Since Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing debuted in 2007, independent authors have come to comprise the largest growing sector of publishing. As the self-publishing industry evolves, new authors enter the market with an often naive understanding of what self-publishing means.
First, let’s go over the three basic types of publishing.
- Traditional publishing. This is the model that comes to everyone’s mind when publishing is mentioned. Even after so many years after KDP launched, traditional publishing retains the clout and prestige authors pursue. In this model, publishers decide what manuscripts are accepted and published and they pay their authors a portion (7%-15%) of the royalties received from book sales.
- Hybrid publishing. Also called subsidy publishing or vanity publishing, most of the companies in this category are predatory and earn their money from exploiting naive authors who fail to do their due diligence. There are some reputable hybrid publishers out there, but they’re few and far between. Do your research. Caveat emptor.
- Self-publishing. In this model, the author publishes his or her own book. In other words, the author is the publisher. This means the author accepts and undertakes the responsibility for everything a traditional publisher does—just on his or her own behalf.
Traditional publishers (which, by the way, don’t call themselves “traditional publishers”) employ teams of professionals to produce books of the quality readers have come to expect, demand, and deserve. These range from special “coffee table” books to mass market paperbacks. These publishers employ professionals who get paid salaries and benefits (e.g., healthcare, retirement, holidays) regardless of whether the books the company publishes make money. This financial obligation forces publishers to play a game of odds, choosing to publish only those books acquisition editors believe will generate profits. A publishing company won’t stay in business if it can’t turn a profit.
Traditional publishing companies do provide some marketing for their authors’ books, but have been shifting much of the marketing burden to those authors. They put the bulk of their marketing dollars behind those authors whose books can be counted upon to generate profits.
Hybrid publishers earn their money from fees paid by authors. Basically, hybrid presses are service providers: they provide a one-stop shop for publishing services for a hefty fee. They may offer marketing services to their clients for a fee, but they don’t make their money from book sales despite commanding oftentimes large royalty shares.
By the way, there is no such thing as a “self-publishing company.” Any company that bills itself as such is a vanity press.
In assuming the responsibility as their own publishers, self-published authors are responsible for everything related to the production of their books. This means they should know what they’re doing and should be prepared to hire professionals.
The publishing process encompasses diverse yet related and complementary skill sets: content writing (if the author hires a ghostwriter), copywriting (for the sales copy on the back cover), editing (a skill set different from writing), graphic art (for illustrations and cover art), graphic design (for page design and cover design), and proofreading (for that final polish before publication). Most people, including most authors, do not possess all those skill sets, which means it makes sense to hire professionals who can do well what a particular author either does not know how to do or cannot do well.
How do you know when it’s smart to hire a professional?
If you have a great idea for a story or an amazing concept for a nonfiction book but don’t have the skill, time, or inclination to write it yourself, then a ghostwriter may be just the solution you need. The same goes for copywriting, which is required for effective sales copy—the book description and/or the back cover copy. Determining whether you have the necessary skill demands intellectual honesty and candid self-evaluation.
It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that an author is too close to his or her story to see its flaws. That means every author needs an editor and a proofreader. Editors who are also authors understand this and hire other editors and proofreaders. Hire a pro.
If you’ve never designed a book or newsletter or other document beyond a letter before, then hire a pro. Page design involves a lot more than filling the pages with words. Page design directly affects the reader’s experience with the content. If you don’t know what the proper software is for page design or how to use it, then hire a pro who does.
Graphic design involves an eye for color and composition and the software know-how to create and combine images that appeal to the target audience, align with other books in the category or genre, and distinguish the book from the competition. If you don’t have the sophisticated combination of skill, creativity, and insight, then hire a pro.
Readers expect, demand, and deserve top quality books. As authors, we are obligated to meet those expectations.
Hen House Publishing has over 35 years of experience in writing, editing, page design, and proofreading, acquired through 25 years in corporate roles and over 10 years in freelancing. Contact us, and let’s talk about getting your book published.
