Self-Publishing Pathways

By Louise Merrington @lmmerrington

Once upon a time, there was a well-paved route from manuscript to published book – you finished your magnum opus, got an agent and then a publisher. If you were lucky, it would be a matter of months but, for many aspiring authors, the time between writing and publication was easily measured in years.

Then, in late 2007, Amazon released the Kindle and upended the publishing landscape. A decade later, there are now more publishing options for emerging and aspiring authors than ever before. While a traditional publishing contract is still one of them, an increasing number of authors – including those who have previously had traditional contracts – are electing to self-publish or ‘go indie’, using ebook and print-on-demand technology to reach local and international markets.

I’m one of them. After my first novel, Greythorne, was published by an imprint of a major global publisher, I quickly realised that the reality of the publishing industry failed to live up to my expectations of it. When the publisher closed the imprint unexpectedly – leaving me and other authors high and dry – I decided to venture out on my own rather than trying for another traditional contract. The learning curve in the subsequent two years has been very steep, and I’m still on it, but I have no regrets about my decision.

Although self-publishing still has a degree of stigma attached to it, one of the most interesting things I’ve found has been that the ‘mid-list’, which has all but disappeared from traditional publishing, has migrated over to the independents. Indie authors are now some of the only ones who can make decent incomes without having to produce a blockbuster bestseller. Consequently, more and more established authors are starting to take notice.

As self-publishing slowly becomes more accepted among the literary mainstream, it’s also exciting to see writers’ festivals opening up space for these discussions. At this year’s Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne (19-29 June) I’m partnering with Debbie Lee, the Manager Content Acquisition at Ingram Content Group – one of the world’s biggest book distributors and print-on-demand publishers – to discuss publishing options for emerging writers. We’re going to look at the differences between traditional, vanity/predatory, and self-publishing, and how to choose a path that’s right for you and your book. We’ll also be discussing practical strategies for getting your book out into the wide world, including distribution into libraries, schools and bookshops. The choices now available to authors mean there’s never been a better time to dip your toe in the publishing waters.


Self-Publishing Pathways, presented by Debbie Lee and Louise Merrington, is on as part of the 2018 Emerging Writers Festival.

When: Sunday 24 June from 12-12.45pm

Where: State Library of Victoria Conference Centre, 179 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Australia

More information and tickets: http://www.emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/self-publishing-pathways/

Louise Merrington is the author of Victorian Gothic mysteries Greythorne and The Iron Line (under the pen name L.M. Merrington). You can find her online at www.lmmerrington.com or facebook.com/lmmerrington.

Two Ways to Publish (and One Way Not to Publish)

By Iola Goulton

Last week I looked at the main options for self-publishing paper books and ebooks. But what do you do if that all sounds too complicated?

There are basically two ways to publish:

1. You can hire people to help you publish your book.
2. Or you can pursue a publishing contract.

What you shouldn't do is sign a contract with a "self-publisher".

1. Hire Help

Savvy self publishing authors do hire people to help, especially editors and cover designers. None of us—not even editors—can edit our own work. Most of us shouldn't attempt designing our own covers unless we have serious graphic design expertise.

There are several other services self published authors often hire external experts for:

• Formatting.
• Writing the book description.
• Website design and maintenance (if you don't have a website, you need to join my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform.)
• Uploading files to online retailers.

Publish Like a Boss! has some great advice on being a professional indie publisher. Click here to read my review.

Note that there is one thing no reputable author or publisher ever pays for, and that is book reviews. But that's a big topic, so I'll save it for another post.

2. Go Traditional

I've covered this in previous posts here at ACW:

• Paths to Publishing: Trade Publishing
• Paths to Publishing: Small Press

Large established trade publishers will generally offer an advance and a royalty. Note that the advance is an advance against future royalty payments, so if you're offered a $1,000 advance and you earn $1 in royalty payments for every copy sold, you won't get any royalty payments until the 1,001st copy of your book is sold (no, these are not typical advance or royalty payments. That would be too easy!).

A smaller publisher or a digital-only publisher might offer a royalty-only contract. This means no advance, but it also means you start earning royalty payments from the first book sold.

Don't Sign With a Vanity Press (Please)

A vanity press is not the same as a traditional publisher. Instead of making their money by selling books to readers, they make their money by selling publishing and marketing services to authors. Unfortunately, too many of them prey on Christian authors. Writer Beware says:

Christian writers are more likely to trust a company that self-identifies as Christian ... a perfect honey trap.

There are a few ways to spot a vanity press:

They require you to pay them (not the other way around).

A reputable trade publisher will never ask for money up front. A vanity press will, although they'll never call themselves a vanity press. Instead, they'll call themselves a traditional publisher or trade publisher. Or a co-operative press or a hybrid press or a partnership press.

Those are all terms designed to confuse you, persuade you that they are a legitimate trade publisher. But if they are asking you for money, they are not a trade publisher.

I've discussed vanity presses in several previous posts here at ACW:

• Paths to Publishing: Vanity Presses
• I Wanted To Cry

If any publisher is asking you for money, please read these posts. Because the chances are that they are a vanity press, not a reputable trade publisher.

