Traditional publishing: How to choose the right publisher for your book!
Why am I writing this? I have spent
years, don’t several mistakes, wasted so much time and energy to understand
this. I don’t want fellow writers to do the same mistake and waste the same
amount of time. I write this not because I am a best seller or an expert. I
write this as I want to share with you what I am learn as I learn.
If you are reading this article I
assume that you have your manuscript ready. What do I mean by “Ready”? It should be completed from your end, edited,
proof read and beta read. Chetan Bhagat said he wanted to make India read but
what he did not know was that his books and his success was going to make India
want to write. Today every other person I meet wants to write a book, a story
of his/her life. Every one of us is born with the skills to tell stories, just
that some of us have realized it and the rest haven’t. This means that most
publishers receive hundreds of manuscripts every day. So what do you have to do
to stand out? Giving your script error free is the primary requirement. So
edit it before you even send the proposal to publishers.
This has also given rise to
increasing number of publishing houses coming up. Publishing is a really good
business these days; have a tie up with a printing press, be active on social
media, learn to list books in amazon and flipkart and you are entitled to call
yourself a publisher. That’s good and at the same time really bad. Good because
the odds of us getting our work published is high. Sad because it also
increases the probability of us ending up with a wrong publisher. Who is a
wrong publisher? I will tell in a private chat if you really want to know.
Now, let’s come to the point, how to
choose the right publisher for your book? You have your manuscript ready so you
must be knowing the genre it falls under. Say, it’s a crime thriller.
1. Go to any ecommerce site like amazon,
flipkart.
2. Search for the top 100 best sellers
under crime thrillers.
3. Make a list of at least 20 of them.
Also note the author’s name and the publisher’s name.
4. Now search in the same ecommerce site
for each of the publisher.
5. Create another list with the
publisher’s name, number of books published and the names of the books.
· Then, check their sites. Do they have a site? Facebook page? Are they promoting their books well? Yes?! Then short list the publisher.
· From the list of authors check for people who are in your facebook list or who have a mutual friend with you. Try to get in touch with them to know how happy they are with the publishing house.
Points you need to check with the
author if he/she is willing to reveal:
1. Did the publisher publish the book
according to the plan? Was the delay too much?
2. Is the publisher compelling the
authors to edit with his editor and pay a huge sum for it?
3. Is the publisher deciding on the
cover himself and is the writer charged for it?
4. How is the promotions planned? Are
the writers compelled to conduct contests and pay expensive prizes?
5. What happens after the first edition?
Does the book go for a re print at all?
6. Are the writers compelled to
guarantee on pre orders and buy certain copies? I don’t say ‘yes’ to this is
bad. But how workable this point is should be discussed. They also need to
earn. What if the book doesn’t sell at all? J So just check on this point but if
the numbers are alarming cross the publisher from your list.
After you discuss these points
compare it with your idea of publishing, what your requirement are. If you are
satisfied short list the publisher.
But the challenge of finding the
right publisher doesn’t stop there. The vital point here is to read and understand
the contract well. Things to check in a contract before signing:
· The most important lesson is to first assume that your book has become a best seller already, now look at the contract with the eyes of a bestselling author.
· Compulsion to buy books and if the number is okay with you.
· Who holds the kindle rights? What’s the royalty given if it’s the publisher?
· Copy rights should be with the writer. (MOST IMP POINT)
· How many years is the contract valid for?
· Who holds the right for international publishing?
· Movies, radio, tv adaptation, merchandise- what’s the royalty?
· What if the book is being re published by someone else? What’s the clause about it?
· IS there a second book contract? Do they hold the first rejection rights to your next work? If so, you will have to get a No objection signed before you approach another publisher for your next work.
So these are some points I check for.
If you have anything else to add please add in the comments below. Again let me
tell you I am not an expert or a best seller. I just wanted to share what I
think I know. Hope it helps.
Check out some of the indian publishers and their submission guidelines here-> http://scribbledbygb.blogspot.com/2015/01/publishers-in-india-and-submission.html
Congratulations! Your blog post was selected for Spicy Saturday Picks edition on September 12, 2015 at BlogAdda.
ReplyDeletePlease find it here : http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/09/12/spicy-saturday-picks-september-12-2015
Thank you for this insightful post. I don't yet have my manuscript ready but these are very important points that I will make sure to keep in mind. Does it scare you sometimes that so many people want to write these days? Because this leads to a lot of good books going undiscovered?
ReplyDeleteWhy would it scare me? :) When we have competition we will try to better our work's quality. Right?
DeleteI was under the impression that when a book gets traditionally published, there are no charges on anything related to the book on the writer. The points that talk about editing charges and cover charges are indeed surprising, why would they do that? In this case, what makes them any different from vanity publishing?
ReplyDeleteTrue! Luckily my publishers haven't asked me to do anything like that.. but there are even publishers who are asking for money to print calling it traditional publishing.
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