Publish or Perish? Part Two

By Jeanette O’Hagan

In Part One of ‘Publish or Perish?’ we looked things to consider in the journey to publication and the pros and cons of traditional publishing. In the not-so-distant past, traditional publishing was basically the only way forward except for the dubious route of vanity publishing.  With the advent of the World Wide Web, e-books, Amazon and print on the demand (POD) technology, the publishing landscape has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. On the one hand, writers don’t have to wait around like wall flowers waiting for a publisher to offer them a contract if they are prepared to go solo. On the other hand, because the market has become so tight, traditional publishers do less for their authors and expect them to be actively involved in platform building, marketing and promotion.

So what about the other options?

The Vanity and Subsidy Publishers

Some publishers will offer to publish your book for a price (a co-payment). As with a traditional publisher they will negotiate a contract for the rights of your manuscript and in return will pay you royalties. However, they will also ask you to pay upfront a portion of the costs in producing the book and/or may ask you to commit to buying a certain number of books (10, 100, 500, 1000 etc).

The difference between a vanity and subsidy publisher is that a vanity publisher generally charges exorbitant prices and often gives shoddy results in return (e.g. poorly edited work, terrible cover design or low quality materials). Vanity publishers make their profit from the money authors pay them, not by selling and distributing books. So they have little incentive to promote your book.

Some small publishers offer co-payment as a way of reducing their financial risk and to assist in publishing more authors and titles. A true subsidy publisher offers genuine services (such as thorough editing, good cover design, some form of promotion and marketing) at reasonable prices and, often, with access to a distribution network.

It may, at first glance, be difficult to tell the difference between a vanity and a genuine subsidy publisher. If in doubt check out websites like this and this on scammy publishers, ask around about the reputation of the publisher and/or look at the quality of the books it produces. Always check the proposed contract for gotchas. Don’t sign a blank cheque.

Vanity and Subsidy Publishers
Pros	Cons
Generally the publisher may be anxious to accept your manuscript – especially in the case of the vanity publisher – this may be despite of the quality of your work.	They require a substantial up front co-payment and/or a commitment to buy a certain number of books (often regardless of the quality of the finished product).
Publisher arranges editing, cover design, typesetting, printing and possibly distribution.	Despite paying upfront (sometimes an exorbitant amount), the publisher probably still gets a cut of ongoing profits (your royalties).
Publisher may provide some marketing and promotion – though this may be little more than a listing on their website. Make sure you know what they offer.	Your work may be poorly produced and/or the publisher may have a bad reputation.
Publisher may have access to distribution networks.	You will need to do your own marketing and promotion if you want your book to be successful.
It may be a less expensive option than self-publishing (then again, it may not!)	While you have some degree of creative control, this is limited. Some publishers can be inflexible on issues such as price or the format of the book.
	You may be locked in with this publisher even if the book is a disaster or it is not selling, preventing you from seeking other publishing options.

Subsidy publishing may suit you if you have a good manuscript which you want to get published sooner or a manuscript aimed at a niche market where you have good contacts (a hobby group, a family history), or a sizeable platform. You are prepared to pay something up front but would like to rely on the expertise and experience of the publisher.

You need to be very wary that the subsidy publisher is not overcharging for their services, is inflexible or has unfavourable contracts that are hard to get out of and/or will give you an inferior result. Buyer Beware.

Indie or Self-publishing

With self-publishing, the author takes the financial risks and retains full rights of their manuscript. Using their own capital, they contract different services required to produce their book – such as editing, cover design, ISBN numbers, barcodes, typesetting, formatting, library rights, printing, promotion, marketing and distribution. They also receive all the net profits on the book (if it makes any).

This model has become more accessible with the advent of e-books and Print on Demand (POD) services like CreateSpace or LightningSource. Also companies like Book Whispers or BookCoverCafe will guide authors through the process of Indie publishing and/or offer different services.