They require you to purchase hundreds of copies of your book. 

A trade publisher may give you the option of purchasing author copies at a discount e.g. to use in your own promotional efforts, to give as gifts, or to onsell. They will not require you to purchase copies—it's purely an option. Requiring you to purchase copies of your book makes them a vanity press.

They require you to pay for their marketing services.

A reputable trade publisher will require you to undertake some marketing at your own expense. For example, they may require you to have your own website which you develop and maintain. But they won't insist on building your website for a fee. Nor will they insist on you paying for compulsory or optional marketing services (which are usually expensive and of dubious value).

It all comes back to the first rule of publishing:

Money flows from the publisher to the author. Not the other way around.

Anything else is vanity. Please don't allow the desire for validation to blind you to the point of vanity.

If you have any doubts, ask.

Ask me. Ask in the Australasian Christian Writers Facebook group. Or click here to download the 2018 edition of Publishers Specializing in Christian Fiction.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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Understanding Your Options for Self-Publishing

By Iola Goulton

I'm a member of several writing and editing groups. Some are Facebook groups; others are email loops. A lot of the same questions come up over and over. Many of these recurring questions have a similar theme:

• I have just finished writing a novel, and I'm looking for a publisher.
• My client has just finished their memoir and is looking to self-publish.

Sometimes it's a memoir, or a non-fiction book. Sometimes it's an editor enquiring on behalf of a client. But the question is always the same: what publisher do people in the group recommend?

My recommendations are always the same.

If you want to self-publish in print, you have three main options. If you want to self-publish an ebook, there are a few more options.

Print Publishing Options

1. Amazon

2. Ingram Spark

3. A printer

Amazon

Amazon is a Print on Demand (POD) printer, which means they only print a copy of your book when someone has ordered it. They operate two programmes: CreateSpace, and the newer Kindle Direct Publishing. Most authors use CreateSpace, simply because it has been around longer and there have been reports of some teething troubles with Kindle Direct Publishing.

Both programmes operate in a similar manner—you upload your book, choose from several distribution options, and set your price. They then print the book, ship it directly to the buyer, and pay you the profit on the sale.

At the time of writing, Amazon only prints paperbacks.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark has a one-time setup fee, and also charge a fee every time you upload a new version of your book. They are also a POD printer, and operate in a similar way to CreateSpace (in fact, CreateSpace will sometimes outsource their printing to IngramSpark at no cost to you).

IngramSpark has paperback and hardcover options.

A Printer

A printer could be a local printer, or an offshore printer. The local printer is likely to cost more, while the offshore printer will have a higher freight cost. Actual costs will depend on the number of copies you are ordering—the more copies, the cheaper the cost per copy but the bigger your overall cost. Try not to be swayed by the per-unit cost: it's no saving if you end up with hundreds of books you've paid for but can't sell.

There are two main types of printing: POD (which is most cost-effective for short print runs e.g. under 100 copies) and offset (which is most cost-effective for large print runs e.g. over 1,000 copies). Offset printing has a lower per-unit cost, but a higher initial outlay because of the minumum number of copies.

I only sugest considering a local printer if you have a local audience who are likely to buy your books in print. Getting a book into print is the easy part. The hard part is sales and distribution, which is why most savvy authors choose CreateSpace or Ingram Spark.

Ebook Publishing Options

If you're looking to publish an ebook, there are a few more options:

1. Publish Exclusively Through KDP Select

2. Go Wide

3. Use a Distributor

4. Use a Combination

KDP Select

You can self-publish exclusively through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) Select programme. Amazon offer promotional incentives for author/publishers using KDP Select, including free days, Kindle Countdown deals, and membership in (and payment from) their ebook borrowing programme, Kindle Unlimited (referred to as KU).

Amazon has no upfront charges for publishing through KDP Select. They make their money by charging a percentage of the sale price of each book sold. You receive the rest as a "royalty" payment. The royalty at Amazon.com is 70% of sale price for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, and 35% for books priced higher or lower (the price thresholds vary slightly by country).

So if you sell a book for $2.99, Amazon will pay you a little over $2.00 (this figure will vary depending on where you live, and whether your country of residence has a tax treaty with the US. But those differences are Amazon complying with international taxation laws, not trying to pay you less).

Go Wide

You can publish directly through Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, and other online ebook retailers. Publishing through multiple retailers is often referred to as "going wide", in that you are not restricting your ebook sales to Amazon. Again, there are no upfront costs. Each retailer pays a royalty calculated as a percentage of the sale price of each book sold, and their royalties are broadly similar to Amazon's.

Use a Distributor

You can publish through an online distributor such as Draft2Digital or Smashwords. They have no upfront charges, but charge you a percentage of the royalty they receive from the online retailer. So if you sell a book for $2.99. the distributor will receive about $2.00, and will pay you about $1.80 (depending on their standard contract).

Use a Combination

If you choose to go wide, you can go direct with some stores, and use a distributor for others. For example, the last time I checked, you had to have an Apple computer in order to upload a book to the iBook store. If you're a PC user, you either need to become BFFs with a Mac owner, or use a distributor to upload to iBooks. Other authors find it difficult to upload to Google Play. In both cases, many authors choose to distribute direct to the major stores such as Amazon and Kobo, and use a distributor for the smaller stores, or those they can't access.

