Publishing options

Picture this; you’ve had an idea for your book. The words have come, you’ve written them down. You’ve edited, revised, re-written and gotten your story to the point that you’re happy enough to share it with others – even happy enough to share it with the world. Now what?

Traditionally, if you wanted to get published you’d have to submit your manuscript proposal to a publisher and hope for the best. Most publishers take time to sift through the many submissions they receive and may take weeks or months to get back to you. Some are so inundated with manuscripts that they can’t get back to you at all. Some won’t accept unsolicited submissions or only do so at certain times. Going down this path is the least costly option to publish and may lead to more success, as you will be working with a team of experts. The publisher will front up the funds to get the book out to the world and handle editing, illustrations (if needed), formatting, printing, distribution, and marketing. Due to this, they will keep majority of the funds generated by book sales so your royalty percentage will be small, and you may lose a level of creative control during the publishing process.

Traditional publishing is a great way to get your book out there, but not the only way. We’re lucky that Traditional publishing isn’t the only option anymore. Today, there are other publishing options available, such as Hybrid and Self publishing.

Hybrid publishers work in a similar way to traditional publishers, however you retain more of the creative control and royalties. This is because you will be expected to pay for their services. The upside is that you get to pick and choose which services you actually need to utilise so you can more or less tailor a solution to meet your needs. In the way of royalties, you will get a larger percentage than you would from a traditional publisher, but still not as much as going independently. Hybrid publishing is a great ‘meet in the middle’ option, but it can be a big investment upfront.

That said, Self-publishing isn’t exactly a free venture either – but there are options available to help keep costs down, like printing on demand. When you choose to publish independently you get complete creative control, but also have a lot to figure out on your own. Luckily, there are many welcoming communities of self-publishing authors out there who can offer tips and guidance. With information at our finger tips you can also find a lot of information through websites, courses and books. It does take time, and a lot of mental energy but it is worth it.

Self-publishing means you can go at your own pace, retain creative control and receive the biggest royalty percentage for your efforts. Plus, if you enjoy teaching yourself new skills you’ll be more satisfied by doing it yourself and learning things along the way.

The goal is for your book to see the light of day and make its way into the hands of readers – whether its published independently, traditionally, or somewhere in the middle. However you make that happen is an accomplishment worth celebrating!