Self-Publishing vs. Mainstream Trade Publishing
Advice From Writing Experts -- Future of Books
Mar 24, 2009
Mainstream trade book publishers, also called selective publishers, make choices in getting books to readers: financial choices, cover art, printing, writing, editing, advertising, distributors, and more.
Self-publishing authors are shouldered with all of these choices alone. They do not have a staff of accountants, graphic designers, editors, etc. to spread the responsibilities around.
Blurred Boundaries
After slapping would-be authors with that reality, Jana Bradley said, “The boundaries between selective publishing and self-publishing are blurring.”
Bradley would know. As the research team leader of an on-going in-depth study on the impact of self-publishing and its future, Jana Bradley, was the natural selection for first speaker in this panel presentation. She is Professor and Director of School of Information Resource and Library Science, University of Arizona.
Referring to the current tough economic times adding to the problem, Jana noted mainstream trade book publishers downsize as readers buy less books. Their selective standards and their number of writers and other publishing employees are going down.
Forming a Publishing Company
Bradley and the other speakers said self-publishing markets, like lulu.com, offer writers the option to name their own publishing company, instead of using the lulu.com name. This can put an extra layer between authors and readers, further validating books in consumers’ eyes.
Martha Egan, author of “Clearing Customs” and “Milagros,” said that another writer once told her, “The common thread among authors is that trade publishers often do a rotten job of marketing their books.”
She recommended Peter Bowerman’s book, “The Well-Fed Self-Publisher,” and shared an overview of writers' considerations for forming their own publishing companies.
Advantages:
- Keep ownership of ISBN#
- Put layer between writer and reading public
- Keep creative control
- Big trade publishers (selective publishers) are in bad shape
Disadvantages:
- Self-publishing stigma is still a serious issue
- Author must do or find all: accountant, editor, graphic designer, marketing director, etc.
- Self-publishing can be costly and time-consuming
- “Realize that only about 1% of all authors get reviewed at all, never mind getting reviewed by New York Times or Los Angeles Times.”
Print-on-Demand VS. Pre-Print Books
Michelle B. Graye, author of “Greetings from Tucson: A Postcard History of The Old Pueblo,” said, “Lulu.com holds 41% of the self-publishing market, and is a print-on-demand publisher.”
This is a terrific option because books are not pre-printed by the 1,000’s with the hope of selling, only to end up boxed in warehouses or writers’ garages. Print-on-demand books are printed by the order, most often by single copies.
Trade book publishers consider books to have good numbers, if they reach at least 3,000 copies sold. Not many books ever sell 3,000 copies, so those trade book publishers are getting more and more selective about the manuscripts they choose to market as books. Michelle said that is one of the biggest reasons self-publishing by using the print-on-demand option is such a good idea for authors, “and it saves trees!”
Why Self-Publish?
Andrea Beaulieu, author of “A Ha! 100 Flashes of Insight,” and “Good, Bad, & Ugly of Self-Publishing” concluded the speaker presentations by challenging writers to connect to their “A Ha!” book already inside them, create their brand, and website.
She said, “Have reasonable expectations. Writers’ responsibilities don’t end with finishing their books. Marketing is the most intense step.”
All the speakers’ closing remarks agreed that self-publishing’s future is escalating against mainstream publishing.
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