Indie or Self publishing.
Pros	Cons
You don’t have to wait (sometimes for years, maybe never) for a publisher to accept your manuscript. You publish when you are ready to publish.	You pay all the costs involved in publishing your book upfront – this can vary depending on how much you are willing to invest. The more you invest (wisely), the more likely you are to be successful but the bigger the financial risk you take.
You receive full net profits and a higher cut from Amazon for your e-books.	You arrange everything, from editing, cover design, typesetting, ISBNs, barcodes, printing, promotion and distribution.
You have full creative control and flexibility.	You may lack experience and expertise in the industry and knowledge of the market.
You retain full rights on your manuscript.	You will need to do all your marketing and promotion. Having or building a ‘platform’ is vital.
You can join distribution or promotional networks for indie-publishers like John  3:16 Marketing Network	It is much harder for self-published authors to gain access to the big bookstores, including Christian bookstores like Word or Koorong.
Print on Demand (POD) means that you don’t have to print off thousands of print copies that don’t sell. You can print smaller numbers or at the request of the buyer.	You need to understand all the financial aspects of the process, including taxes, getting exemptions for US taxes, maybe setting up your own tradename, etc. Essentially, the ‘buck stops with you.’
Self-publishing has less of a stigma than it did in the past.	Some reviewing sites, groups, awards etc don’t recognise self-published works.
Many indie-authors are successful though they often have multiple titles or built their name through traditional publishing.	Covering all sides of the publishing business means that you may have less time for writing.

Self-publishing may be for you if have a good or outstanding manuscript that is timely or you are no longer prepared to wait for a traditional publisher to discover it or it appeals a niche market or it doesn't fit into the narrow categories often favoured by traditional publishers. You are prepared to pay up front and to invest your time and energy into both publishing and promoting your book.

You need to make sure your manuscript is at an acceptable standard and that you don’t skimp on quality especially in terms of covers, editing and formatting (for the printer or e-book). Unless you only wish to sell or give the book to a small number people (your extended family, friends, fellow hobbyists, church group), you need to tap into distribution networks and/or put a lot of hard work into marketing and promoting your book.

Self-publishing is not for you if don’t have expertise and are not prepared to learn or hire it; if you don’t have or wish to invest money up front and if you lack time and energy to put into it.

Regardless of the mode you choose, if you want your book to reach many people, you will need to put time and effort into promotion. Still, from a spiritual perspective, success does not depend on numbers or even on publication. Our writing may touch lives or change our own without being ‘successful.’

Ultimately, as Christian writers we write to please God and to use the gift he has given us.

Image ‘Hope Definition’ above courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jeanette has practiced medicine, studied communication, history and theology and has taught theology. She is currently caring for her children, enjoying post-graduate studies in writing at Swinburne University and writing her Akrad fantasy fiction series. She is actively involved in a caring Christian community.

You can find her on her Facebook page or websites JeanetteO'Hagan Writes &   JennysThread.com .

Publish or Perish? Part One

By Jeanette O’Hagan

Last week after meeting a friend for coffee at a major shopping centre, I had a spare couple of minutes before picking the kids up from school so I wandered into a local bookstore, drifting inevitably to the Young Adult section.

Shining beneath the bright lights of the book store, the kaleidoscope of colourful book covers lined up in neat rows on the tall shelve dazzled and enticed me. Big names and popular titles in bundles faced forward, catching the eye. The lesser stars – with maybe one or two copies – shyly flaunted their spines on lower shelves. I pulled out titles, flipping through the pages, enjoying the satin feel of the paper, the smell of new print. I recognised familiar names and titles and discovered new ones.

And I knew that’s what I wanted. One day, perhaps, my fantasy series will be there, on the shelf, a physical presence to be picked up, flipped through, taken to the counter, bought, savoured and devoured. Not for fame and fortune, but so that my stories to be shared and treasured.

Well, maybe. I have discovered in the last few years is just how difficult it is to be published.  I’m not an expert – just one aspiring author among hundreds of thousands, or is it millions, who has learned a few things along the way but what I have learned I would like to share with you.

