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Friday, June 21, 2013

Publishing 2: What Does ‘Published’ Really Mean?






There was a time when becoming ‘published’ meant everything. A time when there were few enough publishers and authors in the marketplace that ‘published’ was defined by a large print run, a significant advertising investment by the publisher, and shipments to individual bookstores across the country through the services of a distributor. No publisher took on that risk without a game plan certain to make the author a success. This left a real hope of income for the few writers who finally achieved publication.
We do not live in that world anymore.
To those publishers an era of e-book readers like Kindle and Nook was un-thought of. The idea that an ‘app’ could provide instant access to an electronic library via smartphones and music players was… well… science fiction. To them, bookstores were the backbone of book sales, never to be replaced. Distributers were essential in reaching out to those stores. A fool-proof system had evolved and publishing would never change. Only it did.
Bookstores? Borders folded; Barnes and Noble reinvented itself; and more and more small bookstores wither away. Large print runs? They are things of the past. With increasing technology we have not only seen the advent of e-book readers, but we have also watched as print-on-demand technology made printing a hundred copies of a manuscript financially viable.
Enter the self-publisher. Authors clamoring to be heard and to beat the system latched onto the idea that they could ‘publish’ their own writing. Readers found more choices, often available to order online. Why go to the bookstore when they had a greater selection and greater ease via their computers-then laptops-then smartphones? Self-publishing grew in popularity until it became a way to 1) reach an audience, 2) build a company, and/or 3) be discovered by the major publishing houses. With options to create an e-book at virtually no cost and print a book for less than a year’s college tuition, authors determined to pour their own sweat into the publication of their lives’ work.
As you might have noticed, with so many books surging through the market, the quality decreased. Readers stopped trusting that ‘published’ meant ‘talented’. As the stigma that ‘self-published’ meant ‘not good enough to be really published’ grew, bookstores lost interest in manuscripts from ‘self-publishers’. Crafty authors found new ways to prove their mettle. They let go the gold standard of ‘professional publishing’ and began to blog, write articles, and book tour. Slowly the burden of advertising shifted from the publishers’ and distributors’ shoulders and onto the authors’. Whatever venue of publishing an author takes in 2013, large quantities of advertising responsibility will inevitably rest with them.
Did I just blow your illusion? I apologize. It is no pleasant day when we finally accept that even the realization of the beautiful dream of publication does not eliminate the hard labor of advertising or promise monetary rewards. Society as a whole still believes in this magical illusion of ‘publication = success’. Sadly, it rarely works that way. Even the millionaire writers started small and worked their way up.
Once this is accepted, one question becomes quite glaring: Why should an author give the rights of his book to someone else when he will still have to do the advertising? Well, before I dishearten you completely about professional publishing, allow me to answer with four reasons you should consider traditional publishing.
1) Professional publishers pay all the upfront costs. You would be surprised how quickly the expenses for manuscript production stack up. A professional publisher takes all the financial risk away from you.
2) Professional publishers have connections. They can get your novel into bookstores and onto Amazon, where readers can stumble across your greatness.
3) Professional publishers know what they are doing. From talented cover artists already on staff to marketing consultants to the wizards of editing to high-tech machinery for printing, professional publishers have the experience, budget, and tools to grow your novel into its best form. Despite the truth that you will have to advertise on your own, most professional publishers will join you in marketing the book as well.
4) Professional publication grows your résumé. While it certainly looks good to put down ‘self-published author’ on the job application, having a book in print by a trusted and reputable name is infinitely better. In addition, this will also make you more appealing to the other publishers you hope to work with.

So, while professional publishing does take a large chunk of your profits and still requires you to do a considerable amount of leg-work yourself, it also has a list of benefits long enough to make it a worthy option. No less viable publishing options include the vanity press and self-publication. While society still struggles to grasp the quality of works coming from these venues, authors increasingly find success and independence in their methods. Professional publishers are still the big fish in the oceans of publishing, but as the tides change opportunities for new authors and publishers grow. Some are daunted by the changing times. Others see it as an opportunity to excel. ‘Published’ no longer has one definition.

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