How to Publish? The Three Primary Methods of Publication

It’s the end goal for many of us writers: our book in print, our goofy little photo/bio at the back of the book, a spot on the shelf at Barnes & Noble…maybe even a book signing (where people actually show up)? Or, even, a spot on the New York Times bestseller list? Could you even imagine?

Let’s back up for a second. I don’t know about you, but I was raised as a fledgling writer to believe that traditional publishing was the only way to go, the end all be all for successful authors (or just authors, period). But we know that publishing has become more complicated than that, and every writer has their own individual goals for their writing and their books. There are a variety of ways to get published these days and it’s worth examining your goals before investing in one method over another.

First of all, think about why you’re writing your book. Are you writing for yourself (perhaps a memoir processing years of trauma); a particular audience (maybe you know you have insights that could help single parents experiencing burnout); to make money (you’re an optimist); or to convey a social message (ie. you created a reference guide for daily ways to combat climate change)? Your goals for yourself, your book, and its impact should all guide your publication decision.

Let’s break down the three primary ways to publish: traditional (big publishing house), self-publishing, and hybrid publishing.

Traditional publishing almost always involves first seeking a literary agent to represent your work, which in itself can be a challenging and humbling process. Agents have their own set of interests in terms of genre and the experience level of the authors they would like to work with, and it will take time and research to find the right agent for your project. In order to pitch your book to agents, you will need to create a book proposal in which you present yourself, your book, and how you plan to market your book (a book coach can walk you through this process!). And be prepared for those heart-crushing rejection letters I discussed several weeks back.

So, why would you put all of this time and energy into traditional publishing over self-publishing or hybrid publishing? Getting your book traditionally published provides you with wider distribution: your book makes it to the shelf of Barnes & Noble because your publisher can sell it to the bigger booksellers. Your book is more likely to be reviewed by popular media (think New York Times, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly) because your publisher can get it in the hands of reviewers. You are more likely to become a New York Times-bestselling author from traditional publishing largely due to the distribution, exposure, and positioning of your book. And don’t forget about that juicy advance check.

Being traditionally published is, well, a big accomplishment. In the eyes of many in the literary community, it is the only respectable way to publish. It’s a sign that you’ve “made it.” What are the downsides? You have little say in the cover design process, but unless you’re a talented graphic designer and marketer, it’s best to let the experts do their work. The publisher decides how the book should be positioned in the market, how it’s presented to media/reviewers, and where it is sold. The advantage is, as I mentioned above, a traditionally published book will be sold widely. The disadvantage is that you are making royalties, so contractually the publisher and your agent are also making something off of the profits of your book. The hope, of course, is that you sell so many copies that you’re satisfied with whatever you personally end up making.

The reasons to self-publish are, conversely, the reasons why you would not wish to traditionally publish. Self-publishing involves utilizing a company or platform such as Amazon Kindle Direct, Apple Books, etc. If you want to print your book, you would directly pay for printing costs. You’d also be designing the cover, choosing your font and typesetting, and taking care of all copyediting/proofreading yourself. E-Book publishers such as Amazon Kindle Direct can be cheaper or even free, but you would only be publishing your book online.

Deciding to self-publish entirely depends on where you would like to see your book in the world and how much control you would like to have over the creative process. If it’s more important that your book be accessible to as many readers as possible, publishing an e-book online is an excellent choice. Self-publishing also gives you a larger portion/closer control of your profits. The only disadvantage to this is, of course, that it is incredibly difficult to get self-published books on the shelves of popular bookstores. Self-published books can and have been bestsellers, but they do not have the distribution that traditionally published books have.

I’m still learning the little details on the differences between self-publishing and hybrid publishing, but hybrid publishing is like self-publishing in that you own your book exclusively and are in control of the distribution and profits. However, a hybrid publisher takes out the legwork of typesetting, cover design, font choices, etc. In a compassionate post on hybrid publishing, Barbara Lynn Probst describes it like hiring a contractor to produce your book (for a fee) without owning it.

The advantage to hybrid publishing would be you would have more control over the process and the profits, like self-publishing, but you would pay professionals to do the work to make your book look its best, rather than trying to do so yourself. The disadvantage, similar to self-publishing, may be in the distribution, exposure to the market, reviewers, etc.

I hope this gave you a better idea of your options when deciding how to publish your book. One thing I really didn’t touch on a whole lot is marketing; first because the practice is largely the same for all three primary publishing methods and second because I would like to dive deeper into this topic in a later post. No matter how you publish your book—especially if you traditionally publish—YOU are the number one salesperson for your book, not your publisher, your agent, or your publicist. The success and sales of your book entirely depend on how well you are able to get the word out, through your platform, personal network, interviews, events, etc. Changes in the industry have put the onus on the writer to do this work. Luckily, a book coach can help fill in these gaps!

Image by chitsu san from Pixabay.