Note that most authors publish in print and in ebook format. Fiction authors (especially romance authors) tend to make most of their sales in ebook format, although paper remains a popular choice for children's books, middle grade, and young adult.

But what are your publishing options if that all sounds too complicated? I'll be back to discuss that next week.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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What Is Indie Publishing?

By Iola Goulton

Over the last few weeks, we've looked at vanity publishing (and why it's a bad idea), and at self-publishing (and how the term has been misappropriated by vanity publishers). 

As I've mentioned, self-publishing has soared in popularity since the release of the Amazon Kindle and competing ereaders. The introduction of ereader devices, along with affordable print-on-demand (POD) services means anyone can publish their book at little or no upfront cost—no author needs to get stuck with hundreds of copies of unsold paperbacks.

Indie Publishing

Indie publishing is a term which has risen in popularity over the last few years as vanity presses have appropriated the term 'self-publishing'. The term is a reference to the indie film industry, where indie filmmaking is making and distributing a film independently of the major film studios.

In the same way, indie publishing is publishing and distributing a book independently of the trade publishers.

At least, that's what most articles on the subject teach. It seems some authors believe indie publishing includes being published by a small press that's independent of the major trade publishers. I disagree: some of the biggest names in Christian publishing are church-owned publishers—by definition, publishers who are independent of the major general market publishers.

However, self-publishing is also somewhat of a misnomer, as it implies the writer is publishing alone. This isn’t true: there are many tasks which have to be completed in order to publish a book, and the savvy self-publishing author knows they will need to outsource some of those tasks.

The main tasks which need outsourcing are:

Beta-reading:

Someone (who isn’t related to you) needs to go through your manuscript and suggest how it can be improved. This can be a critique partner or beta-reader (in which case they help for free on the understanding you will return the favour) or a developmental or structural editor (paid, and costs vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars).

All authors need to take this step, regardless of how they plan to publish. The first person to read your manuscript shouldn't be your dream publisher. It should be someone you trust to tell you what's good, and what needs to be improved.

Editing and Proofreading:

Even the best editor can’t proofread their own work. We read the words we intended to write … which might not be the words which actually end up on the screen.

A trade publisher will edit your book, but I've observed the quality of editing is related to the size of the publisher: small presses often can't afford as many levels of editing as trade publishers, and this shows in their books.

Authors planning to self-publish will need to hire their own editors. The manuscript will need at least two rounds of editing and proofreading (more if it hasn't been through beta readers and/or a critique group).

Cover design:

This is best outsourced unless you are a trained graphic designer with experience in book cover design.

Other Tasks

Then there is a range of tasks which a savvy author can learn to do themselves, or can outsource as time and money permit.

These include: interior formatting, uploading the final version to distributors for printing and epublishing, marketing, claiming online author profiles, website development and maintenance, mailing list maintenance, marketing, writing newsletters, social media management, more marketing, organising a blog tour, organising book reviewers, yet more marketing, organising sales promotions, ensuring books are categorised correctly, even more marketing …

The essence of self-publishing isn’t that the author does everything themselves.

But they are in control of the process and contract out those parts of the process they can’t do themselves (like editing) or that could be done better by a professional (e.g. cover design). Some contract tasks like social media updates or website maintenance out to a virtual assistant.

Those who choose to self-publish will be responsible for everything. You will either have to do it yourself, or pay (or bribe or beg) someone else to do it for you. This involves a lot of decisions, and you would be wise to get advice from someone who has been through the process before (and recently – things can change very quickly, particularly when it comes to e-books).

There's a lot to be done, and some of it will cost money. But make sure you invest your money in services which are going to add value to your book (e.g. editing and cover design), not activities that feed your ego and a vanity press's coffers (like pitching your book to a supposed Hollywood script agent).

That's the end of this series. I'll be back next week to introduce something new: our theme for our joint posts with Christian Writers Downunder.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

What Are My Publishing Options?

By Iola Goulton

Last week, we looked at a question many authors have: Is My Novel Publishable?

The short answer was, yes. The long answer was, it depends. (Helpful, yes?)

This week, I'm going to run through the main publishing options:

• Trade Publishing
• Small Press Publishing
• Self-Publishing
• Vanity Publishing

Note that while these are all options, only three of them are options worth considering, and the "best" option will depend on your personal aims in writing and publishing. For example, if you want to see your books on sale in your local KMart, you probably need to aim for a trade publishing contract.

Trade Publishing

Trade publishing is the official term for what can also be called traditional publishing, trad publishing, or legacy publishing. 

If you visit your local bookstore or library, most of the books you see on the shelves will have come through these big trade publishers, with names like HarperCollins, Penguin, Random House, or Simon & Schuster. Each publishing house will have a range of imprints, each of which will target a different market. For example Harlequin, Love Inspired, Mills & Boon, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are all imprints of HarperCollins.

