In April 2021 and April 2022, I published my books. With it being my book birthdays, I was thinking about what things would be like if I’d made a different choice.
In hindsight, I’m so glad I went my own way (you can go your own way 🎶). ADHDers are notorious for being rebellious and not liking authority; this holds for me. Being my own boss fits me well.
This is an insight into an experience I had, on the path to Self Publishing. A version of this originally appeared on my author website.
You’ve sent your book out all over the place, including independent publishers and small presses.
For the sake of this article I’m not talking about smaller factions of one of the bigger publishers, I’m talking about presses which are their own brand.
I wanted to share my experience with an indie press because they are not created equally. Its easy to get caught up in the excitement of someone getting in touch who loves your book and wants to publish it for you. I get it. I’ve been there.
Your stomach flips. Finally, someone gets it!
Hold your horses!
There are some crucial things to consider when entering into any contractual relationship. These are the things I believe need consideration within the indie press realm. There are four main areas;
The Book
The Deal
Value Added
Their Reputation
This is a list of questions. |Do not shy away from asking the publisher interested in your work. Assume nothing!
Let’s start with the book. Your book, the one you’ve worked on for years.
Things you need to know are;
How much editing does it need?
Who is doing the editing?
What changes do they want to make?
The cover, title and design? Again who is doing it and who has the final say?
When would they like to publish?
Then there’s the book deal.
Things to think about;
Is there any cost to you, the writer?
How long is the contract?
How many books is it for?
How and when will you be paid?
Is there an advance?
What distribution set-up do they use? (As in where will it be available.)
What rights are they buying?
What is the royalty split?
How do they plan to market the book?
Value.
This is crucial and the answer is different for everyone. Using myself as an example, I’d had around a decade of writing and promoting myself online. I wasn’t starting from zero, I had an audience (maybe not all interested in horror- but still!) I was tech-savvy and knew how to use social media.
What value are they adding? Edits? A book cover? A tour? A PR team or person etc
What are they offering that you can’t do yourself? (Imagine you were self-publishing)
Their reputation and accountability.
Do your due diligence here, this is a big deal. This is your book!
Who are they?
Can you find the names of the people behind the publishing house?
What is their track record like?
Can you talk to other authors that have been published by them?
These are broad brushstrokes of the things you should be thinking about before signing your book away to an indie press.
I would also take the time to check out Writer Beware as part of your due diligence.
I’d love to know if you’ve had any sliding door moments like this one. A fork in the road where you look back and think gladly that you took the route you did… Or not?
This is a very important issue, Susan. There are lots of headlines at the moment about Indie Presses having books in high-profile competitions and that's great. When I was deciding what to do about publishing my novel I looked into a lot of independent presses and submitted to a few with no luck but occasionally some useful advice in return. Some won't accept submissions unless you order one of their books and twice I did this and was so unimpressed with the quality of the editing and general presentation that I decided against submitting at all. So yes, do research the press really thoroughly to check that you can't do a better job yourself. Looking forward to your next book!