First, be clear about what you want and why you write.

Sometimes we write for pleasure or as a means of self-discovery. Publication is far from our thoughts. Or we may be writing for our children or for friends and family. These are all worthy reasons to write. Often, however, we do want a wider audience to read our scribblings because we believe we have something to say or something worthwhile to offer. We have a sense of calling, that this is the direction God is leading us. 

Second, be realistic without being discouraged.

Writing is not a fast track to fame and fortune. Despite the outliers like J. K. Rowling, most writers struggle to make a meagre living even when their writings are published and this is even more true for Christian writers or writers downunder. It often requires many years and at least three and maybe ten books before an author’s name becomes noticed. Nor is it easy to be published in the first place. To be a writer takes time and determination. Remember, in the end it is God who gives success.

Third, there are different ways of getting our words out there.

Publishing a book is not the only way we can share our work with others. We can blog or seek to  have short pieces (like stories, poems, articles, devotions) published in journals, magazines or anthologies or even experiment with micro-fiction and poetry on mobiles. While we may want a world stage, God blesses small things as well as the large.

Fourth, don’t cut corners.

We may be excited about finishing the first draft of our manuscript. We want to get it out there but we should also take time to hone our work. Edit and re-edit. Have critical friends and beta-readers look at our work. Take time to learn what publishers and our target audience are looking for. Keep learning and improving our writing craft.

Fifth, decide which type of publishing model suits your situation.

Not all publishers are the same. Each publishing model has pros and cons.Another thing to ask is whether we want to publish with a secular or Christian publisher or imprint.

Sixth, beware of the traps.

In the excitement of being offered a publishing opportunity – always make sure you read the small print. Understand what you are giving away in terms of rights and what the publisher is offering you in terms of services and royalties. We may just want to get our work to readers but making naive mistakes about contracts (e.g. when rights revert back to the author or which rights are given away etc) can actually prevent that from happening. Sometimes wolves can be dressed in sheepskins!

Different publishing models

Now that you have decided you want your books published, what do you do? Basically, there are three types of publishing models: Traditional publishing; copayment publishing; and indie or self-publishing. I will examine some of the pros and cons with traditional publishing in this post and tackle the other two models in the next post (to be published on Thursday 28^th August).

The Traditional Publisher

A traditional publisher makes a contract with the author for use of the rights to his or her manuscript and then, at no cost to the author, produces and markets the book, giving back to the author a percentage of the profits (royalties). They may pay money in advance which is then earned out by incoming royalties.

Traditional publishers may be big multinational companies like the big 5 . The Big Houses have multiple imprints including inspirational and/or Christian imprints in the USA.There are also medium sized publishers and small presses. In Australian and New Zealand Christian publishers are generally small niche presses(like Wombat Books/Riza Press, SplashDown Books, Acorn Press or YouthWorks).

Big Houses offer access to big bookshop chains, Big W, and international markets; smaller presses are often more involved with their authors and are more likely to be actively seeking manuscripts. Many (bigger) traditional publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts and will only accept submission through an agent or Manuscript Services. However, some of these publishers now accept email submissions at specific times (eg Allen and Unwin Friday Pitch or Pan-Macmillan Monday).

Traditional Publishers
Pros	Cons
No upfront costs & publisher takes the full financial risk of publishing your book.	They regularly receive thousands and thousands of manuscripts. It is hard for your manuscript to be noticed in the slush pile.
The publisher may give you an advance.	Royalties are generally low – 1-15% on the sale price of the book, paid twice a year. For more info.
Publisher arranges editing, cover design, typesetting, printing and distribution.	Your manuscript needs to be original, well edited and well written to be accepted, not just good but exceptional.
Publisher provides some marketing and promotion.	First time and mid-list authors will still be expected to do most of their marketing and promotion.
Publisher usually has access to distribution networks.	Often your manuscript may only be considered if you have a significant ‘platform’ especially with non-fiction (i.e. reputation and connections with significant groups of people – such as web and social media presence; contact with target groups and/or speaking circuit etc)
Publisher has experience and expertise in the industry and knowledge of the market.	While you have some degree of creative control, this is limited. Some things like pricing will be out of your control.
They may offer you a contract on a second book or series.	They may decide not to publish your books for various reasons but will still own the rights (depending on your contract).

