No, you should take the route you prefer after being informed of the pros and cons of each. There isn't a wrong choice.
If you think you have a good story well written...YES. Some writers of best selling books have had 400 rejects. Some have rewrote their stories over, and over, and taken 10 years before getting published. The question you should ask yourself, "Do I have a great book, and can I stand the pressure of staying the course?" That is the difference between a great writer, and a butcher, baker, and candle stick maker.
That's my view, yep. But I mainly posted because I could imagine you, later, saying, "Why'd didn't anybody tell me?!" Whatever you do, you should be fully informed.
"Lottery" was a metaphor for the difficulty getting a publisher to notice you. And writing a good book is no guarantee a publisher will notice. In addition, there is the issue of a publisher looking for commercial success potential first, and good writing second. If the reviewer thinks a book is great but it's a commercial gamble, it won't get published by that publisher. Look at the crap that's on TV, especially the news. They are marketing to the lowest common denominator. Excellent programing has gone by the wayside not because there isn't an audience, but because the market volume and production costs means some outright crap is more profitable. And I'm not saying your books are crap. I've already said they weren't, so please don't take that the wrong way. Just like all good books don't get published, some good books are also excellent sellers. It's just that if a publisher doesn't pick up my book, I'm not going to suddenly believe the book really isn't any good.
Well, that too. Some successful authors have said publicly, they didn't get a good enough deal from the publisher so they've gone off on their own.
When is a book done? With the last word? After one rewrite? After 250 rejects? When everybody who has read it says, “Give it up? A book is done when and agent says, “We have two offers.” Yes you can write a great book. There is not one person, agent, or publisher who is not praying every morning on their way to the office…”Oh dear God, I need that one great book.” Agents want to feel your query vibrates with, “I am the guy who will not stop…I will write this story to the end, and never give up.” You may have read the book “Memoirs of a Geisha” published in 1999 authored by Arthur Golden…the book also became a movie. When was Golden’s book done? It took 10 years, and many rewrites, hundreds of rejects, and the heart of a lion who would just not quit. The writing life is not an easy road. Yes, not all will reach their goal of being called author…it is a term that must be earned. Some say if you self-publish, you are an author. You could say that…but in the back of your mind, do you really believe it? Suppose you went to Hollywood to become a movie star. After five years you find yourself still walking on Hollywood Blvd…you have not even got a one second non-speaking part in a B movie. You can either go home, keep trying, or buy a twenty dollar movie camera, have a friend shoot a two minute movie of you kissing a frog, and call yourself a movie star. I have been a non-published writer since 1996. I have never submitted any of the five books I have written…I do not think any are yet ready. I still post sections on writer’s forums, and ask for comments. Why do I not self-publish? I want to know if my writing is good enough to sit at the table of published authors. I don’t just want the title, AUTHOR, I want to have made the mark… the standard set by the publishing Industry. Unlike the kid walking up, and down Hollywood Blvd hoping a producer will see him/her, and say, “Hay kid, I want to make you a star.” No, I don’t sit and wait. I spend most of my time learning how to write, and learning how to write, and learning again, and again…I also keep up with the news of the Publishing Industry, and how it operates. I keep track of agents who sell the type books I write…I keep a file on them. When they give an interview, I underline key points, and it goes in their file. When I do submit to an agent, I want to give myself the best shot in the ten seconds she will spend reading my query letter. I feel writing must be treated as the Publishing Industry treats it…like a business. If I don’t make it, if I never earn the title author, I will not be disappointed with myself…I will have done the best I could do. Gone with the Wind....Google: How many rejects.
How are you going to reach this goal if you haven't submitted to any publishers? I hear frequently about JK Rowling's 7 rejections. But then I heard someone say, maybe she wrote better query letters with practice, or matched her queries to the right publisher finally? Best Sellers Initially Rejected More Famous Rejections And in the comments, this gave me a chuckle: Two points, one, maybe you should submit with the idea of learning from the response. And, two, publishers are looking for certain things, just being a good book may not be enough.
To be honest I went with electronic self publishing because I found the whole traditional publishing route to be a little confusing, whereas self publishing seemed to be simpler. If I feel my chosen route isn't reaching my intended audience, I could back out of it and try looking for an agent. My apologies if I've started a polarizing argument.
And for the reasons I outlined, I think it's a poor metaphor. That's right. I don't think I've said much (anything?) about a book being "good" or "bad". I think those terms are so subjective as to be essentially meaningless. But if we're talking about what will SELL, there's a very clear measuring process. Obviously the ability to predict what will sell is less concrete, but if it comes down to it, I think people who've spent their professional lives in publishing and have an impartial distance from any given MS are more likely to make accurate predictions than the author of that MS. They might still be wrong, sure. But I think they're more likely to be right than a random inexperienced author. I'm not saying your book isn't any good, any more than you're saying my books are crap. We aren't talking about each others' books, here. We're discussing different publishing methods. That's all.
