On Choices in Publishing Today
May 21, 2010 by Cherie
Filed under Misc. Ramblings
What’s the right way to get a book published? I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that there are only options, but no one right or wrong way for every single writer. Having said that, of course, I know some writers out there going, “Yay! Self-publishing! I am going to do it all myself!” While others are going to get depressed and think they might never get a book published. The reality, like most things in life, is probably somewhere in between.
I’ve read a lot of incredibly interesting posts that relate to this lately. Read them and come back here to discuss. (Please… come on back, ya hear?) Here they are:
- Kyra Davis‘ thoughts on self-publishing. Kyra is a traditionally published author who I interviewed a while back at Working Writers. She’s chatting about a new “trend” of sorts, of traditionally published authors who are considering self-publishing one or two of their novels.
- M.J. Rose‘s thoughts on the “shortcuts” of writing a great work and keeping readers. (If you’re interested, I also interviewed M.J. at Working Writers.)
- Jason Pinter‘s fabulous column in Huff Po about “The Konrath Effect: Will New Technology Ruin Talented Authors?”
Did you read them? Good. Let’s talk.
I loved all three of these posts because they were all so very true. Writers do have a lot of options today, but we have to be smart about them. For some reason, writers (authors and freelance writers alike) love to declare the “right way” to do things. In reality what they are saying is what has been the right way for them. But what works for one writer doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. Let’s put freelance writing aside for a moment, however, and concentrate on novelists.
As you know, I finished my novel For Those Who Knew Zach and I’m shopping it around to agents right now. This novel, for all intents and purposes, was finished and ready to go five years ago. At the time, I started my own publishing company so I could publish my poetry and nonfiction work. I was all set to publish Zach and then… I backed away. Thought about it some more. I realized I was using the writer side of my brain in wanting to publish it. The business side, however, held me back. I didn’t want to admit it, but I didn’t love my book then. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good book. But was it great? Was it the book I really really wanted to write?
I tossed it aside while I thought about it. About six months ago, I got a spot in M.J. Rose’s Buzz Your Book class. I knew this was an opportunity to find marketing opportunities for Zach, so months before the start of class I re-read it and started editing. And boy, did I edit. I chopped half of it away because it was just plain too dark for me. It’s about serious things and bad people, but I wanted some humor to come through also. So I ripped out unnecessary characters, beefed up the good ones, and revised how they all fit with each other. I worked four more months on it, and gave it to a test round of people, many of whom had read the first version years ago. This time, instead of saying, “Yeah, it’s a good book” they said, “Wow, I really like what you did with this.”
Much better reaction.
I took the Buzz Your Book class, and developed a probable marketing plan for the book. But I still didn’t self-publish it. Why? I didn’t feel like I knew the market and publishing world well enough to do that yet. I didn’t feel that I had a fiction following built up yet. Instead, I did what I had never done before and seriously shopped the book around to agents. I took my time in writing a good query letter. I read up on what agents were interested in. I read up about things going on in the industry. I talked to authors. Lots and lots of authors.
Every author tells you what worked for them. Just like many of the great debates in life, self-publishing versus publishing traditionally is a very heated argument. My take on things is that self-publishing a novel can work for certain people. For others, they are better off trying to get it traditionally published. Neither of these methods, however, guarantees that a book is going to be an overnight success. And this is what gets some writers tripped up. Some writers think once the traditional contract comes, they “are set.” Others believe they will never have to market themselves again. Still others think that one book contract guarantees future book contracts. None of that is true.
I’ve seen the flip side of the coin as well. New writers who have that entrepreneurial spirit self-publish thinking they don’t “need” the publishing industry. They become shocked at how difficult it is to gain new readers, and how long it takes some of their books to catch on. They become angry at what types of books are getting published traditionally.
Much of the frustration comes from thinking that, as M.J. said in her post, there are shortcuts. But there aren’t. Also, what works for one writer won’t necessarily work for another. Now that I’m shopping my book around, I’ve received advice and opinions from a bevy of authors, and their advice is all over the place. Some think self-publishing is evil and even if my novel sits in a drawer for 80 more years I should never do it, while others think I’m stupid to even try to get a traditional contract. Isn’t it great to get such a wide range of advice? Good thing I do a lot of research, and separate the emotional from the business side of writing. I know exactly what a book contract will and will not mean. I know exactly what self-publishing for me at this particular time would mean. I’m weighing all my decisions, and while I do, I’m continuing to write. I’m halfway through the first draft of a new novel, and I’m continuing to support myself as a freelance writer.
I encourage other writers who have a novel they are thinking about publishing to do their homework and make the right decision for them. Don’t just make up your mind and then look for things that support that stance, rather, read it all and consider the source. Does one particular writer share the same vision, status, and marketing ability as you? Maybe they are someone you could learn from. Be honest with yourself about what type of writer and promoter you are. Don’t give up on your dream, but be smart about how you go about making it happen.
