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 28th 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.
