With free format conversion, registration, distribution, sales reports, and unlimited updates, Smashwords is turning
traditional book publishing on its head — all for a modest fee per sale that any author, regardless of how he or she is publishing, would be hard - pressed to beat.
Not exact matches
Luckily for you, the barrier to entry isn't too high — my first two
books were
published by a
traditional publisher, and I'm currently working
on a self -
published e-book.
Traditional publishers will even get in
on the game, only
publishing an author who commits to buying a certain number of their own
books.
Through its rapacious little - to - no profit strategy, it has not only challenged the supremacy of
traditional retailers like Walmart, but has also put downward price pressure
on companies across the economy, most notably in
book publishing, where Amazon got its start.
Note that this
book is not a guide
on how to get your
book published by
traditional book publishers.
Eric is also the author of The Opportunity Equation,
published by Beacon Press in 2014 — a
book that Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach For America, praised as offering a «new perspective
on what it will truly take, inside and outside the
traditional classroom, to provide an excellent education for all of America's children.»
In the news this week were stories based
on Kindle Unlimited earnings, the Indie Author Power Pack's push for the bestseller list, the importance of your
book launch, the Nook Press push for print
on demand and
traditional publishing's view
on contracts with indies.
In
traditional publishing, the list works like this: If your
book is number one
on the monthly list, you get better covers, better promotion, and all the attention.
After six years of attempting to go down the more
traditional route for my first fiction
book, I decided to venture out
on my own and self -
publish.
A reputable awards program puts your self -
published book on the same level with
books released by
traditional publishing houses.
Writers who self -
publish — and even those who contract with
traditional publishing houses — often dream of a big ROI (return
on investment) for paid
book advertising.
Traditional publishing is the gold standard to which all indie authors must aspire, and people who work around
books can give you pointers or tell you if you're
on the right track or not.
My company (U.S. News & World Report), gave up
on publishing printed
books two years ago because licensing our content to
traditional book publishers wasn't paying off and the barriers to entry were too great for us to
publish on our own.
That put a heavy financial burden
on the independent writer not
published by a
traditional publishing company, because with offset printing an indie author would have to pay to print thousands of copies of their
book that weren't guaranteed to sell.
Without the mechanism of a large
traditional publishing house or public relations firm, self -
published authors are responsible for effectively marketing their
books on their own.
Sue explained that in
traditional publishing, authors don't have much say in certain aspects of marketing — the title, layout of novel, interior design — but authors have to figure out how to market their
book all
on their own.
Having worked with
traditional publishers and self -
published several of her
books, Massey has great advice for indie authors
on independent
publishing,
book marketing and strategies for getting a
book into bookstores, libraries and reviews.
«What we are going to do is to facilitate e-
publishing for those of our clients who decide that they want to go this route, after consultation and strategizing about whether they should try
traditional publishing first or perhaps simply set aside the current
book and move
on to the next.
Relieved of the wasteful economics that can accompany the
traditional publishing trade - such as overprinting, warehousing, remaindering, returns, etc. - the POD - based
book industry of the new millennium will be more efficient, more responsive to the specific interests and needs of readers, greener and more focused
on creativity rather than commercial factors alone.»
Even if you plan
on going the
traditional publishing route, you need to start marketing your
book and building a platform well in advance and having a compelling cover is critical to attracting readers.
Projects like Hugh Howey's Author Earnings are already maximizing
on the available information to help authors make sound decisions concerning
publishing route, ebook pricing, and more, but
traditional publishers are also slowly coming along in terms of looking at all the possible pieces of information surrounding a
book or author, and using that information to drive consumer engagement.
On revenue — I'm taking an enormous risk in traditional publishing on book sales compared to the work neede
On revenue — I'm taking an enormous risk in
traditional publishing on book sales compared to the work neede
on book sales compared to the work needed.
Many of these aspiring authors have dreams of getting a
traditional publishing contract, getting a lucrative
book deal, making the rounds
on television shows and giving interviews.
There are many great and experienced editors in
traditional publishing who can help a
book become better for the author, but at this point, with
traditional publishing in the state it's in, I'll take my chances
on a couple of friends reading the
book.
