Premeditating Writer

Do you self publish or go the route of traditional publishing.


I've read a lot of stuff over the years about self-publishing versus "traditional" publishing and, depending on what I've read and where I've read it, I can see pros and con arguments for either method. Mind you, I am not talking about "vanity press" here. Self-publishing does include vanity press, but I am referring specifically to POD (print-on-demand or publish-on-demand). Vanity press involves paying a company to print 500 or more copies for you to stock in your house. They are not involved in distribution and promotion.

POD, on the other hand, is a process by which you upload your manuscript to one of many online companies and have it on hand for ordering. Note that these companies print copies on demand. Some charge a setup fee for this service, while others (like Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com) are free.

This sounds easy. Right? Not so fast. It’s difficult to distribute your self-publish book to bookstores. They usually are snobs about self-publishing. On the other hand, with traditional publishing, while the publisher picks up your book, most likely they won't promote it.

There is no denying the prestige of having your book published by an established publisher. But, while having a known publisher provide some prestige, some writers prefer to have total control over their novel.

Whichever trajectory you decide to follow, the following are some examples of the advantages and disadvantages of either route:

Advantages of Self-Publishing reference

• You control the cover, marketing, content, editing, and price

• Near instant publication

• You retain the rights of the content after publication

• Most likely you will make more money per book

• Anyone can publish

Disadvantages of Self-Publishing

• Greater potential to publish substandard books

• No free professional editing, formatting, or cover art

• A stigma attached with self-publishing

• Less than 10% of current book market

• The average self-published book is likely to sell no more than 250 copies

Advantages of Traditional Publishing

• Marketing power

• Wide distribution

• Advance could be very substantial

• They edit, format, and do the cover art

Disadvantages of Traditional Publishing

• Difficult to break into

• Don’t involve you in many of the decision about your book

• Measly royalty rates, between 6% and 25%

• Six to eighteen months before your book sees the light of day

• Since they don’t use their marketing power effectively, you still have to go and promote your own book

• They pay royalties twice a year



I would be interested in hearing your experiences, opinion, or otherwise gripe about publishing in general.

A query is what gets your foot in the door. A query is your novel’s letter of introduction. You want to make a good impression. If the query letter does not hold all the component an agent is looking for, he or she will probably reject you without even looking at the first page of your novel. There is no one perfect formula for all the agents, but there are some mistakes writers make.


Here are a few suggestions:

• Follow the submission guidelines. Read them carefully. If an agent requested the first chapter and synopsis along with your query, include them.

• Research the agent. Check what they’ve published recently. If your book isn’t similar to at least a few books they’ve published recently, it probably isn’t a good fit for that agent.

• Refrain from using rhetorical question. “Will Wilma survive her husband’s constant criticism?” A weary agent will most likely answer with, “Who cares?”

• Please, please, pleases finish your novel before you send out query letters. You run the risk of having the agent suspect that you might be having a hard time finishing it.

• Don’t forget to put a word-count, rounded to the nearest hundred).

• Resist comparing your work to another novel. You don’t want to make your work sound like an uninspired rip-off. Instead, talk about your work.

• Remember to include descriptions of the plot/characters and the main goal and obstacles. After all, that’s the point of the book!

• Be personal and address the letter to the agent by name (with the absolute right spelling) and not, “To Whom It May Concern,” “Dear Editor” or “Dear Agent.”

• And no typos. After all, you are a writer.

Do you have any more to add to that?

Fellow writers,
I am constantly scouting the Internet for new and educational information to help me to
become a better writer. The following is just a few of the sites I frequent.
Hope you find it helpful.


Beefing up your author bio:
http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/2010/07/perk-up-your-bio.html

In the followind blog are great tips on everything from writing to formatting:
http://jodierennerediting.blogspot.com/

Here is a Guide to Getting More Traffic by Writing Less:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?nsr=1&shva=1#inbox/12a3e00ae01f91c4

10 Pitfalls for Writers to Avoid:
http://writersdigest.com/article/productivity-pro

18 Contest Dos and Don'ts for Writers:
http://writersdigest.com/article/Contest_Dos_and_Donts