Most trade publishers don't accept direct submissions from new authors, preferring to deal directly with literary agents. Authors are paid through advances and royalties (with a portion of each payment going to their agent). Real trade publishers don't charge you for publishing. If they say there is a fee of any kind ... they're a vanity publisher.

For more information, see Paths to Publishing: Trade Publishing

Small Press Publishing

Small presses are still trade publishers, but they're smaller. You're less likely to see their books on the shelf at your local store, or in your library. Many will accept direct submissions from authors. Few pay advances, but all pay royalties. As with trade publishers, small presses don't charge you for publishing or require any compulsory book purchases. If they do, they're a vanity publisher.

Not all small presses are created equal. Some offer professional editing and cover design that's as good as the biggest trade publishers. Others ... don't. Do your research before you submit. It's a whole lot easier than dealing with problems later.

For more information, see Paths to Publishing: Small Presses

Self-Publishing

With self-publishing, the author wears all the hats:

• Writer
• Publisher
• Marketer

(I've heard it said that publishing is the easiest of the three!)

The essence of self-publishing isn’t that the author does everything themselves, but that they are in control of the process and contract out those parts of the process they can’t do themselves (like editing) or that could be done better by a professional (e.g. cover design).

I'll discuss self-publishing in more detail in the final post in this series.

Vanity Publishing

The most important maxim to remember in relation to publishing is simple:

Money flows from the publisher to the author

If money is flowing from the author to the publisher, that’s commonly referred to as vanity publishing. Not that any publisher ever calls themselves a vanity publisher. Of course not. No, they call themselves a traditional publisher or a hybrid publisher or a cooperative publisher or even a self-publisher.

I'll cover vanity publishing in more detail over the next two weeks, but the key is to look at how the earn their money: from readers, or from authors.

Resources

Meanwhile, here are some resources to help you in examining your publishing options:

• The 2017 Christian Writers Market Guide
• List of Literary Agents who represent Christian authors
• List of 100+ Christian Fiction Publishers (which I've compiled, and I give free to anyone who signs up for my email list)

Any questions?

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Staying the course - Jo-Anne Berthelsen

I almost gave up on my latest book, Becoming Me. I began exploring the idea behind it in 2013, then wrote most of my original version during 2014. I sensed God was in the project and sent it off to my potential publisher in January 2015. Yet one key, nagging question remained. Should it really be published? It is a very personal book, after all—it contains many honest reflections on my own journey of discovering who God created me to be and of removing the layers covering my true self. Besides, I had already written six published novels and a memoir, Soul Friend. Should I call it a day?

I was also very tired, so decided to give myself a semi-sabbatical during 2015. At times, I tried to polish up Becoming Me, while waiting to hear from the publisher, but those nagging doubts remained. Had I heard God wrongly? Did I have the energy to see this project through?

Then, in January this year, my publisher suggested I remove the reflection questions from the end of each chapter, which necessitated other changes as well. I resubmitted, but to no avail. My book was simply not the type of non-fiction my publisher now produced—and I respected that.

So what to do? Should I consider self-publishing? For various reasons, I had always resisted this idea. Then, one Sunday morning in early May, three things happened in quick succession.

The first was a simple, mundane event—I picked up a nail file on my desk and, for the first time in months, noticed the image of a Russian babushka doll, so intrinsic to my story, on the end of it. A friend had given it to me, after she heard about the concept behind Becoming Me, as an encouragement and a reminder to complete the book.

We headed to church, where a young minister preached on knowing our identity in Christ. To my astonishment, he proceeded to elaborate on many key themes contained in my book. I sat bolt upright—it was as if an electric current was flowing through me. ‘All these themes are still so important’, I sensed God saying. ‘Put your book out there!’

I came home and discovered an email from a dear friend. She had felt prompted to share John 1:12 from ‘The Message’ with me. It read: 

Whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, HE MADE TO BE THEIR TRUE SELVES, their child-of-God selves ... 

She had capitalised the words ‘He made to be their true selves’—without knowing this was the main theme of my new book!

That week, I began to set in motion the whole self-publishing process, asking others to design the cover and complete the layout for me. And now, on 1^st October, Becoming Me: Finding my true self in God will be released at last! Please check out my website for the special deal available until that date.

I am sharing this publication journey to encourage you all to stay the course and do your best to carry through with whatever project God has challenged you to undertake in your own life. Yes, sometimes we might have to put things aside. But maybe, just maybe, God wants us to persevere. God is so faithful—so it is up to us to be faithful too, don’t you think? 

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.  

Paths to Publishing 4: Vanity Publishing and Author Services

By Iola Goulton

The most important maxim to remember in relation to publishing is simple:

Money flows from the publisher to the author

If money is flowing from the author to the publisher, that’s commonly referred to as vanity publishing, and that's one of the first ways you can tell whether a publisher is a vanity press: they claim they are not. Instead, they say they are a co-operative publisher, a partner publisher, a subsidy publisher, a hybrid publisher, a self-publisher or even a traditional royalty-paying publisher, appropriating the language of legitimate publishing in order to squeeze money from the uninformed.

