The Great Publishing Debate

Shhh! Listen. Can you hear that? That slight buzzing noise? It sounds like millions of authors all across the world debating over the values and opportunities of the different publishing markets. Voices murmuring, keyboards clicking, cell-phones ringing… and the occasional outraged cry.

Well, at least I can hear it. But you should be aware of it too. Especially if you are a writer who is looking to get your book, novella, or short story published sometime in the future.

And what is this debate about?

It's about self publishing versus traditional publishing, and it's causing some major controversy.
Lately, as I've been browsing the web and different blogs on publishing and authors, I've noticed a rise in authors who believe that self publishing has changed over the last decade into a viable, money-making scheme that authors can take advantage of to get out, sell their books, and keep doing what they love over and over again while having total control of the outcome. Plus, some of these authors are making serious money, selling thousands of books a month and reaching best selling lists on Amazon while keeping 70% of their books' income. Their numbers are absolutely daunting. Now, tell me this doesn't sound appealing, because to me, it sounds like the ultimate publishing deal of a lifetime! But it comes with limitations. Of course it does. And those limitations can be quite the doosies.


For one thing, anything "publishing" or "marketing" related calls for money, and with self publishing, that money will be coming out of your pocket. I mean, you'll probably want to hire an editor who can get your book up to par with as few typos or misspelled words as possible. And you'll need cover art, right? And that means you have to hire an artist (unless you are in the fortunate position of being a fairly good artist yourself, in which case you can do the cover art for your own book). And what about stepping out there and shoving your book in the public's eye… trying to make people notice you? That can take money too. After all, you'll probably want a few adds in the paper and local magazines, and you'll probably want to send out a few review copies of the book – which in physical form can cost up to $15 a copy depending on your prices and which POD company you go through (typically, Lulu is said to have slightly higher price ranges when compared to Createspace). Then, if you feel that you can't be your own publicist, you'll probably need to hire one, which of course costs more money; you can't expect them to work for free unless you are really, really close friends with them or related to them somehow.

Because publishing is a business, all of these pros and cons must be taken into account. And if you become the publisher by self publishing your own book, then you are the one who is going to have to consider them. Otherwise your book will never get known.

With traditional publishing you will have to consider a marketing strategy as well… although the price for publication won't necessarily be coming out of your pocket and you probably won't be working on marketing your book alone. The publisher who decides to print you will, of course, want the books to sell well so that he can get paid and make money from the efforts he put forward to publish your book. You will also want to be in on this marketing strategy so that you, too, can get paid. Because of the publishers want and need for success, he/she/they will work towards pushing your book into the public's eye, even if your own selling and marketing strategies fail. And if the publisher succeeds in this, you are likely to gain a following, and your following is likely to grow. Plus you'll have a traditional publisher's name on your book, which can be important when trying to sell your books through the major retailers. By self publishing, all of this will have to be done by you, and if you fail then it is unlikely your book will get known or that your following will be very large. (So if you decide to self publish, it is a very good idea to make sure you don't fail. :D)

However, Publishing companies are known for giving authors somewhere around 10% of their books' income – maybe a little more for e-books – which is not a whole lot at all, and when compared with the whopping 70% total income likely to be made by succeeding in self publishing (even after paying off your publicist, editor, and artist), that meager 10% looks really frail. Also, with traditional publishing there is a whole process to go through, usually involving queries and agents, and rejections, and more querying, and editors, and more rejections, and then a waiting list before your book is actually looked at and accepted by a publisher, in which case it usually goes on to another waiting list and doesn't come out in print anywhere from one to two years later, (at least that's how it is if you are going for one of the Big Six companies). By self publishing, you don't have to wait forever to see your book in print; your book can get out there right away… but you'll have to work on marketing it practically by yourself.

And then you have E-publishing… which can be done by yourself or through an e-publishing company, and in which the market has been seriously growing since the release of e-readers like the Kindle and the Nook. I personally do not think e-books will ever take over the paper book market, and my outlook is that this e-reader fad is just that… a fad that's popularity will eventually pass, even if the e-reader market never completely dissipates… sort of like beanie babies. However, one cannot deny the fact that within the last few years, e-books have become a major competitor in the publishing market. An author can self-publish an e-book without so much hassle as with POD, and still have the book available through POD companies should readers want a physical copy. And you would still get your 70% income from e-books as well as whatever physical versions sold… if you decide to publish your e-book by yourself, that is.

However, you would still need a marketing strategy, still need cover art for marketing's sake, and still probably need at least an editor, if you don't think you also need a publicist. And to me, while offering e-books feels like a good idea alongside physical versions, I am not one who personally enjoys reading from a computer screen as much as I enjoy flipping a page, and I know many people who feel the same way.


