Routes to Publication Part II by Val Penny

 I genuinely feel that if you have put in all the work required to complete and novel (congratulations) it is a shame if it wastes away in your cupboard or on your computer. Therefore, I happily share the routes to publication with you in the hope it will help gain your book a larger audience. I previously dealt with vanity press, hybrid press and self-publishing. Now let’s look at traditional and independent publishers.

              When people talk about traditional publishers, they are referring to the established system of getting a book deal. This involves submitting to agents, (usually with enough rejections to paper your lavatory walls) before/if you get accepted. The accepting agent will then edit your book.

 The next gatekeeper is the publisher. Your agent will submit your manuscript to publishers. Again, many of these may reject your manuscript. If the agent finds one who accepts your work, a contract will be signed, and the book will be subjected to more rounds of edits before it is published.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to being traditionally published. One of the big perceived advantages is that the author often secures an advance. This is a sum of money that is paid by the publisher before the book is out. There are two things to bear in mind: your agent will be entitled to a percentage of that advance. The amount will be determined by your contract but will typically be fifteen percent. The second thing is that this is money paid in anticipation of sales, so the author receives no further royalties until the publisher has recouped the amount paid. It is an advance, not free money. Should the book not sell sufficiently well to cover the advance, the chances are that the contract will be terminated by the publisher.

Therefore, although traditional publishers have good networks which can help sell your books and get them into bookshops, they will expect authors to promote and publicise the work to help sales. Marketing is an important part of any author’s work.

Traditional publishers also have inhouse editors and proofreaders who will work with you to make your novel as good as it can be. They will produce the book, choose the title (which may or may not accord with your working title) and they will also pick the cover for your book which will be designed in house or by one of their approved cover designers. All of this is out of the authors hands. Thae author writes the book but the publishers produce it.

Another benefit of being traditionally published is that your publisher will have the reach and pull to get your book reviewed media outlets than others. So you may see your book reviewed in the press, on the radio or perhaps even on television where you may be interviewed.

These large publishers also have contacts that are more likely to allow your book to be translated into foreign languages. They may also produce audio books, or dell the television or film rights to your novel. However unlikely this may feel, you will find all of these possibilities covered in your contract.

As with all things, working with a traditional publisher has disadvantages and is not a panacea. It may take months for the company to get back to your agent to advise whether or not they want to take your work. If you are a debut author, the amount the company will be willing to spend on marketing and promotion will be relatively small. You will have to promote your book and make sure it is noticed amongst the thousands of others on the market.

Also, as a debut novelist, even with a large publisher at your back, you may find it difficult to break onto bookshop shelves or secure professional reviews. The money it costs to be the featured book in the window of major book stores is certainly reserved for celebrity authors or those with a proven track record of sales. 

You will find that royalties paid by large traditional publishers are low. They come in at 10%-15%. Also, bear in mind that the lead time to publication in the large publishing companies will usually be two to three years, so it may be a long time before you see your book in print.

Be aware that to submit to a traditional publisher you will require an agent. Direct submissions from authors are not accepted. However, many of the large traditional publishing houses now have imprints which specialise in particular genres and do not require you to have agent representation.

If you do not have an agent, you may consider one of the plethora of independent publishers that now exist. These small publishing houses run on similar lines to the traditional publishers but have slightly different advantages and disadvantages.

In the first place, in general, you do not need an agent and direct submissions from authors are quite acceptable. This obviates the need for that first gatekeeper which can be so hard to secure.

Another advantage may be that, as independent publishers do not generally pay advances; the rates of royalties they pay are higher than those offered by the larger companies. These can be anything from 35% to 50%.

These smaller companies are often run by only two or three people so they can make decisions as to whether they want to take a book quite quickly. The contract you will be asked to sign will usually only refer to eBooks and paperbacks. The latter will often be produced on a print on demand basis. As they make decisions quickly, the time lag between acceptance, signing your contract and your book coming out is likely to be much shorter than had you been traditionally published by a large publisher. However, you may find the editing is less rigorous.

Independent publishers tend to be more flexible when dealing with their authors. They work quickly so are more likely to accept the title you have given your manuscript. The design of the cover is likely to be a decision between author and publisher rather than being imposed. You will also find that, in most cases, the eBooks are produced before the paperbacks.

That is a disadvantage of you like to do personal appearances; at any that you make to promote your novel immediately upon your book coming out, you will not have paperback books to offer readers for sale.

There are other disadvantages too. You will find that independent publishers do not have such good media connections as traditional publishers. They simply do not have the reach. They tend to make more use of social media rather than newspapers, radio or television for promoting their books. It is much cheaper. Therefore, you may look to secure a blog tour for your novel, or your publisher may prepare a TikTok or Instagram advert or suggest you join Facebook groups focussed on books or look at YouTube channels that might be willing to promote you and your book. Whatever a small independent publisher provides by way of marketing will not be much and you can be sure you will be required to spend a great deal of time marketing if you want your book to be noticed.

From this, you will see that there are many routes to publication of your book and your decision is to find that which works best for you.

To find out which agents or publishers might be interested in your novel, I would recommend the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook which is published annually by Bloomsbury. This will give you a list of publishers, big and small and will indicate what they require when you submit to them. Check the website in case the requirements have changed and then follow these instructions carefully. Failure to do so usually means your submission will be overlooked or ignored.

Whichever route to publication you choose, I wish you well with your writing and hope your books will be greatly enjoyed by your readers.

Val Penny