The key way to distinguish a genuine publisher from a vanity press is to consider how the publisher makes money. A trade publisher (large, small or micropress) or a self-published author make their money the same way: by selling books to readers.

A vanity publisher makes money differently: by selling paid publishing and marketing packages to hopeful authors.

These publishing packages vary in cost and quality, but start at $999 and go up into the thousands. Packages don’t routinely include editing, even when it is obviously needed. The author is encouraged to pay extra for marketing opportunities, which can be anything from blog tour to expensive print advertising at prices that would make your eyes waters (and which can be double the price of working directly with the newspaper or magazine).

The most common vanity publishing business model is pay-to-publish, which I discussed in a previous post (click here to read the post). Other vanity publishing models offered by vanity presses include: publishing “free”, but requiring most authors to purchase a marketing package (costing approximately $4,000), or publishing “free” but requiring authors to purchase a minimum of 1,000 copies of the published book (an estimated minimum cost of $10,000). In both cases, this is more than enough to cover the direct production costs (click here to read more).

It would be nice to think that publishers operating in the Christian market would be better than this, that they would be honest, truthful, looking out for the best interests of everyone ... you know, Christian. But there are many vanity presses specifically targeting the Christian market, perhaps because Christians tend to trust other people who say they are Christians.

Author Services

Some publishers offer author services, and it can be difficult at first to tell whether it is a vanity publisher, or a printer specialising in book printing who has expanded their services into areas like cover design, editing, ebook creation, and distribution. This is especially the case when the publisher offers both traditional publishing and services for authors intending to self-publish.

An author services company may offer some or all of the following services:

• Developmental editing
• Line editing
• Copyediting
• Proofreading
• Cover design
• Interior design
• Interior formatting
• Ebook coversion
• Printing

An author services company may also be able to assist with uploading electronic ebook files to online retail sites such as Amazon and iBooks, and with uploading the files for the paper books to sites such as CreateSpace and IngramSpark (the self-publishing imprint of LightningSource).

Where marketing services are offered, these should be useful (e.g. design of an author website) not aspirational (e.g. pitching to a Hollywood agent). Above all, services should represent good value for money, and authors should remember they can almost always find better value services from freelancers who have less overhead to cover.

Author Services . . .  or Vanity Press?

There is nothing to say a reputable traditional publisher can't offer self-publishing services: several do. However, the two businesses should be kept completely separate. This means:

• The self-published books should be published under a different imprint (brand) to the trade published books, and the two businesses should operate separately.
• The self-publishing imprint should have a different website to the trade publishing imprint/s.
• Submissions to the self-publishing imprint should be via a different website and email address than submissions to the trade imprint/s.
• The trade imprint/s should not advertise the self-publishing imprint on their main website, or on their social media profiles.

While it’s acceptable for the self-publishing imprint to say they may offer trade contracts to books submitted for self-publishing, the reverse is not true. Such “bait-and-switch” tactics are not appropriate. If you submit to the trade imprint, they should either accept or reject your manuscript, not offer you a paid vanity alternative.

A traditional publisher advertising their "co-operative publishing" services on their website home page could be merely naive. But they could be an unprofessional vanity press.

My advice: don't take the risk. 

As Christians, we are called to be wise stewards of our time, talents and resources. That means understanding the different publishing models, and not getting caught in the snare of a vanity press.

This is the final article in this series. If you’d like to know more about any of the topics raised over the last four weeks, please leave a comment below.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website (www.christianediting.co.nz), or follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christianediting), Twitter (@IolaGoulton) or Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/iolasreads).

Paths to Publishing 3: Self-Publishing

By Iola Goulton

Over the last two weeks, we’ve looked at two paths to publishing: working with an agent to attract a major publisher, and publishing through a small press or micropress. This week we are looking at the third option: self-publishing.

Self-publishing has soared in popularity since the release of the Amazon Kindle and competing ereaders. These, along with affordable print-on-demand (POD) services mean no author needs to get stuck with hundreds of copies of unsold paperbacks.

Unfortunately, it also means anyone who can type and open an email account can publish on Amazon, which has led to the “tsunami of carp” (at least, that’s what it’s called on the Amazon discussion forums, which have strict guidelines around language).

Self-publishing is also referred to as indie publishing, a reference to the indie film industry. As indie filmmaking is making and distributing a film independently of the major film studios, indie publishing is publishing and distributing a book independently of the trade publishers.

However, self-publishing is also somewhat of a misnomer, as it implies the writer is publishing alone. This isn’t true: there are many tasks which have to be completed in order to publish a book, and the savvy self-publishing author knows they will need to outsource some of those tasks.

The main tasks which need outsourcing are:

Beta-reading:

Someone (who isn’t related to you) needs to go through your manuscript and suggest how it can be improved. This can be a critique partner or beta-reader (in which case they help for free on the understanding you will return the favour) or a developmental or structural editor.

Editing and Proofreading:

Even the best editor can’t proofread their own work. We read the words we intended to write … which might not be the words which actually ended up on the screen.

Cover design:

This is best outsourced unless you are a trained graphic designer with experience in book cover design.

Other Tasks

Then there is a range of tasks which a savvy author can learn to do themselves, or can outsource as time and money permit.