Once you self-publish a book, agents, and publishers won't even read it unless you have sold 20-30K within just a few months. 99.99% of the time your book will be dead. If you can make $500 from a self-published book in a year or two...you are in the top ten% of new writers. Take 6 months, or even a year learning the Publishing Industry. When you write a book you want to sell, you must learn how the business works. Yes self-publishing is easer, but a new writer can never make what a writer makes from Standard Publishing. Standard Publishers are now offering books of well known writers on the net. Can your book, or name compete with that? Is a year, or more writing a book worth $500,(maybe) or $60,000 advance from a Standard-Publisher? I have friends who complain many buyers of their 99 cent book want her money back. People are funny. When thy find out the can read your book, and get their money back, word spreads fast. Some fiends have pulled their books off, and said hell with it, and they are left with a good book an agent will not read. I see getting published as a long hard road. I will know when my writing is good enough. Yes I will get rejects. Yes an agent will want me to make changes. I am in to play the game to win. I also know the game has to be played their way, or no way. I have had Standard-Published writers tell me, "it does not matter how many books I sell, I still have to go through the same routine a new writer with their first book.
This is factually false, at least as an absolute statement, as I had an agent who has placed a lot of books with traditional publishers interested in reading my self-published book and my sales for that book were not anywhere close to number. More like around 1500 sales over the course of a year on that one. Very low number.
But if you self-publish and it doesn't sell well, is that something a publisher would have taken on in the first place? The issue for me and the publisher lottery is, the reasons publishers pick up a book are not the only things a book can be judged by. From the link: There are a lot of interesting points in that link. In the past it was easier for a debut author to get published. Print on demand and eBooks mean no one need invest, and therefore risk thousands of dollars in you.
That is something to be proud of. And, if 1500 people read a book that turns out to be a good book, that might put it into the runway where it can take off from. People tell other people about the books they loved.
Might be. Getting visibility is hard with self-published authors. It is even hard with traditionally-published authors, where you may have very talented people languishing on the mid-lists and just not being able to break out. If you self-publish and sell a million books, that tells people there is an audience for your work. If you self-publish and don't sell many, it doesn't necessarily mean the work is bad or there isn't an audience for it. It could be that, but there are a lot of other factors at work as well. Traditional publishing offers professional services, marketing and distribution channels (though don't expect much of the former), and other benefits. For many writers, I think it is as much the stamp of approval or legitimacy that is being sought, but there are definite advantages. Self-publishing offers control and, if you do happen to sell well, a better per-sale revenue stream than traditional publishing. More and more I see authors taking a hybrid approach, which offers the best of both I suppose.
Thanks @GingerCoffee. I got some nice emails about it and was pretty happy with the response from people who read it. Ideally, I should continue with additional books, making it a series. Seems like having that 3rd or 4th one out there is a very important factor. I'm not sure whether I can do a related book, though. I have the idea, but it's not what I typically write.
I don't even have to ask this: Your book was sold to a small standard-publisher. They may have done a run of 5-to 7k, and no advance. Now that small publisher owns the rights you sold them. They can stick your baby in a file, and that will be the end of it...or they can sell it to a second small publisher, and you get nothing from what they sell it for. There are four major publishers in the USA...these are the only publishers to will do a 70,000 run on the first go. If they break even, you are safe. If they lose money, you will be a dead duck in New York City. You can take that to the bank. Check out Whisky Sour...$600,000 advance...the book was a flop. Editor looking for a new job, agent is dead with the house, and the writer? As they say in New York City..."Who gives a damn."
@domenic.p No. It wasn't sold to anyone, since I elected not to send it to an agent. The agent in question placed works with some of the major publishers, as well as with smaller ones. Since you're having to invent details, I can only assume you're more interested in "being right" than being accurate.
So to prove yourself right, tell us the name of the book you published, and the ISBN. Let us check it out.
I don't think so. If you're inclined to make up numbers in your posts, then it doesn't surprise me you also assume people are lying to you. I am not inclined to prove anything to you. Some people will accept people's word absent evidence to the contrary, and some won't. The latter aren't worth wasting time on, in my experience. The book I'm working on now will likely be published under a pseudonym, and I don't mind sharing that one when I finally get around to forcing myself to stop editing it.
You said you had a book published, I never said you were lying. Even if you were using a pseudonym, I cold find your true name with the ISBN...that would tell me who published it, and everything. I saw the one thing (1600 words) you posted) so I know the degree of your ability. Why would you not want to tell me the ISBN of the book you said you published with a standard publisher?
Your request was an unpleasant demand, @domenic.p, I wouldn't do what you demanded either. I'm not sure what you are annoyed about in this thread. Are you angry some of us see self-publishing as a viable option if traditional publishing is not available or the contract terms are not to our liking? I've backed up what I think with supporting links. I've not seen anything yet that supported the claim no good books are self-published. From my POV, publishing is going through a significant change. With ePub being the up and coming thing, traditional publishers need to change their business model. Investing in publication costs will soon be a thing in the past. Competition is growing with dozens of smaller publishers popping up.
