PUBLISHING PAST VS. PUBLISHING PRESENT

Thinking about publishing a book in the near future? Times have changed dramatically in the publishing world.

Here’s a crash course, from an author of 12 books of my own and counting, on what publishing today really looks like and best practices for making it work for busy professionals.

Publishing Past: The only conduit to publication was through a connected agent who worked on commission (and also had a lot of choices of authors to work with).

Publishing Present: You are the author, the agent, the publisher and often the publicist of your book.

Publishing Past: The process was arduous. If you had an agent, you would submit
a detailed table of contents, marketing plan and sample chapter (i.e a proposal). This is all done on spec (i.e free).

Publishing Present: If you want to write a book, write it or hire someone to write it for you.

Publishing Past: If you got a bite from a publisher, you would get some sort of advance (not large) to be paid at various intervals, and your agent took a 15% cut.

Publishing Present: If you go it alone, there won’t be any advance, but there also won’t be any agent to pay out or any misunderstandings regarding expectations with your publisher.

Publishing Past: Your publisher held all the strings (even the purse strings) and constantly reminded you of this and your impending deadlines.

Publishing Present: All deadlines are self-imposed, which can be good or bad depending on your diligence.

Publishing past: A book is a tangible object that you can hold, feel and display prominently on a coffee table or bookshelf, or give as a gift.

Publishing Present: electronic books are the new printed books. They are distributed as a digital file that can be read on any mobile device, from phones, to tablets, to laptops. Common formats of eBooks include .iba(Apple iBooks), .azw(Amazon Kindle), EPUB and PDF files. eBooks are usually cheap or free, and there are no shipping costs or tariffs that kick in. Once you have downloaded the files, you will have total access to read and share the contents any time you want.

Publishing Past: Your publisher was a force to be reckoned with.

Publishing Present: In 2019, many publishers are really printers who take the content and images provided by the author, print the book and bind it.

Publishing Past: The dream was to have your shiny hardcover book displayed in Barnes & Noble and other book stores, replete with words of praise lauding your prose from top authors on the back cover.

Publishing Present: Even the legendary Barnes & Noble, dubbed “the world’s biggest bookseller” with over 600 stores in 50 states is under financial strain. The goal is now online marketplaces like Amazon, but not all self-published books will be accepted. This means that you may have to promote your book too which adds considerably to the cost of the project.

Publishing Past: A glowing review in the New York Times was the ticket to literary heaven.

Publishing Present: Goodreads is Facebook for book nerds. It is here that your friends and colleagues list what they are reading, what they want to read and share their reviews and thoughts. It’s the new go-to source for word-of-mouth book recommendations.

Publishing Past: The publisher had power to make or break any new book.

Publishing Present: You have the power to make or break your new book. You retain 100% creative control.

Need help getting your book idea off the ground? We’ve got you covered. Contact Anne@wendylewisco.com