pace

Don’t expect to see your book on shelves anytime soon. Finding an agent can take time, then the fun of finding a publishing deal begins. Expect a solid 6 months to 2 years before you see your book out in the wild. In other words: don’t hold your breath.

No creative control

When you sign with a publisher, you are signing away any remaining creative control you have on your book. This means that the cover design, how it is promoted, and even the title is determined by the publisher. This has often led to many stories by unhappy authors regarding how their book was represented. The lack of control can also impact the editing process. Authors under a publishing house are typically assigned to an editor for the duration of the publishing process, and potentially any future work if they are under a multiple book type of contract. So even if you end up butting heads with your editor multiple times, you’re still stuck with them.

Low royalties

Since the author doesn’t pay anything upfront, they often pay for marketing, distribution, book returns, etc. out of their royalties. Once an author is eligible to earn royalties, the rates are notoriously low. They typically range between 7-25%, however, most authors typically receive closer to the lower end of the spectrum. Royalties are also only paid twice a year.

Always read the fine print

Being extra careful when signing contracts is crucial. Be sure to read over all of the contract terms carefully before you sign your book away. Contract terms vary depending on the publisher, but all of them are equally important. There are some contracts where publishers have the potential to own not only the distribution rights, but also your characters, setting, and anything related to the world you created. So, if that same publisher doesn’t work out, you can’t publish another book using those same characters. There are also language rights, audio books, and self-published works that can get mixed up with certain contracts.

If you are new to the publishing world and interested in traditional publishing, it is best to look for an agent before getting started with book deals. They work for you and will help you maintain as many rights to your work as possible.

Check out the links below for more info on traditional publishing.

Happy writing!

-More Pros vs. Cons of Traditional Publishing: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/self-publishing-vs-traditional/

-Breakdown of Contracts and Royalties: https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/the-traps-in-publishing-contracts/

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