In a recent guest post at J.A. Konrath’s blog, Barry Eisler laid out numerous reasons why he no longer foresees pursuing traditional publication.
And in the comments section on this blog, I’ve noticed a definite uptick in the number of people who are questioning the wisdom of querying agents and trying for traditional publication at all, whether because of the length of time it takes, the fear of losing control, e-book royalties, and many other factors.
So. For all you writers out there: Do you plan to pursue traditional publication or are you going self-publishing all the way?
Poll below, please click through if you’re reading via e-mail or a feed reader.
Rick says
The wording of your answers is a bit narrow… "I will try traditional publishing first" implies that if we don't succeed, we will self-publish.
I plan to pursue traditional publication, period. If the first novel is not successful, that's when there's a second, and a third, and so on.
Self-pub is fine; but it's not for all of us.
IsaiahC says
I get why people want to bypass traditional publishing. We hear about low royalty rates, difficulties breaking in, authors complaining about lack of control over the finished product, etc. etc. etc. And we hear about those who have made millions through self-pubbing and think "Why not me?"
Thing is, I know, for myself, why not me. I don't have the resources to give my work the best shot it can have in the self-pubbed world. (For one thing, I write Middle Grade fiction, and plan to emphasize school visits. Schools are wary of bringing in self-pubbed authors) I don't have the talent to design a cover, and don't have the money to invest in an artist. I don't have the money to invest in an editor (a must for any successful self-pubbed author) nor do I have the connections to get my book in the eyes of influential reviewers or purchasers.
Bottom line is, self-pubbing is much more viable today than ever before, but it still isn't the best option for everyone. If you can break into the traditional publishing world, I feel like you have a better foundation to build your writing career.
CourtLoveLeigh says
I agree with Rick and IsaiahC… I just don't have it in me to self-pub and know that my book wouldn't be the best it could be if I went that route. Plus, while there is a lot of frustration with traditional publishers, I still see authors/agents/editors who get along swimmingly and really believe in what they're putting out there for the world, so I just have to be hopeful that it will happen for me, too :]
Sarah McCabe says
I plan to only pursue self publishing, but if a trad house come knocking on my door with a million dollar deal… I probably wouldn't say no unless the contract was atrocious.
Shelli (srjohannes) says
I tried traditional and went to acquisitions with 4 books only to not make it. After parting with my agent, I decided to publish my own book, Untraceable, coming out Nov 29th. Its been a wonderful process but I would love to make it back to traditional publishing someday. I do believe in the traditional model.
MacEvoy DeMarest says
As a hobbyist writer who has made no moves in either direction yet, I can only say that self-publishing looks like an increasingly viable option.
I do buy into the notion that traditional publishing is largely "book as event" publishing, and if you fail to knock peoples' socks off, you're likely to be pulped and forgotten.
Self-pubbing, on the other hand, gives you an awfully long period of time (like forever) and much better royalties with which to meet whatever threshhold of financial success you set for yourself.
And if you write something good, I mean really, really good, I believe it will eventually float to the top, whether it's traditionally or self-published.
Mark Terry says
I didn't respond because both is where I'm at. I've been traditionally published and I've self-published. Hell, I did an iUniverse thing 10 or so years ago when a traditional pub deal fell through. That said, I've got a couple projects out with trad publishers, but everyone's so skittish right now they can't seem to commit to anything, so I'm self-publishing some of them. I'm sifting through ideas that might make a good project for a traditional publisher for both fiction or nonfiction, while continuing to work on some of my own projects that traditional publishers haven't been terribly interested in, although readers have responded reasonably well to.
Nicole says
You need an additional answer in your poll:
"I will try traditional publishing first, but will resort to self-publishing if necessary."
That's what I'm starting to seriously consider.
Nathan Bransford says
Rick-
Yeah, I thought about splitting up the first category into those that would and wouldn't pursue self-publishing if it didn't work traditionally but thought it would be easier to have two options.
Sandra Ulbrich Almazan says
I self-published my first novella last month and am working on the next project. It's really not that hard to find a editor or cover artist (I consider them business expenses), and the formatting/uploading process, though tricky, isn't hard to learn. Marketing is the hardest to do on your own, but I have an ad campaign running on Goodreads and have asked some bloggers for reviews. I enjoy the freedom of doing it myself, and since novellas are tough to market, they're good choices for self-publishing.
