**This post is part of the Writing 101: From Concept to Query (and Beyond!) series. For an overview of planned posts, take a look at the series introduction. Previous posts have explored the drafting process, and novel revisions**
About the Author
Laura Weymouth is AYAP's contest coordinator, working to create opportunities for you to get samples of your work in front of agents right here on Adventures in YA Publishing.
Laura lives on the edge of the woods in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, a spoiled cat, and an indeterminate number of chickens. Her YA fantasy debut, THE WEIGHT OF WORLDS, is forthcoming from HarperTeen in the fall of 2018.
You can follow Laura on Twitter and add her book on Goodreads.
So, you’ve written a book, you’ve revised that book, and you’re
ready to send it out into the world.
Before
we go any further, congratulations! This is an incredible achievement
and you should be very proud of all the hard work you’ve put into
your final product. Make sure you do something to celebrate this
milestone!
Once
you have a complete and polished book on your hands, you can decide
to do one of three things with it:
- Keep it to yourself, or simply share it with family and friends
- Self-publish
- Pursue traditional publication
We’re
going to look at why you might choose option two or three, and their
advantages and disadvantages.
Self-Publishing Pros
Control
over the development of your work
As
a self-publisher, you never have to worry about things like being
saddled with a cover you hate, or back cover copy you feel doesn’t
represent your book well. You’re calling all the shots.
Less
rejection
When
self-publishing, you won’t have to put up with the sometimes
grueling processes of querying literary agents and submitting to
editors. Instead, you decide when your book is ready, and you pursue
publication.
Condensed
timeline
Self-publishing
means you’ll do significantly less waiting than a traditionally
published author. The timeline from edits to formatting to cover art
to launch depends entirely on how fast you can work.
Higher royalties
As a self-publisher, you'll make significantly more off of each copy you sell than a traditionally published author would.
Self
Publishing Cons
A
lot of work!
Traditional
publishing is work too, of course, but if you self-publish,
everything’s up to you. You’ll either have to do it yourself or
find and hire professionals to take care of things like copy edits,
formatting, and cover design.
Need
money upfront
Unless
you’re a whiz who can do all of the aforementioned really well
yourself, you’ll need some capital to sink into your book prior to
publication, to cover the costs of editing and design.
Less
access to bookstores
Most
self-published authors thrive in the e-book and online realm. It’s
difficult to break into print bookstores as a self-pubber.
Traditional
Publishing Pros
No
money needed upfront
Breaking
into the traditional publishing industry requires nothing but time,
some talent, and a lot of perseverance. Agents will take you on in
exchange for earning a commission on future sales, and publishers
will (for the most part) pay an advance against future sales prior to
publication.
Better
distribution access
Traditional
publishers have access to bookstores and retailers that
self-publishers won’t. Working with them can get your book on more
shelves.
Work
as part of a team
You
won’t have to worry about copy edits, formatting, or design if you
publish traditionally. Your imprint or house will have a team of
professionals who handle all that for you.
Prestige
Let’s
be honest. For many authors, the dream is to be able to say something
along the lines of “I’m published by Penguin” or “Macmillan”
or “Scholastic” And that’s a perfectly worthy dream to pursue!
Traditional
Publishing Cons
Lower
royalties
As
a traditionally published author, you’ll only make a small
percentage of each book sale. You’ll also have to pay your agency a
commission fee on your earnings.
Less
creative control
When
working with a publishing house, you’ll be (to a degree) at the
mercy of a marketing team. You’ll have input, but not the final say
on things like your title, cover art, and back cover copy.
A
LOT of waiting
Traditional
publishing is a game of hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. You can
expect to wait around 18 months from the time you sign a book deal to
your book actually hitting shelves.
Ultimately,
deciding to self-publish or traditionally publish comes down to your
priorities. If creative control is most important to you and you
enjoy getting to work on the full spectrum of book development
activities, self-publication would be a good fit. On the other hand,
if you enjoy working with a team of individuals and prefer to focus
more single-mindedly on your craft, traditional publication might be
best.
If
you decide to self-publish, there are a lot of resources available
online to help guide your journey. You can find a few here,
here,
and here.
For
the rest of this series, we’ll discuss traditional publishing. Tune
in next week for a look at the process of querying literary agents!
Which
do you find most appealing? Traditional or self publication? Let us
know in the comments below.
About the Author
Laura Weymouth is AYAP's contest coordinator, working to create opportunities for you to get samples of your work in front of agents right here on Adventures in YA Publishing.
Laura lives on the edge of the woods in western New York, along with her husband, two wild-hearted daughters, a spoiled cat, and an indeterminate number of chickens. Her YA fantasy debut, THE WEIGHT OF WORLDS, is forthcoming from HarperTeen in the fall of 2018.
You can follow Laura on Twitter and add her book on Goodreads.
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