Book publishers: the 3 paths to publication
Book publishers: the 3 paths to publication
You are reading this text because, as the title itself states, you are interested in knowing the three ways to publish your book. Maybe you already know a little about the subject and have done some initial research. But as this concerns slightly complicated procedures, I decided to write this article to make it easier to understand.
This way, you will be able to understand the three paths to publication, and then consider and choose the one that represents the best strategy to be adopted in your case.
Traditional publishers
A traditional publisher works through a system of selecting works to be published. She herself pays all the costs of the process, which includes production and printing, defining all the stages, such as the title of the book, the cover, among other items. In production, several text professionals come into play, such as the critical reviewer, the text editor, the reviewer – a subject we have already developed in the article How to publish an independent book.
But what's the biggest problem with being able to publish in this type of publisher? Precisely because she has a limited budget to work with and receives a large number of originals, she ends up making a very rigorous selection. You will, therefore, bet on works that are supposed to bring you a lot of financial return. As a result, the chance of an author having their book published by a traditional (or commercial) publisher is very small. With a little exaggeration: it's almost hitting the jackpot!
Therefore, if you are not an author who has a considerable readership, just like people who become celebrities, your manuscripts will be for a commercial publisher just another one that will probably not be successful. I don't mean to say that it's impossible, among the three paths to publication, to have your book accepted by a commercial publisher. But it is certainly the most difficult. There are two more things that are important to remember here if you publish with a commercial publisher. One of them is that you will not be able to interfere in the process, as I explained before, and therefore you may be dissatisfied with some things that will be materialized there, in many, many copies. The other point that may make you uncomfortable is the fact that marketing and sales procedures are in the hands of the publisher. If a great job is not done to publicize your book, of course there will be losses to your work, as you have no control over these processes. In conclusion, publishing through a traditional publisher can, in some cases, present more disadvantages than advantages.
If you want to choose this path, you can sign my list of traditional publishers.
Service provider publishers
Among the three paths to publication, let's now learn a little about this possibility, which is looking for a publishing company that provides a service. It works in a very different way than a traditional publisher. If in the first instance, all control is in the hands of the publisher, it also means that it maintains all costs. In this other possibility, when looking for a publishing company that provides services, it is you who chooses the one that seems competent and trustworthy, and will pay to have your book published.
Time is saved in the procedures, as you do not need to wait a long time for a response from a traditional publisher. There will therefore be no embarrassment of having your manuscripts rejected nor that enormous anxiety that usually takes over authors. Considering the three paths to publication, here the facilities are concentrated in the fact that you will deliver your manuscripts, the publisher will print them, and you will be able to set the launch date. The problem is that these book publishers will keep your book and market it, often gaining huge advantages over you. There are many service-providing publishers on the market who claim that they will promote your book not only in Brazil, but even abroad. This is a lie, and you really need to be very careful not to fall into a web of deception and become deluded.
Independent publishing
In the article How to publish an independent book – seven essential tips, I gave several tips about independent publishing.
Ultimately, this is, among the three paths to publication, the one in which you can participate the most, so that the book comes out “with your style”. After all, you are going to pay for the work and you want to see a good result, and you also want to have control over the sale of your work.
Ao hire a professional who independently publishes his book, he will play the role of a service provider. Take care of the text at all stages, from the cover, ISBN request, among other steps. The difference, however, is that you will keep your books! There is also the possibility of greater interaction with this professional, a more constant dialogue with the aim of responding to their ideas and making your book more attractive to the intended readership.
Imagine, for example, that you want to include lots of colorful illustrations. Yes, it will be possible. Because this professional will work to make you satisfied. It's your story, you are the author of the book, and all of this will be respected. This professional responsible for independent publishing will also help you put your book on Amazon (the most globalized digital platform), whether the physical book or the eBook (only in Dutch at the moment). He won't promise you a world of fantasies! The reason is that he knows how the market works and the relationships between publicizing works. He will work honestly, making use of real possibilities for publicizing and selling books. For your part, it will be very positive if you have a captive readership, or a large clientele, students, relatives, among others interested in the information offered in your book.