These include: interior formatting, uploading the final version to distributors for printing and epublishing, marketing, claiming online author profiles, website development and maintenance, mailing list maintenance, marketing, writing newsletters, social media management, more marketing, organising a blog tour, organising book reviewers, yet more marketing, organising sales promotions, ensuring books are categorised correctly, even more marketing …

The essence of self-publishing isn’t that the author does everything themselves, but that they are in control of the process and contract out those parts of the process they can’t do themselves (like editing) or that could be done better by a professional (e.g. cover design). Some contract tasks like social media updates or website maintenance out to a virtual assistant.

Those who choose to self-publish will be responsible for everything. You will either have to do it yourself, or pay (or bribe or beg) someone else to do it for you. This involves a lot of decisions, and you would be wise to get advice from someone who has been through the process before (and recently – things can change very quickly, particularly when it comes to e-books).

Hybrid Authors

Some authors are known as hybrid authors: they have some self-published some books, and have others published trade publishers. Author Earnings reports suggest hybrid authors have the best of both worlds: they have the advantage of having books in physical bookstores which helps develop a reader base. They have some marketing support from the trade publisher, and while this is specifically for their trade-published titles, it will build name recognition, which will carry over into their indie titles.

Next week we’ll look at the final option around publishing: using external author services to publish. Sounds like a great idea, but there can be a real sting in the tail for the unwary . . .

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website (www.christianediting.co.nz), or follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christianediting), Twitter (@IolaGoulton) or Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/iolasreads).

How to identify a vanity press publisher and avoid being ripped off

By Narelle Atkins

Vanity Publishing

Vanity Presses make their money from authors rather than from selling books. They charge authors a fee, either directly or indirectly, to publish their book. They often try to up-sell additional publishing services eg. marketing packages. These publishing packages, sometimes marketed as self-publishing solutions, may cost authors many thousands of dollars.

Vanity Press books sometimes have a high cover price, which makes the vanity press book less attractive to readers. The vanity publisher has already made their money from the author, and they don’t have an incentive to set a competitive price and sell a high volume of books. The author has no control over the pricing of their book or the distribution of their book.

Vanity Presses often don’t invest time and money in providing professional cover art and editing is typically an add-on, with an additional fee. They have no incentive to produce high quality books because they make their money from selling publishing packages to authors instead of making money from selling books.

Vanity Presses will advertise their publishing services and actively seek to recruit authors.

Traditional, royalty paying publishers are inundated with submissions from authors. Many of the larger traditional publishers will only accept agented queries because there is an oversupply of potential manuscripts and a very limited number of traditional publishing slots. Traditional publishers have budget limitations that will dictate the number of books they can publish each year. They are selective because they are bearing all the financial risk. Vanity presses, by charging authors a fee to publish, are shifting the financial risk to the author. If the vanity press book has poor sales, it's the author who will suffer the financial pain, not the vanity press.

Vanity Presses may operate like telemarketers who are selling a product. They may want to know a prospective author’s contact details, including email addresses and phone numbers, to enable them to follow up and contact authors. They may make numerous international phone calls to prospective authors and use aggressive marketing tactics to try and sell their expensive publishing packages.

Differences between Traditional Publishers and Vanity Publishers

Traditional publishers pay a competitive royalty on every book sold.

Traditional publishers don’t ask authors to contribute money to finance the book production process.

Traditional publishers may pay authors an advance against future royalties. The money flows from the publisher to the author because traditional publishers make their money from book sales.

Traditional publishers don’t require authors to purchase a minimum number of books.

Publishing Contracts

A publishing contract is a legally binding document. It spells out the rights and obligations of both parties who sign the publishing contract. A publisher may claim to be a traditional publisher, but it’s the contract that will define whether or not their claims are valid.

All authors should seek professional advice and do their research before signing a publishing contract. Intellectual property lawyers, Australian Society of Authors, Australian state and territory Writer Centres, and professional writing organisations can provide services and resources to assist authors in making financially savvy decisions.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch has written a number of helpful articles on publishing contracts. 

http://kriswrites.com/2011/05/04/the-business-rusch-advocates-addendums-and-sneaks-oh-my/
http://kriswrites.com/2011/07/27/the-business-rusch-deal-breakers/ 

The Passive Voice blog also has archived posts that provide helpful information for authors on publishing contracts. 

Do not rely on general advice and hearsay from writing friends to determine if a publishing contract is a good deal for you

Once upon a time it was reasonable for writers to assume that most traditional publishers used a single boiler plate contract as the foundation for their contract negotiations with authors. The larger writing organisations eg. Romance Writers of America, ACFW, used to provide their members with a recognised publisher list. 

The writing organisations looked at the boiler plate contract of each publisher who wanted to be included on their recognised publisher list. To make the list, the publishing contract needed to meet certain minimum standards. A publisher would be excluded from the recognised publisher list if their boiler plate contract contained any vanity publishing clauses. 

But times have changed. It’s now becoming more commonplace for publishers to offer contracts to their authors with vastly different terms. The writing organisations no longer have recognised publisher lists. Indie publishing opportunities can potentially offer authors a better deal than a traditional publishing contract. 