Traditional publishing may suit you if you have an outstanding manuscript; have a sizable platform or clearly defined target market; and/or would like to benefit from an established or trusted publisher’s expertise and experience in book design, marketing and distribution.

You need to be aware that it may take a long time to be noticed (if at all). Only a small proportion of authors seeking to be published traditionally are eventually successful. If you are successful, you will still be expected to promote and market your book. Always check the proposed contract for gotchas. Don’t sign a blank cheque. 

Traditional publishing is probably not for you if your book is for a small niche market, or doesn't fit into a clear category (i.e. cross-over fiction or it bucks the trends).

Traditional publishing is not the only option. In Part Two I will examine the viability of alternatives like subsidy and self or indie publishing models.

Image ‘Hope Definition’ above courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jeanette has practiced medicine, studied communication, history and theology and has taught theology.  She is currently caring for her  children, enjoying post-graduate studies in writing at Swinburne University and writing her Akrad fantasy fiction series.  She is actively involved in a caring Christian community. 

You can find her on her Facebook page or websites Jeanette O'Hagan Writes &   JennysThread.com .

Our Creative Natures By Buffy Greentree

There are so many places in the writing journey that we can get caught up and come undone. There are also various strategies we can put in place to combat these obstacles. However, today I want to look at just one simple idea which has saved me numerous times from problems in both the drafting and editing stages.

Your creative nature is not singular. 

The sooner you realise this, the sooner you will know exactly which door to knock on when you need help. So let's look at some of our options.

The Muse:

People talk of a creative spirit or urge, calling it a genius or muse interchangeably as if there were one unknown part of us that performs the creation. As a Christian, we really should acknowledge at least two, our side and God's. Those who have experienced a true creative flow, or have written a work that is so beyond what they thought they knew, must acknowledge that God inspires and helps form anything that we allow him to help on. How can we view anything except God as our 'muse'? Is not the creator himself the thing that inspires all further creation?

For me, the Holy Spirit directly and God's creation indirectly fulfill the ancient role of creative muse. It is the thing external to myself which inspires and encourages my creative work. This is a wonderful realisation, and constantly keeps me on my knees as I write. However, God does not do all the work. There is then the unconscious and conscious work that I must do in the creation of the piece.

The Genius:

A lot of my creation happens unconsciously. I may stare at a computer screen for hours on end, then finally get up and have a bath. Halfway through the bath, while humming along to some tune, a piece of dialogue suddenly jumps out of nowhere that is the perfect answer to my problem. Or I will wake up from sleep, and my character will be there, ready and waiting to tell me what happens next.

While some of this comes from inspiration, there is also the part of me that processes it all. This part I consider my genius. It is not external to me, as the muse is, but it is also not under my control. I cannot force my genius to write when I want to write. He is most secretive. I feed him scraps and ideas, and then leave him alone to digest it all. When he is ready, he will then open up a trap door and hand back out the diamonds he has created.

There are many things that you can do to encourage your creative genius, from the types of food you can feed him to the recreation that best allows him to process. I have found that when in doubt, give him a good meal of problems to solve and juicy words to mull over, then leave him in silence (ie. find a wordless activity to distract yourself with), and see what he churns out.

But your genius is really for when you get stuck. He is not something you can rely on for a steady flow of words. He does not write drafts, he only helps out a bit with the design. For drafting and editing you need your two conscious creative natures.

The Youth and The Elder:

These two aspects of our creative nature were first outlined to me in the wonderful book On Being A Writer by Dorothea Brande (if you haven't read it, it's out of copyright so you can download it for free, which I highly recommend you do right after you finish reading this). She argues that we have two natures that can either work together or against each other, very much like brothers.

