Good afterevenmorn!

I have taken a protracted break from social media for the past fortnight, which has been both a boon and a source of deep frustration for many reasons I will not rant about here. But while it has been an overall win for my mental health, it does mean that I’m very out of the loop when it comes to writerly news, and any gossip and drama happening in that world. Which leaves me with few options for today’s post. Which means, today I’d like to address all the aspiring writers of the readership.

It can be extremely overwhelming when you’re first starting out. For me, writing was the easy part. I started getting overwhelmed the moment I began to research about publishing the story I had just written. I was hit with a barrage of options, opinions, warnings and demands. Sometimes, it’s obvious when advice or opinions are formed from a place of hurt and bitterness, and so you can probably filter that stuff out. Other things, however, are harder to parse between absolute garbage and genuinely good advice. To make matters worse, what is trash for one person might be just the thing needed for someone else.

It’s hard out there for writers just beginning. To add to your woes, let me drop my own two cents. This time, I’d like to talk about the kinds of publishing. There are options now. You don’t have to resort to a single path to publication any longer.

There are three main methods, or paths, one can take in publishing; self, traditional and hybrid. Each path is equally valid, and which one is best really does depend on the kind of person you are and what you’re hoping to achieve. In truth, I don’t know much about hybrid publishing, having only researched it superficially before deciding that it was not the path I wanted to walk, so I’m going to focus on the first two. Let’s start with the longest-standing path.

Traditional publishing. This is the way things have been done since publishing fiction became a thing, more or less. It works, with a few exceptions, more or less like this:

Author writes a book. Author sends manuscript out to agents/agencies in order to try and get representation. If accepted, agents then shop manuscript around to publishing houses. They will get a percentage of the advance and royalties if a book is published. This is fair compensation for the incredible amount of work they have undertaken in order to get the book out to the right publishers.

Sometimes, publishers will open for unagented manuscripts, eliminating the middleman. If the author is successful this route, they should take extra care on reviewing the contracts. Agents are very good at negotiating the best possible terms for their clients (because it benefits them as well), and it’s a skill that most authors, I don’t hesitate to note, lack.

Agented or no, an accepted book published this way is considered traditional publishing. The publisher is responsible for everything after the acceptance of the manuscript (with the exception of major editorial changes. Those may be done by the author at the request of the editors). They are responsible and pay for the editors, the formatting, cover design, printing, distribution and marketing. Under no circumstances would the author ever pay for those costs out of pocket.

Now, the way things are going currently in the publishing sphere, the big traditional publishers feel as though they’re moving away from the art of publishing and are cutting corners in order to maximise profits. This means some deep cuts into their editorial and marketing departments; marketing especially. Authors are expected to bear the brunt of marketing for their books more and more. For some traditional publishers, especially small presses, this has always been the case, but even the big companies are expecting authors to take on more of the marketing burden, which, frankly, has robbed a great deal of their appeal for me. But they still might be the best option for some writers.

Self-publishing is… not that. For those who decide to self-publish, all the costs that would have been absorbed by the traditional publishing house are taken on by the author. They’re responsible for paying for the editing, formatting, cover design, distribution and marketing. It can be quite the financial burden.

It can also, be done cheaply, if you know where to turn. Plenty of authors trade editorial work, which is a good, though not perfect alternative, to hiring a professional editor. Formatting and cover design can be done by the author themselves, if they have the patience and skill to learn how. I do not. But plenty of authors do.

There are pros and cons to both kinds of publishing. It can be quite a slog to get picked up by an agent/publishing house. It takes a lot of patience and persistence. It also takes a fair amount of luck. It is entirely possible to have a brilliant work on your hands, but if the publishing house or agent feels there’s no market for it, it will be rejected. This isn’t something you have to worry about with self-publishing.

Fairly often, there is talk about the quality difference between traditionally published and self-published work. But as self-published authors hone their processes, these differences are quickly closing. There are some traditionally published works that were utter rubbish, and some self-published books that are exceptional. Sometimes, self-published works do so well, they’re later picked up by a traditional house.

When it comes to acquiring reviews and distribution, traditional publishing still has an edge. There are still reviewers who refuse to review self-published (or even hybrid) books, hampering marketing efforts. And many bookstores will not take in a book unless it’s provided by a distributor. Getting books included in a distributor is hard to do as a single writer without a publishing house behind them.

Self-publishing is not easy. It requires a broad skill set, and a lot of spare time that many authors simply do not have. It is an attractive option for those who want to be in control every step of the way, and those who have the time to do the formatting, cover design, and perhaps most importantly, the marketing work.

Traditional publishing takes on most of that burden, both in terms of time, skill and funds. Money from a traditional house will always flow to the author, never away. But traditional publishing isn’t easy, either. The submission process can be exceptionally painful, requiring almost super-human levels of patience, and often resulting in rejection, which, if you’re me, will also result is a severe crisis of confidence. More luck than I feel is fair may be involved.

Hybrid publishing is a term that covers something in between traditional and self-publishing. The nature of a hybrid publisher can vary wildly, from centralised publishing services paid for by the author, to outright vanity publishing. This is the area that most scams operate in (but it’s not the only area), and it can be tricky to navigate. It should be approached with an abundance of caution, in my opinion.

Whatever strip of publishing a budding author may decide on, there are some resources that are just good for writers of every stripe. The best and first place to go, I feel, is Writer Beware. Sponsored by the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America), this is the place to go to be kept abreast of all the fishy, underhanded or downright scammy “publishers,” “agencies/agents,” and “awards” out there, looking to part a new writer with their hard-earned money for nearly no returns. There are a depressing number of them out there, actually. I’m certain there is a level of hell reserved just for people who take advantage of people’s dreams in order to make a quick buck. Anyway, this is a great place to familiarise yourself with the basic shape of a scam so as to make them easier to recognise, as well as shining light on very specific scams. I’d recommend making this your first stop, or at least the place you go every time you land on something that piques your interest. It’s good to double check that it’s not too good to be true.

You can read all about Writer Beware here. It’s a great resource for all kinds of writers, whether you’re looking to self-publish, publish traditionally, or employ a hybrid publisher.

This wasn’t a long-winded ad for Writer Beware, I promise. I just think they’re excellent, and should be on every author’s reading list.

Right, I have to go do writerly things (read here: procrastinate like hell). Good luck on your journeys! I’m not exactly an expert, but I’d be glad to answer any questions you have.

Ciao!

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and a cuddling furry murderer. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. Her serial The New Haven Incident is free and goes up every Friday on her blog.

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