Why can't you rely on advice from your author friends? Your friend may have signed a traditional contract with Publisher A and be very happy with their deal. But, that doesn’t mean Publisher A will offer you exactly the same publishing contract deal with the same terms. 

Authors can't afford to bury their heads in the sand and assume that a publishing contract will be a good deal. It's essential for all authors to take responsibility for their writing careers and understand all the clauses in their publishing contract before they sign the contract.   

The term ‘self-publishing’ has been hijacked by vanity presses

Self-publishing should mean DIY (doing it yourself). This is a very different concept to paying a publisher to partner with you to produce your book. If you are giving the publisher specific rights to publish your book, and if the publishing contract includes terms that specify the payment of royalties to the author, then you are signing a publishing contract. This is a very different proposition to self-publishing by DIY.

Indie (independent) publishing

Indie publishing is the term that is commonly used to describe authors who independently publish their books. Indie authors retain control of their copyright. Indie authors produce their own books independently and they don’t sign a contract with a publishing house. Indie authors are self-publishing because they are doing it themselves (DIY). They may choose to contract service providers for a set fee eg. editing, cover design, formatting, to produce their book.

How can you avoid being ripped off?

Education is key. Do your research and connect with other writers before you sign a publishing contract. Ask questions and seek advice from industry professionals. Book selling is a tough business and it’s very unusual for an author to recoup the money they have invested in vanity publishing via book sale royalties.

Online resources for writers

Preditors and Editors
http://pred-ed.com/peba.ht 

Writer Beware
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/ 

David Gaughran
https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2015/04/29/author-solutions-and-friends-the-inside-story-2/ 

The Book Designer
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/10/author-alert-is-your-book-held-hostage-by-a-subsidy-publisher/ 

Iola Goulton has written a number of posts for Australasian Christian Writers that address the topic of vanity presses

I Wanted to Cry 
http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/i-wanted-to-cry.html 

Spotting a Vanity Publisher - Part One and Two http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/spotting-vanity-publisher-part-one.html 
http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/spotting-vanity-publisher-part-two.html 

Deception in our writing http://australasianchristianwriters.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/deception-in-our-writing.html

Jeanette O’Hagan has written two posts for Christian Writers Downunder that outline the different publishing models available for writers

Publish or Perish – Part One and Two http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/publish-or-perish-part-one.html http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/publish-or-perish-part-two.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post is being shared on the Australasian Christian Writers blog and the Christian Writers Downunder blog today because we are united in our mission to inform and educate writers on the pitfalls from signing with vanity publishers. This was a topic of conversation at the recent Christian Writers Conference held in Victoria, Australia.

Please share this post with your writing friends on social media and bookmark it for future reference.

If you’re looking to connect with writing groups online, you can join the Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group and the Christian Writers Downunder Facebook Group.

Omega Writers Inc. provides helpful resources and membership benefits for writers who live in the Australasian region.

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia. In 2013 she sold her debut book to Harlequin's Love Inspired Heartsong Presents line in a 6-book contract. Her first independently released novella, His Perfect Catch, is available from Amazon for 99 cents. 

Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com

Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor
Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins

The Travesty of Vanity Publishers

By Iola Goulton

It has been suggested that I write a series of posts illustrating some of the common fiction editing issues I see, and suggesting improvements. A good idea, yes, but who is willing to put their name next to deliberately bad writing to see it torn to pieces? Or, worse, is there anyone willing see a piece of writing they thought was good attacked by the editor’s figuraitve red pen?

Never fear. Publish America are here to provide the object lesson—in more ways than one. I’ll start with the red pen next week. For now, I’m simply going to give you some background which reinforces my previous posts on the perils of vanity publishing:

• I Wanted to Cry
• Spotting a Vanity Publisher I
• Spotting A Vanity Publisher II
• I Wanted to Sigh

As an aside, Publish America have taken the time-honoured route of improving their reputation. No, they haven’t fired their management and changed their business practices. They’ve rebranded: Publish America are now America Star Books (although searching on America Star Books Scam provides nearly the same level of entertainment as searching on Publish America Scam).

Anyway, to get to the point.

One of the oft-heard refrains of vanity publishers is that they don’t publish everything submitted to them. Terri Blackstock made an astute comment regarding this in a recent blog post:

Their claims that they only publish twenty percent of their submissions (or whatever number they offer) doesn’t disclose the fact that most people walk away when they learn that it will cost them money to publish with them. 

I think Terri's nailed it. However, that’s getting off topic again.

It is the considered opinion of most people who are against vanity publishing that they publish anything someone is willing to pay for. One group of Science Fiction authors decided to put this to the test.

A group of more than thirty members of the Science Fiction Writers Association (SWFA) collaborated in an effort to write the worst book ever, and get a publishing contract from Publish America. Atlanta Nights by Travis Tea (say that quickly) is the result. Each writer was given a broad chapter outline, and told to write badly. A couple of writers didn't make the deadline, so their chapters were missed out. One chapter (apparently) is repeated. One chapter is written by a computer.

