Talking to authors is one of the many enjoyable jobs I have
as a publisher and radio host. I had a great conversation yesterday with a
self-published author. He was asking about the path to becoming traditionally
published and the reasons someone might want to do that.
Unless you are really new to the world of publishing, you
know the game has changed. Becoming a traditionally published author with one
of the “Big Five” publishers, the major trade book publishers in the United
States, is not what most new authors are attempting. And if they are, they are
approaching it a little differently. Some are still making the attempt through
literary agents, some try self-publishing and once they have achieved some
success, may be picked up by a publisher and others, like one of my recent
guests on Book HoundTM,
Jacci Turner, are working with an imprint of one of the Big Five, Harper Legend,
an imprint of Harper Collins to try to break in that way. And others work with
indie publishers, like LeRue Press, to forge a path, develop their following
and reach their audiences with some support from a publisher. Some authors are
very happy staying self-published and determining their own destiny and finding
their path with their own following. Truly, there is no one answer to
publishing today.
Back to my conversation…the author asked some excellent questions.
He said,
“I am already self-published. What is the advantage to being with a traditional
publisher?
Will you
provide support?
If so,
what kind?
Who pays
for what?
If I go
on tour, will you pay for it?
Can I
still go contact radio and TV stations and book interviews?
All good questions and I answered each of them from the
perspective of our publishing company. Each company has its own perspective and
platform. Before most of these questions can be answered specifically, the
author will have to present their work and then begin the task of “selling
themselves” to the publisher.
From a generic standpoint, I will answer the questions posed.
What is the advantage
to being with a traditional publisher?
One advantage a publisher brings is entry to bookstores who will
not allow self-published authors to do a book signing or have their book in the
store. I realize that may seem unfair to authors that are self-published, but
it may be as simple as limited space or time slots and the bookstore owner had
to define some rules. It also might be they have found too many self-published
authors that were not engaged in it as a business and thought the store would
bring them an audience. That is not really how it works. Authors need to be
marketers also and shelf space is costly. If you are not selling, it is not
worth it to the bookseller. If you are with one of the Big Five publishers, you will have the opportunity for major distribution; but it does not preclude that you still need to market; possibly even more so.
Will you provide
support? If so, what kind?
We do offer support at LeRue Press. It depends on the book
presented and the budget we define for it. Often, the support comes in the form
of social media, our radio shows and press releases. It might be phone calls to
contacts we know.
If I go on tour, will
you pay for it?
As far as paying for things, it again reverts to what the
budget is. Authors that are traditionally published whether through a large
publisher or an independent need to plan to pay for much of what they need. If
you go on tour, you’ll be paying for much of it, though that does depend on the
author and the publisher and the deal you strike with them.
Can I still go contact
radio and TV stations and book interviews?
We encourage contacting radio and TV stations for interviews
in a professional manner, of course, and armed with the tools of your media kit
and a coordinated effort with your publisher and media team (if you have one).
Feel free to comment and share your experiences too.
Enjoy the journey and we wish you success!
-Janice Hermsen