First is the youth. He is the creative spark. He loves telling tall tales and playing with words. He is cheeky and a bit irresponsible. He doesn't care about grammar or spelling, and is easily distracted. If you let him have too much control, he will jump from one story to the next, leaving a mess behind him each time. On the other hand, if you restrain him too much, he becomes sullen and won't say a thing. He's a bit of a sulk that way. Without him you will never get through your first draft, but with only him, you will never get a complete book.

Second is his elder brother. He is much more interested in order and control, and he is fantastic at editing. He takes time over word choice, making sure that it is perfect. Then he considers the sentence structure. Did you break any important rules? He's big into rules. He's also pretty good at making sure his little brother sits down and stays on the same story all the way through to the end. Without him, your youth is likely to get overexcited and run off after butterflies. The elder, however, can make sure he stays in his chair until he is finished.

However, the elder can very quickly become overbearing. If you let him off the lead too much in the first draft, he will be watching over his little brother's shoulder, trying to correct the small mistakes or pausing his brother to find a better word. Under this sort of tyranny, any little brother would jack up and hide away.

So you need to balance these two as is appropriate to your stage in the writing process. If you feel you are being stifled or coming up dry in the first draft, it is generally because you are letting your elder creative nature crush your youth. But if you find you have lots of wonderful ideas but never get through them all, you might need to build up and encourage your elder a little, not let him be bossed around so much by his younger brother. Your youth needs to be disciplined just enough to get through to the end of the first draft. Then the elder can take over and brush up in the editing process. 

I find relying on these four aspects of my creative nature, identifying which one has been starved and which I might be trying to rely too strongly on, will get me through most problems. Though, I will admit it is an on going process to build them up and learn how to support them all. But that is part of the fun of being a writer.







Buffy Greentree was brought up in Melbourne, has lived in Japan and the UK, and now calls Brisbane home. She has a B.A. (Hons) in Classics and Archaeology, a Master of Divinity, and a Grad Cert in Business Management. Yes, she spent way too long at Uni. 
She now writes by day, and works as a boarding house supervisor corrupting young minds by night. So, life is pretty good. 
For a further discussion on creative natures and other ways to overcome your fears of writing, see her first book The Five Day Writer's Retreat, available on Amazon and other online retailers. Or follow her at her writing blog: www.100firstdrafts.com.

The curse of Miss Minnie Applegate: or how to escape jargon-ising our faith.

Gerald occasionally helps me
when I do children's talks at church. 

I've been thinking a lot about jargon lately; Christian jargon, Godly jargon. It’s very useful stuff – when you understand it. The problem is when jargon becomes the base language by which we explain our relationship with God, and our hearer (or reader) cannot understand a thing we say.

I have a facebook page on which I like to explore the topics of children, faith and stories. Every second Monday or so I put up a mini-review of a children’s book that I believe has something to offer these themes. A recent review featured The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Patterson (more famously known for her Bridge to Terabithia) and I subsequently posted a quote from her novel:

"The children's Sunday-school class... was presided over by an ancient Miss Minnie Applegate, who reminded her seven charges every Sunday that she had been 'saved' by Billy Sunday. Who in the hell was Billy Sunday? He sounded like a character from the comics. Billy Sunday meet Brenda Starr. Also, Miss Applegate neglected to say what Billy Sunday had saved her from. A burning building? The path of a speeding locomotive? Or indeed, having been so luckily preserved, what good had her pickling accomplished for either herself or the world?" 

The thing that caught me out about this particular quote was the fact that Miss Minne Applegate was probably very well meaning. She probably loved her Lord (and quite possibly Billy Sunday) but the language she was using distanced, rather than drew, her listeners. As a result the passion she attempted to share was completely obscured. I found myself shaking my head at her, as if I knew better. But do I?