I am pursuing
traditional publishing for my most recent
book, and will with the
book I am currently working
on as well.
I figure if I self -
publish, I give up
on traditional publishing for that
book - so if I want to try at all for
traditional publishing for my main career
books (series mysteries) I have to try
traditional first.
A couple of years ago, Amanda Hocking came
on the self -
publishing scene with several YA ebooks priced at 99 cents (for
book 1s) and $ 2.99 (for subsequent
books) and had legendary sales that led to a legendary two - million - dollar
traditional publishing deal.
Traditional publishing means that my
book is in all the shops, has been serialised
on national radio, extracted in magazines.
If you decide to take a
traditional publishing contract or pursue a hybrid model (some
books traditionally
published and some
books self -
published), what should you look out for
on those contracts?
Then again, even in
traditional publishing, writers are expected to go
on book tours.
I launched a
traditional publishing company with my first
book back in 2003 (when «self -
publishing» was a bad word), and then went
on to
publish other authors using a royalty model (authors do not pay for * anything *).
Even if you use a
traditional book -
publishing company to
publish your
book, you still need to have a presence
on Amazon.
Most authors selling to
traditional publishing wouldn't know a good blurb that would help sell their
book if their life depended
on it.
Lawrence (from Alaska) asks via email: I am a retired guy who has a number of
books published by
traditional companies and self -
published on Kindle and other platforms.
I've self
published a
book I feel confident I can sell
on my own and I've submitted another
book to a
traditional publisher that I feel will be helpful to represent me and that I can helpfully represent.
New York
traditional publishing can't predict how much they will make
on any
book either.
Wendy expounds
on publishing your
books with a
traditional, commercial publisher from formatting your manuscript to submitting queries and proposals.
Your
book must be able to sit
on a shelf beside any other
book being done by
traditional or indie
publishing.
And,
on average, self -
published books also sell better than
traditional books.
Keep in mind, however, that Sambuchino and Smith's recommendations are based
on the long - entrenched requirements of the
traditional book publishing industry.
A senior research fellow of the Society for New Communications Research and a board member of the Independent
Book Publishers Association, serving thousands of publishers across North America and around the world, Danny Snow admits that e-
Books solve serious problems in
traditional publishing: overprinting; the cost of shipping
books back and forth between warehouses and stores during a time of climbing fuel prices and growing focus
on air quality; and the bad bookstore practice of over-ordering, then returning unsold
books are all eliminated by digital distribution.
If
traditional publishing isn't working for you, you can roll up your sleeves,
publish your own ebooks and print -
on - demand
books through CreateSpace or Lightning Source, and get to work.
In
traditional publishing, you have to wait until the
book is printed
on paper before you sell the ebook, and you can not sell eBooks any way except through your publisher's resellers.
Whatever your reasons for deciding
on traditional publishing or self -
publishing, make sure you enjoy the process by seeking out professionals to work with who share your vision for your
book.
First off, a bunch of
traditional published writers, me included, had a sense that electronic
books had less value (we were used to paper so we could be forgiven that thinking early
on).
Today we chatted with Rachel Aaron
on the differences in marketing between
traditional publishing (she has two series out with Orbit
Books) and indie
publishing (she went her own way last year with Nice Dragons Finish Last).
But with so many options available today (self -
publishing, ebooks,
traditional publishing, print -
on - demand, etc.), if you want to
publish a
book, then you have a lot to think about!
It's a decision that no one had to make a few years ago, when the only alternative to
traditional publishing was «vanity»
publishing, where you forked over a lot of money for a pile of poorly constructed
books that had your name
on the cover.
On one front, this is essential material for the first - time author pursuing a
traditional publishing deal, as publishers are well known for sticking quite rigidly to genre requirements, for the purposes of selling their products (our
books) to the even more hide - bound
book shops, who aren't interested in buying a
book unless they know where to shelve it.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was a time of triumph, it was a time of disaster, it was the
publishing industry in 2014, just after mighty Amazon fired a new salvo in its war
on traditional publishing by announcing its $ 10 / month Kindle Unlimited
book subscription service.