self-publishing

In this series we will address one of the biggest questions facing authors today: how will I publish my book?  As little as ten or fifteen years ago, this answer would have been simple: get an agent, who will then pitch the book to major publishers on your behalf. Now, with the wide variety of options available, it can be hard to decide what route to take. This is why, one post at a time, we’ll dissect each of the options in an effort to help authors better answer that question.

Today we’ll begin at the beginning and talk about “traditional” publishing. Rather than dive into a history of publishing, let’s keep it simple: traditional publishing happens when you sell the publication rights of your book for an advance and royalties on the sale of your book. This is generally the type of deal you’ll find at the “Big Six” publishing houses in New York—Penguin, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Random House, Hachette, and Macmillan.

So what does striking a deal with a traditional publisher entail exactly? We thought it might be easiest to break it down into pros and cons.

Pros:

• Credibility. Since traditional publishers have been producing high-quality, salable books for quite some time, authors are afforded automatic credibility just by working with them.

• Distribution. Again, because of their reputation in the business, the Big Six’s wholesale and retail connections are very strong. You can rest assured that they know how to get your book into retail, and your agent can help you sell your translation or foreign rights.

• Low up-front cost. Generally, traditional publishers pay for all aspects of book production (which can be rather expensive), and authors are usually responsible for at least some, if not all, of the marketing and publicity. For someone looking for a lower financial investment, this is one of the cheaper options.

• Quality. Acquisitions editors at traditional publishing houses screen all projects so that the overall quality of the publisher’s line is very high. The production process includes everything from seasoned editors working on the book to dazzling design and printing.

Cons:

• Lack of brand/creative control. As an author, you have little say in the titling, design, printing, or editing of your book. This may be an issue if your brand is tied to your book.

• Low royalties and advances. First-time author advances can range from $2,000 to $20,000, which you have to pay off in sales before you start receiving royalties. Royalties for paperback are typically five to seven percent, and ten to fifteen percent for hardcover. You’ll also need to account for paying a portion of your advance and royalties to your agent, usually around ten to fifteen percent.

• Slow time-to-market. Unfortunately it can take anywhere from two to three years to secure an agent, get a publisher, and actually have your book published and released.

• Ownership. Under the traditional model, authors sell the right to publish their work for a defined period of time. Selling the publication rights gives them little say in the direction, distribution, or amount of time their book spends in the market. If for any reason the author is dissatisfied, they must either buy back their rights before the agreement ends or wait for the book to go out of print (at which time rights revert back to them) before they can take it elsewhere.

How do you get the ball rolling if you think you’d like to go with a traditional publisher? Get an agent! Traditional publishers rarely accept proposals directly from the author, so you’ll need to find an agent to represent you. Here are a few resources:

• Check out the Association of Author Representatives (AAR). Members follow an ethical code, so any agent who asks for a reading fee or money up front is not included in this organization.

• Also take a peek at the Guide to Literary Agents (GLA), available in both book and blog formats, sponsored by Writer’s Digest. The blog discusses the types of work the agent represents and their submission guidelines. You can search by genre to locate agents who will represent your work.

So does traditional publishing make sense for you? If the pros mentioned above sound like what you want and you can live with the cons, perhaps it is. If what you want doesn’t quite fit what this model offers, stay tuned for future installments of the series on publishing. In coming weeks, we’ll be covering new technology, vanity presses, independent publishers, and self-publishers.

Publishing, Avant-Garde continues with topic number two: BLOGS & ONLINE JOURNALS.

Assuming that you read any manner of blog or online journal—including this one—then you are more likely than not familiar with the concept. However, for the less initiated, we’ll turn to the trustworthy Wikipedia for a complete definition:

A blog (a contraction of the term "web log") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Popular hosts and providers of blogs and online journals include Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, LiveJournal, Movable Type and Blogware. Some are free, some paid, and each offers a different mixture of features, applications, widgets and communities. It’s a matter of preference that determines which provider you use.

The reason I want to spotlight blogs and online journals for writers is their twofold function: a place from which to build a platform as a writer, and a place in which to showcase your work.

As to platform—it has become expected, if not an unwritten rule, that a writer should continuously develop a web presence. This is an extremely important aspect of platform-building, especially as more and more people every year begin to rely upon the Internet as a source of information for all things, including entertainment. Which means books. Which means you.