It's hard to decide which version of publishing is better, really. I guess it all depends on what type of person you are. For me, it feels like there is a sense of accomplishment and acceptance behind being traditionally published, even if it seems to take forever to get there. However, I wouldn't mind trying out the self publishing business, if only as a personal experiment to see if I'm cut out for the job. I also know that many publishing companies are turning down books that could be amazing best sellers, and are definitely worth their weight in paper and ink. Some of these turned-down authors have decided to self publish as a means to get their work out there despite the publishing world's view on their manuscript and whether it will sell or not; some of these authors are among the ones I mentioned earlier, who are selling thousands of books a month and making Amazon best seller lists. However, I also believe there is a thing to be said about genre and what will sell through self-publishing, and what needs a traditional name behind it in order to make it anywhere in the market. It seems like the market is absolutely saturated with paranormal romance lately, and so many new "para-romas" are being turned down. If an author has a para-roma they think will sell, self publishing would not be such a bad idea since many people in the world have learned to enjoy this type of read because of the great "Twilight" hit. As for thriller, mystery, and erotica, it seems to me that there will always be a place for self published and e-published books in these genres, since the few people I know who enjoy such things are constantly collecting such books whenever they can find them, and e-books through Amazon is a quick and cheap way to get new reads without having to leave your home.


But what about Christian Fantasy and science fiction? You know… Christian spec-fic. It is my belief that in this particular genre, the market leans more towards physical and traditionally published books. However, there are authors out there who seem to be doing well by self publishing and marketing their books by themselves, and these authors aren't afraid to tell us so. And why should they be? Why should an author be afraid to say that they self published their book, or created an indie company through which their books are published? This concept is hard for me to understand: I mean, they worked hard, their book is written, edited and published – and it's selling. And this market certainly isn't saturated yet.


My views on the Great Publishing Debate are quite mixed (as you've probably noticed). So I've decided to conduct some interviews with other people in the publishing business to see their outlook on the matters. My first guest will be Rachel Starr Thompson, author and publisher of her book series "World's Unseen". You can visit her website here: http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/ Rachel is also a freelance editor and a dancer. :D

Hopefully the interview will be up sometime around the end of the week. Untill then, however, what are your views on the publishing market? Where do you think we'll go from here, and which do you consider a better choice: self publishing or traditional publishing. Why?

Feel free to debate these issues in the comments. I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody thinks on the matter.


:D



Nichole

Character Interview: How does Tibain really picture me?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to interview one of your characters?  Well, over the weekend I tried it.  I gotta say, it really wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be.  My character, Tibain, got to step out of the story and be boisterous, and I don't know if I was ready for it.  Actually, he kept trying to give things away from the story, and since he wouldn't cooperate, the only way I could get him to shut it was to send him back.

But I decided to post the conversation here.  If anything else, it was entertaining, and a bit enlightening.  I have so much fun torturing him, but I've learned now that I must be more careful.  Now that he knows who I am, he might want to come after me at some point in time.  Eeek!  What a scary thought!

***

*Tibain walks in*

“Hey Tibain.  How’s it going?”

“Going?  Ok, I guess.  At least I’m still living, right?  Is my sister alright?”

“For now she is… I can’t very well have anything happen to her yet, now can I?  Considering the story is about both of you.”

“Well I guess not.  Where are we anyway?”

“Right now we’re in a blank room in my mind and I’m trying to think of what should happen next.  I believe we are at chapter 9, correct?  And you’re having trouble with the Gronjhiem.”

“Oh, so that’s what those things are.” *scowls*  “You do seem to like putting us in situations where we almost get killed, don’t you?”

“Hey, I’m the author; I can do whatever I want.  But you’ll be fine, so don’t worry too much about it.  What I want to know now is what you’re thinking as you’re trying to fight this beast off.”

“Thinking?  I’m thinking I’m going to die!  I’m thinking it’s just waiting to rip my throat out.  And now I’m really confused because I’ve started to hear voices in my head, and I don’t know why, or where they’re coming from, or even if I’m still sane or have lost my sanity completely.  I’m thinking that Dakore is never gonna get here in time and that I might as well put my weapons down ‘cause they aren’t going to do any good in the long run, and right now I’m thinking that I wish I had them with me so I could do something to you and make you pay for all you’re doing to me!”

“Woa!  Calm down there!  I’m not going to kill you off or anything; I’m not that heartless.  Why don’t we just forget this subject, ok?  And you can tell me more about your life and such.  Tell me about your child-hood with Dakore; he seems like an interesting type for a guardian.”

“He really is.”  *calming down somewhat*.  “I don’t remember much of my parents before hand; in fact, I can’t remember my father at all and my mother disappeared when I was four.  Dakore showed up soon after.  It was really strange too… It was as if he knew exactly where we were and who we were, and all about us before we’d even met him.”