My current writing project has been a series of Bible studies for the niche age group of 10-12 year olds. I’ve been studying, writing and experimenting with ways to best explore the amazing concepts of Psalm 23 and Philippians 2:5-11. So often, with my deadline approaching, I’ve had to catch myself from slipping into jargon and leaning on well used, little explained verses. The curse of Miss Minnie Applegate is out to get me.

Learning to pray and trust God
in difficult times are some of the
themes in my newest novel. 

And the same problem sneaks up on me when I'm crafting a novel, or studying the Bible with first time readers, or preparing children’s talks for my roles at church, or taking my books out to a playgroup and chatting with the mothers I meet. Jargon has become part of my DNA – but I want to shake it off! I want my words to be fresh, relevant and in the language of my hearer. I want the mystery of the gospel to be found in Christ – not in the baffled waffle spouting from my lips or keyboard.

So how can I attempt to keep Miss Minnie in her place?

I think the key lies in my remembering the undeserved gift of salvation.

The fact that Jesus died to save me from my rebellion against God is incredible. The fact that I (yes, little midgetly me) can approach the God Most High with my requests, as his child (child!) is amazing. I need to remember this daily, hourly even, so that when I dig into the Scriptures and seek the clearest way to explain what God has done to those around me (or who will read my words) my excitement and passion for Jesus will be evident. I’ll be driven to use words that transmit meaning, instead of alienation, because more than anything I want my reader to grasp how great and wide and deep the Love of God is (see Ephesians 3:17-19)! 

And if I do need to use one of the large and wonderful words Christian history has given me, may I wrap it up in tender explanation that retains relationship and allows truth to be understood.  

(The material in this post was originally shared as part of a staff devotion for Toongabbie Christian School, August 2012)

Penny Reeve is a children’s author currently living with her family in Western Sydney. This week she hopes to sew another pair of big-boys-undies for her toddler, plant a veggie garden in the old BBQ and share with a group of preschoolers just how far God's love can reach. 

Anyone suffer from cold feet?

It seemed simple at the time. 
A quick signature and, unlike that picture, I was committed. 
The manuscript must be with the publisher by 1 April.
Though The Bud Be Bruised will be published next year.
But within an hour, reality slammed into my thinking. Everyone will be able to read it! 


Isn't that what I've wanted? Didn't I write and rewrite, edit, check and edit again so that people would read it? Haven't I always wanted it to be a book people want to share?
But what if they don't like it? What if they reject my best efforts? 
But besides that, this book contains me. It is more than a fiction; it is a faction. It tells my story, masked by different characters, locations and conversations, but still my story.
Why would I do such a thing? 
Why make myself so vulnerable?
What if my friends take offence? 
What if they think I've misrepresented them, even if I haven't included them? What if they feel rejected if they can't find themselves on the pages?


I wonder - did Jesus have any second thoughts after He stood in the temple and read from Isaiah sixty-one. From that day on He was misunderstood and persecuted, talked about and judged. 
Will I be misunderstood?
In the last few months, I've met several friends who were part of my life in the era of the book. As we've chatted, it has become obvious they aren't acquainted with the circumstances. They don't know of the deep grief and trauma we have suffered. Why? Because some events are not talked about. For those people, this book will be a shocking read. 
Please, Lord? What have I done?


       The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
God's light has shone in our lives. Sometimes it seemed weaker than a single birthday-cake candle. But never was it snuffed out. 
Now it is time to turn up the light, to shine the torchlight of the power of God into the dark places. It's time for light and truth to overcome darkness.
My excitement returns. Everyone who takes the time to read my book will know what my God has done. I can share the amazing lessons I learned in the deep dark places, to shine the light for others, to help them avoid pitfalls. 
And if am misunderstood, rejected and laughed at, so be it. For every person that rejects my story, others will know God a little better, walk a little closer to Him. That is enough for me.


Confessions of Jo Wanmer, a soon to be published writer! 
I wonder - Am I the only one who gets cold feet?
www.jo-wanmer.blogspot.com