You can find some great information about the basics of blogging (and specifically author blogging) here:

• wikiHow: How to Start a Blog, 8 Steps (with video)
• ABA Feature Comparison of Major Blog Providers
• Online Journalism’s Review: Are you using the right blogging tool?
• Petrona: An overlong post about blog providers
• Daily Blog Tips: Copyright Law, 12 Dos and Don’ts
• Lorelle on Blogging: Should Authors Blog?
• Marketing Tools for Authors, Writers, and Entrepreneurs: Why Should Authors Blog?
• suite 101: Blogging is a Marketing Tool for Writers
• Bob Baker’s Full-Time Author Blog

The focus of this article is the ‘showcasing your work’ aspect. This is as equally applicable to established authors as it is to beginners. What it means is that people can visit your blog and get a taste of your writing style, tone, background, genre. Essentially, they can get a feel for you.

I’ve visited author blogs that have posted writing across the gamut: excerpts of published novels, segments from drafts of unpublished ones, research for nonfiction works, character descriptions, story outlines, book trailers, audiobook links, e-books, and more. This is in addition to observations about writing, art, culture, the business of publishing, and posts on everyday life. In essence, blogs act as public journals of the creative process of writing.

A few examples of author blogs:

• The Temp, The Actress and the Writer (Adrienne Kress)
• Neil Gaiman’s Journal
• Laurell K. Hamilton
• Seth’s Blog (Seth Godin)
• Tess Gerritsen’s Blog
• Mad Woman in the Forest (Laurie Halse Anderson)
• A Writer’s Life (Lee Goldberg)

You can find more comprehensive lists at Technorati, Author Blogs (under construction as of December 2009), The Internet Writing Journal and The YA Book Blog Directory.

You may be wondering: Does ‘showcasing your work’ on a blog or journal mean that it is considered published?

The general consensus is that for legal purposes, publishing excerpts of your work online is not considered publishing in the traditional sense. While I would not recommend posting the entirety of your unpublished work on your blog (in the event that you do plan on submitting your work to publishers), there are other options for those who are considering a strictly self-publishing route—this includes downloadable or e-book content hosted on your blog. For published authors, it is best to check your publisher’s contract with you before posting to your heart’s content, but small segments to interest potential readers seems to be acceptable pretty much across the spectrum.

Having writing samples posted on your blog in addition to regular ‘blogging’ (the commentary, opinions, links and etc. mentioned above) also allows potential publishers and agents to peruse more examples of your work then you may have sent with a query letter, and lets them know that you are working hard on your platform. In this sense, it is crucial that your blog is active. This does not mean writing a research paper daily. You can segment pieces of your writing and set them to auto-update, or write several posts in advance and then spread them out over the course of a few days or weeks. Once you’ve explored a few approaches, you’ll find a natural rhythm—whether it’s short updates daily or longer pieces once or twice a week. The more you post, the more interesting the posts are, and the more you share, the more followers (and hopefully fans and readers) you will gain. And why say no to any extra chance to refine your writing skills?

In essence, blogs are an invaluable enhancement to your credentials—a portfolio that demonstrates your talents like any other artist, including those in visual and media arts. It’s a resume, a curriculum vitae both artistic and practical. It can be as intimate or business-like as you please. You can share as much or little as you want. The blog is the gift of the contemporary author, so use it to the best of your advantage.

If you're a fan of Top Chef, you may recall season 5's Fabio Viviani, who didn't win the competition, but made it to the final three and came out as the fan favorite of that season. What you may not have known about this Italian chef is that reality TV was only just the beginning: he's publishing his own book this month.

The Café Firenze Cookbook: Food and Drink from the Tuscan Sons was pitched to several traditional publishing houses prior to Fabio's appearance on Top Chef, but when his publicist couldn't find a taker, they decided to self-publish through BRIO, and later chose to distribute through Greenleaf Book Group.

Check out Publisher's Weekly's article on Fabio and his cookbook: "Top Chef's Fabio Self Publishes Cookbook."

Here are a few more links:

Fabio's MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/fabioviviani

The Cafe Firenze website: https://www.cafefirenze.net/

The Cafe Firenze Cookbook Amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981929095?ie=UTF8&tag=eatmedail-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0981929095

Last month, publishing guru Dan Poynter followed up his popular self-publishing manual (now in its 16th edition) with Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual: Volume 2, which focuses on using the latest technologies to produce, print, and promote a self-published book. To help you in your efforts to stand out in the giant self-publishing playing field, Greenleaf Book Group and the Big Bad Book Blog are giving away five new copies of the book tomorrow on (where else) Twitter.

To play, just follow @GreenleafBookGr, and before 1:00 p.m. CST tomorrow (April 21), tweet the following message:

@GreenleafBookGr Enter me in the Dan Poynter giveaway!

We'll randomly select five winners and announce them shortly thereafter. Good luck!