“Yes, well… Dakore does have some secrets, but since I know you don’t know what all they are yet, let’s just get back to what he was like as a mentor.  Was he…. Fatherly?

“I don’t know how a biological father should act because I don’t remember having one…”

“Oh right.”  *sheepish*

“But Dakore was everything a kid could have wished for growing up… he knows so many things and has so many different talents.  Like, did you know that he’s just as good as a blacksmith as he is at farming, or even at carving?  After mother was gone, he taught me how to use some of the tools around the place and we fixed each room with its own door, and each of the windows is covered with hide scraped so thin that you can see through it.”

“Sounds quaint.”

“It is, and lovely.  I really loved our old home.”

“Yes, well… I’m sorry for your loss.  What about stories, though?”

“Dakore is the best story-teller.”

“Do you have a preference of his tales?”

“Yes, actually.  My favorites are the ones he tells about the constellations.  It seems there are hundreds and hundreds of legends about the stars, and he knows every one.  Did you know that the Dragon King has never harmed a living soul because the twin warriors figured out how to quench his fire breath?  They used his own fire to do it, too, and as long as one of them keeps hold of the Dragon king’s tale, he’ll never be able to breathe another tongue of flame.  But he still has sharp claws and teeth, and he uses them to fight off the other twin, who guards the book of Adamant.”

“No actually, I don’t remember all that, but it’s good to know.  Thank you; I’d better write it down while it’s still fresh in my mind.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But now I wonder, was there anything about Dakore that you found unsettling?”

“Unsettling?  Do you mean like how he seems to know so much about things that have nothing to do with farming, how he talks to himself in a different language, or how he goes out at night and sings to the sky?  Or perhaps you mean his short temper?”

“Yes, well…” *clears throat*  “He is a very complicated character…” *fidgets nervously in her seat.  Clears throat again.*  “Perhaps we can move on.  Shall we talk about your sister?”

“Why?”

“Because she’s your sister and I’m talking to you, so I can’t very well ask her if she’s not here, now can I?”

“If you’re the author and this is just a blank room in your mind, then you can do anything you want to do, couldn’t you?  Including bring my sister here.”

“But I’m not going to, because I’m asking you.  So, what is Arien like?”

“Like a sister.”

“No, no, no!  Give me some details about her personality.  Is she finicky, common, easily angered… what?”

“Well…” *leans back in his seat and crosses his legs* “We get along alright, but she does start fussing over the smallest thing.  Like the other day, for instance.  She was so put out that I went to talk to Dakore and she had to stay behind.  When I came back, I hardly had to say anything and she was all over my case.  If there’s one thing I know about Arien, it’s not to get her too mad.”  *leans forward*  “I’d never tell her this, but if she got mad enough, she could probably kick my butt in a fight.”

“Yes… well, butt kicking aside, what else can you tell us about her?”

“Us?” *looks around* “isn’t there only you?”

*straightens* “for now, yes.  But please continue.”

“She’s a good fighter, but too much of a girl.”

“She is a girl.”

“Exactly.  And from what I’ve noticed of the other farm girls, she’s too much like them.  We used to love to wrestle in the living room, or race each other through the cornfields, but as we’ve gotten older…” *shakes head* “well, she just doesn’t want to do those things anymore.  And now we’re running away through a desert with…”

“Enough!  You’re going to give everything away if you keep on so liberally like this.”

“Hey, you’re the one who’s asking questions.  I’m just answering them.  It isn’t my fault if a few things come out with it.”  *crosses arms*

“Fine then.  If you want to be so stubborn, I’ll just send you back.”

*jumps up*  “What, to that place?  With that… that thing trying to kill me?!”

“Exactly.  You don’t want to cooperate so…”

*the room starts to fade away.*

“No, wait!”

*The room comes back into focus.*

*I look up*  “Yes, what is it?”

“Just tell me quick before you send me back…”

“Tell you what?”

*shuffles feet*  “Am I going to win this fight”

*evil grin*  “Well, I can’t very well tell you that outright, now can I, or else I’ll give everything away.  What I will say is that IF you do come out of this one alive, you’ll be a little worse for wear.  Now get!”

*Room fades completely, and Tibain is gone*

***

On another note, this is finals week, and after that comes Christmas Vacation.  Since I don't have a good internet connection at home, there's a very good chance that I won't be on the internet much until January when school starts up again.  So, just in case I don't get the chance later, I'll say my good byes now and wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

But you'll probably still see me on every once in a while before January.  I must say, I've become addicted to blogging... almost as much as checking my email... which is REALLY BAD.

Until later! :D  Hugs for everyone! *throws out hugs*

Signed with an Ink-Stained flourish,

Nichole