I found this Infographic on The Write Life and just had to share!
Before that, though, a quick note to urge you to visit Chris McMullen’s excellent blog and take part in his Reader Survey. Chris is conducting a fascinating survey in people’s reading habits, and will publish the findings on his blog — in fact, you can already read the preliminary results. As his findings will be of interest to us all, please take the survey and help spread the word!
And now for the delightful Infographic by Henry Herz (content) and Andrew Kirschner (design).
Or you can always publish your story on your blog, as a thank-you gift to your visitors, like I’ve done with Runaway Smile!
Nicholas, great info. I need to know this someday…Thanks, Christine
It’s not meant to be taken too literally, but I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
That is a cool graphic (maze!). 🙂 & thank you very much for recruiting help for my survey.
It was a pleasure – and likewise 🙂
I envy people who have the choice.
That’s the best response, I guess! 😀
Are there many people who have faced the choice? People who had book deals from traditional publishers in hand and went the self publishing route? Hugh Howey and his rare hybrid traditional/self route is the only example that comes to mind.
Not many, no. Although I, too, did pursue a better deal for Runaway Smile, despite having a publisher interested in it: https://nicholasrossis.me/2015/01/26/an-alternative-model-of-traditional-publishing-the-story-behind-runaway-smile/
Rather odd first question. Mostly because it makes me think the motivation is money-oriented. Maybe I’m just being picky though. I’d put the work ethic first to be honest.
That’s in interesting point. Depends on your motivation, then.
Motivation . . . Need some of that today. Just a lump. :/
It’s a Sunday. Chill. 🙂
Odd that I read this just before I hear the ice cream man turn up for the first time this year.
It’s the universe trying to tell you something (probably that you need to buy ice cream) 😀
I did just that. Small sundae cups. 🙂
That’s okay. As long as there’s plenty of them 😉
Only 3 since I was a day late to the sale. 🙁
Lol – I’m sorry to hear that 😀
I figure it’s for the best. Put on a bunch of winter weight.
Haven’t we all 😀
I’d like to read that guest post! You could add: publishers also send your book to well-known authors to get blurbs for the cover, something that’s rare with self-published books unless the authors know each other. Then, the readers that big name has will try your book just because they put their name on it. That’s a huge advantage, IMHO. I already know some big names, but I certainly wouldn’t mind knowing more. 🙂
Wouldn’t we all… sigh… 😀
Can’t say I completely agree with that infographic. All the points leading to the “You’re not ready…” box are completely true, and should be noted by everyone. But “bragging rights” being the only reason to traditionally publish? Really? That seems rather…simplified, to say the least.
Lol – fair enough. I see the graphic as somewhat tongue-in-cheek, of course. Seriously, though, traditional publishing doesn’t really bring all that much to the table anymore. I have done both, remember, and my experience is that I still need to do all the marketing, writing and promotion, whether I self-publish or trad-publish.
The main difference I’ve found is that the quality of the printed work is better through trad-publishing, and your work is distributed to stores. However, it’s still up to you to make the sale, and you only have a narrow window of opportunity to do so before the next batch of books replace yours.
It’s a cool graphic, but it suggests the only reason someone would go traditional is the bragging rights… not so in my case, but overall a fun little activity. 🙂
Lol – fair enough. As I was just saying, I see the graphic as somewhat tongue-in-cheek, of course. Seriously, though, traditional publishing doesn’t really bring all that much to the table anymore – at least in my experience. I still need to do all the marketing, writing and promotion, whether I self-publish or trad-publish.
The main difference I’ve found is that the quality of the printed work is better through trad-publishing, and your work is distributed to stores. However, it’s still up to you to make the sale, and you only have a narrow window of opportunity to do so before the next batch of books replace yours.
I’d love to hear more on your experience! Even a guest post, if you feel like writing one 🙂
I don’t know what your experience is with traditional publishing, and I haven’t been traditionally published (not even in the querying stage yet), however I can think of a few things that give you an advantage as a traditionally (trade) published author over self-publishing, though both are of course valid.
I help a group of writers on Facebook publish anthologies, with marketing, design, editing, etc. It is an extremely time-consuming process, which not many self-publishers actually have the tools (Adobe suite, for example, to produce trade-level work), time (full-time jobs plus the learning curve of self-publishing effectively), or organization (the train of marketing can never stop once it starts) to be successful doing it “all on their own”.
Of course we’d hope that every self-publisher knows their strengths and weaknesses and would seek out help (covers, editing, formatting, marketing) when they need it, but there are a fair number out there who don’t. As I’ve told friends before, that’s okay, as long as you are willing to take the map once you’re given it and get yourself to that destination. (ie, if you know you’re weak at proofreading, hire, or make a real attempt to learn it).
All of that stuff (the learning curve) takes away from time spent writing.
But okay, as a trad. published author, you still have to market and promote all by yourself. This isn’t entirely true. Yes, you have to get yourself out there, but as someone with a brand that is “verifying” them, so many more doors open that are either a) simply not available to the average self-publisher, or b) too expensive for the average self-publisher.
Just as an example, trad. publishers have the ability to send ARCs to trusted readers straight through the “pro” channels and into the hands of readers. When I was scrounging the web for book bloggers, compiling a list of contacts by hand (something the marketing department at a trade publisher would already have for each genre), I can’t tell you how many blogs I came across that said “Sorry, no self-published works.” I know why. But it was still disheartening. And then the highest profile book bloggers? They get their books through NetGalley, or other such services. Those programs are generally financially out of reach for self-published authors. (And when you have access to those services, reviewers come to YOU, not the other way around.)
Another thing that becoming a trade published author gives you is a “name”. Invitations to teach workshops, go to cons, etc, are all extra income that help trad. published authors beef up a salary that is obviously not always high enough to make “end’s meet”. Awards, also, and prizes are generally only open to traditionally published authors.
Those are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head…. not trying to lecture (worried the tone came off that way!) but I think both publishing paths still have a lot to offer any author, no matter which they attempt their success with.
Those are some excellent points, thank you for sharing all that! I really wish you’d compile the comment into a guest post. Perhaps something like, “what trad-pub can offer authors”? Or, if you prefer, I can make a post out of our dialogue here 🙂
Incidentally, I’ve made some of these points myself in my recent post, https://nicholasrossis.me/2015/03/13/the-ups-and-downs-of-indie-life/
If you really feel that I’m a good fit for blogging about something like that, I wouldn’t mind, haha. I’d definitely need a little more lead time to research though. 🙂 Of course, sharing a dialogue also works; whatever is easiest for you!
Thank you for the opportunity. 🙂
A pleasure! Thank you for what I’m sure will be an exciting post 🙂
I’ll put it in my to-do right now. 🙂
Super, thanks! 🙂
Just email me through the contact page if you need anything from me 🙂