Is Atlanta Nights the worst book ever? No. While Atlanta Nights is bad, I’ve read worse (naming no names, but it was published by one of the “Christian” vanity publishers featured in one of my earlier posts).

But "Travis Tea" did succeed in getting a publishing contract from Publish America …

… who promptly rescinded the offer when they found the whole thing was a ploy.

Oops.

Atlanta Nights also has glowing endorsements and reviews … further proof of the famous Abraham Lincoln quote:

In fairness, no one should read endorsements like these and think they're getting a good book:

"The world is full of bad books written by amateurs. But why settle for the merely regrettable? Atlanta Nights is a bad book written by experts."

— T. Nielsen Hayden

"Prepare to be amazed! ATLANTA NIGHTS shows readers a level of storytelling you rarely see in traditionally published fiction. It is an experience you'll never forget."

— Chuck "20" Rothman

and my personal favourite:

"...this... book... makes... for... wondrous... reading..."

— Derryl Murphy

Anyway, thanks to thirty or more enterprising authors (and one enterprising computer programmer—apparently one chapter was written by a piece of software), we have a Really Bad Novel to use for some show-and-tell editing posts. And no one is going to get offended. The “authors” of Atlanta Nights (to use the term broadly) permit—even encourage—others to use Atlanta Nights as a teaching aide. And so we will.

Please be warned: Atlanta Nights is not Christian fiction, and contains language which may offend some people. Actually, it contains a lot of bad words and words used badly, which should offend anyone who holds the English language dear. Sometimes it even spells those words right.

If you’d like your own electronic copy of Atlanta Nights, it’s available free at http://critters.critique.org/sting/. Paper copies are available from Amazon and Lulu, should you need an overpriced doorstop (royalties go to the SWFA Emergency Medical Fund).

I'll be back next week with Pain, the first instalment of my editing series.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest  or Tsu.

I love reading, and read and review around 150 Christian books each year on my blog. I'm a Top 25 Reviewer at Christian Book, in the Top 1% of reviewers at Goodreads, and have an Amazon Reviewer Rank that floats around 2000.

Book Review: The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Kit by Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly Sargent

Publishing industry experts Joel Friedlander and Betty Kelly have undertaken a monumental task with The Self-Publishers Ultimate Resource Book. They claim it’s:

“the first and largest collection of curated and verified resources for independent authors who plan to publish their own books”

It’s a great idea, and I suppose it’s well executed for a first edition (the plan is to update the paper version annually, and the electronic version two to four times per year), which is good because I noticed one thing that is out of date even now, a mere six weeks after publication (Amazon will no longer be running the ABNA Award).

It’s an ambitious and noble project. The book has over 850 online references in 33 categories, organised into three sections: Prepare, Publish and Promote, and there is a lot of good information. There was some information at the beginning of each category explaining what the category was about and why it was important.

However, I would have liked to have seen more, for those writers who are really new to the self-publishing scene (most reviewers won’t be: I assume most got their review copies in the same way I did: because we follow Joel Friedlander’s blog, The Book Designer. That means we’re not completely new to the self-publishing scene).

I also would have liked to have had more information about each individual and organisation listed in the guide than simply their website and some advertising verbiage off said website. For example, what about this product/service justifies its inclusion in the Guide? Have Joel or Betty personally used their services, or were they recommended? If so, by whom?

Personally, I’d rather have seen the Prepare section divided into pre-writing research (like recommended writing books or what writing programme to use, Word or a specialist writing programme such as Scrivener), and post-writing resources, such as editors and cover designers.

There are several notable omissions: they recommend “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Brown and Dave King, but don’t recommend Dave King’s editing business. More worryingly, there are also at least three entries which slipped in through “an error in our vetting process” which will be corrected (but which make me worry for those readers who’ve bought the 2014 print edition, and won’t know they are errors … and makes me wonder what errors I don’t know about).

The “errors” I did see are the inclusion of Author Solutions imprints Lulu and WestBow Press.

@IolaGoulton An error in our vetting process, will be corrected, thanks.
— Joel Friedlander (@JFbookman) January 26, 2015

These feature as part of a “curated list of subsidy publishers”, aka vanity publishers, and the inclusion of these seem to me to contradict the concept of self-publishing in the first place. If you’re not sure why that’s a bad idea, read these three posts:

• I Wanted to Cry
• Spotting a Vanity Publisher Part One
• Spotting a Vanity Publisher Part Two

I also think the Book Review section needs to be divided in two, as it currently lumps paid review services (like Kirkus Indie reviews) together with other services without explaining the difference, and without explaining that paid reviews (e.g. Kirkus) be included as Customer Reviews on Amazon, while reviews from sources such as NetGalley can.

Overall, I think this is a good basic resource for authors intending to self-publish in the general market, as that is the focus of most of the entries. There are some Christian references, but not many, and I would suggest writers aiming for the Christian market won’t find a lot of useful information here.

Thanks to the authors for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Tsu.

I love reading, and read and review around 150 Christian books each year on my blog. I'm a Top 25 Reviewer at Christian Book, in the Top 1% of reviewers at Goodreads, and have an Amazon Reviewer Rank that floats around 2500.