Statistics
indicate 85% of people would like to write a book. A much smaller percent of
that sampling actually sit down and invest mental and creative energy in the
process. And an even smaller percent actually see their publishing dream come
to fruition.
Some people call the publishing executives “The Gatekeepers” and
they’re said to run an exclusive club, inviting in only a select few. It’s why
Self-Publishing has been around for decades. Self-published authors bypass
these “Gatekeepers” and present their work directly to the public.
In the past, self-publishing didn’t garner a large amount of
respect, mostly because some quality steps used in big publishing houses were
skipped by the solo author. Things like editing, cover art, and layout were too
expensive for the independent author of the past. This is no longer the case. Today’s
self-published authors are better able to take the time to go through the same
processes a traditional publishing house administers because of accessibility
to quality and affordable freelance artists and editors .
It takes a team to produce a great book, and self-published
authors are on board. It’s why the reputation of the self-published industry
has grown to popular status. Today self-publishing is a respected, and it’s
sometimes a savvy move for an author, but only if the author puts its business
house in order.
In this guest post by Author Katie Salidas, you can learn what
you get from a traditional publishing house vs. what you need to set up if you
decide to successfully take the self-publishing route. She knows first-hand the
in’s and out’s of self-publishing and has sold thousands of self-published
books through Amazon, Kindle, Nook, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bookstores,
etc. If you decide to choose the self-publishing track, please pick up a
copy of her book Go
Publish Yourself! so you
can save yourself a lot of grief, time and money. She’ll teach you mistakes to
avoid and steps to take in this simple-to-follow manual.
Guest Blog: Building Your Self-Publishing House vs.
Traditional Publishing HouseBy Katie Salidas
Traditional Publishing: What a Publishing House does for
their authors
To understand what
a publishing house does for an author, you have to take a look at some members
of the publisher’s team. Your manuscript will travel through the hands of each
of these players.
Some of THE
PLAYERS and some of THEIR JOBs:
Editor-falls in love with your writing and wants
to take it to market, but first helps author with plot and character
development to make sure you’re presenting your best work.
Managing editor-manages time tables of team members below
to get product to market as planned.
Copy editor-checks for grammar, accuracy of your
details (dates, descriptions, etc), and brings a set of fresh eyes to the
manuscript.
Proof reader-checks for final mistakes.
Designer-oversees artwork, typeface, size, style,
page layout, chapter layout and (if qualified) prepares jacket design (if not
qualified, oversees an illustrator to do so).
Production
Manager-determines which
paper to use, printing company, binding, and evaluates cost effectiveness,
printing schedule, and deals with printer on any errors.
Distributors- manages how finished books get into the
retail market (big box bookstores, ebooks, and independent bookstores) and does
periodic quality control checks.
Sales reps-secures sales for books by talking to
book buyers, teachers, museum shops, specialty shops, and specialized clubs.
Marketing
manager-sends manuscript
out to print, radio, TV, industry bloggers and submits book for awards as well
as for school visits.
Publicity
manager-sets up interviews
And there is an
even bigger team (all with staff) not mentioned (i.e. reprint manager,
copyright manager, foreign service managers, etc.).
Self-Publishing: What an Indie Author must do for their book
Just like with Traditional Publishing, certain jobs must be done
to produce and sell a good book. Though Self-Publishing is often a solo
production, there are jobs that can and often should be delegated to others in
order to produce a good quality book. Please note that some jobs can be done by
the author, but most shouldn't.
THE JOBS:
Proof Reader/ Critiquing Partner(s): A person or a group of people who read
and offer feedback and editing advice on some or all of an author’s manuscript.
This is done by a third party (not the author) before editing.
Line/Copy Editor: This editor
intensively edits for continuity as well as grammar and spelling. You will have
to hire a freelance editor to do this job. (It cannot be done by the author.)
Cover Artist: A graphic artist with an eye for the specific needs of book
covers. They should be able to match your genre with the art. There are many
freelance artists ready and willing to create covers for you; however authors
often take a stab at doing it themselves.
Interior Formatter: A person (this can be the author) who can alter the original
word document into ebook and print formats for publishing. (e.g. Epub, Mobi,
PDF, Print, etc…)
Publicist: A person (always the indie author) who sets up blog tours,
interviews, appearances, book signings, radio promotions, etc…
Sales Manager: A person (always the indie author) who arranges for the
distribution of their work through various channels like: Createspace, LSI,
Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Pubit!, Smashwords, etc…
Being a Self-Published author is not an easy job. As you can see,
you are responsible for every aspect of the work that you produce. However,
there are some benefits to going it alone. A Self-Published author has 100%
control of how their product looks. In Traditional Publishing cover art,
interior format, and even editing are not under the author’s control. You could
be asked to delete entire chapters if your assigned editor feels they are not
good (your proof reader and critiquing group may suggest the same thing with
your self-published work) .
But, the biggest benefit to Self-Publishing is the ability to gain
a higher royalty. Yes, you do have to foot the cost upfront, but if you are a
savvy Self-Publisher, you can find the most cost-effective ways to do things.
Once those initial investments are paid, the rest of the money earned is all
yours.
Self-Publishers earn as much as 70% of the price of their book on
Amazon. That’s significantly more than what a traditionally published author
can expect per book. The reason is, less overhead. As you’ll see in the list
below, Traditional Publishing employs quite a few people. Those people need to
be paid, too. Self-Publishing
cuts out a lot of middle-men. But that also means the author has a bigger job
to do.
It can seem overwhelming at first, but Self-Publishing is a viable
form of publishing for the highly motivated author!
Katie Salidas is a Las Vegas
native. Wife, mother, and independent author, she’s made a career out of
producing successful self-published titles.
Go Publish Yourself – Quick and
Dirty Tips for Self-Publishing Success
The Immortalis Series
The Consummate Therapy series
Vampire Bites – Erotic vampire
anthology
And many more….
Each of her books were created in the DIY (Do It Yourself)
style, without the aid of author service companies. Through trial and error she
has gained the knowhow to successfully publish print and ebooks.
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