This doesn't mean I'm giving up completely on traditional publishing. I may still try selling some short stories to traditional markets for exposure. I'll probably hold off on traditional publishing for novels until the industry settles down, though.
Sera Phyn says
I read Konrath's post a few days ago and he has some very valid points. Self-publishing is very appealing. In fact, if it came with editorial services, I would probably already have gone that route. HOWEVER, it doesn't. I am at a point in my writing where I don't know how much more I can improve on my own without good, thorough, knowledgeable edits to learn from. Maybe down the road I'll go with self publishing (although not strictly ebook publishing as many are doing–I still dream of having my own hardcover sitting on my bookshelf), but for now I'm chasing the legacy dream.
Melissa Alexander says
I'm aiming for traditional publishing. If I had a novel that an agent believed in but that failed in Acquisitions (after serious consideration), I would consider self-publishing. But, honestly, I wouldn't self-publish anything that didn't have gatekeeper approval first.
Anonymous says
Haha, there should be a "Still trying to WRITE IT" option. 😉
Anonymous says
Still haven't made up my mind. The idea of self-publishing is very appealing for all the reasons you mentioned, but I still would like to know that the people who know the market better than I do and have slogged through mediocre book after mediocre book would see something special and marketable in my work. There's a little part of me that thinks, "If self-publishing is the only way I could put my books out there, maybe they're not good enough to sell."
LJCohen says
I'm not sure it's an either/or proposition. I have an agent. She as a book on submission. I also have another book I am self-publishing. Just as a particular publisher might be a best match for a particular book, so will a publication route be individualized.
Vivienne Westlake says
I couldn't vote because neither was the correct option for me. I just self-published my first romance novella and I plan to continue writing more in the series. These will all be shorter length and self-published. And I have some other ideas brewing in my head. However, I don't think of traditional and self-pub as mutually exclusive. I still plan to submit future stories to digital-first publishers and to NY houses later down the line.
For me, it's an issue of focusing on my career and I do not feel that traditional publishing alone can support an author's career–unless you're a breakout sensation. Most authors I know make more from their digital-first published books than their NY books, but even digital-first publishers have their drawbacks as well.
I feel that in order to survive as an author today, I have to diversify and take charge of my own career as publishers are looking out for their bottom line and not necessarily out for me as the author/content producer. In my mind, I feel that having self-published, digital-first, and also traditionally published books is the way to go. It's not an either/or option. It's more of a question: "What is the right publishing option for this particular book or series?"
Peter Dudley says
Would love the personal validation of the traditional method, but I kinda feel like it's high school all over again… everyone wants to date the prettiest girl, but once you really get to know her you realize what a high maintenance, arrogant, self-centered rhymes-with-witch she can be. And you open your eyes to other–better–possibilities.
I would like to point out that I am referring to the process and industry above, not any particular agent or editor or other individual. For the most part, the people I've met have been sincere and lovely. But it's getting harder and harder for me to see the real benefits of traditional over self.
Wyndes says
Self-publishing entirely. I've finished my first novel, and am working on the second. I have some revisions to do on the first before I post it for sale, but I'm planning on having it ready for January. I sort of like the irony of publishing in January, because I spent the past decade as an editor madly pushing books out the door to hit November for fiscal year close and holiday sales. It's fun to have the freedom to choose to do it as I like.
And that's basically the self-publishing answer to me: at this point in time, I think the financial rewards are just as likely to come from self-publishing as traditional publishing, and with self-publishing I get the freedom to write my own marketing copy, to design my own cover, and to tell a story that doesn't fit smoothly into genre categories. As an editor (non-fiction), I used to have to say "I really like it but I don't know how we'd sell it." I look at my quirky novel, and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what an editor would say to me — but I don't have to sell 10,000 copies to justify the print run, I can just hope for a few readers who will fall in love with it enough to read number two (and then 3 and 4 and 5 and so on.)
Josin L. McQuein says
Konrath has some good things to say, but his blog is (understandably) skewed toward self-publishing. That's what people seek him out for, so it makes sense that the lion's share of his followers would be people seeking to self-publish.
I wish more would listen to Mr. Eisler, however. His posts and tips are more balanced and more realistic for the mainstream. Everyone CAN'T make it self-publishing (or any other kind of publishing), but if you read enough of the posts and comments over there, you realize that's what too many of the posters there think is guaranteed.
Having said that, I have no qualms with self-publishing something, and there's a project I'd try it with, assuming I can get it into the sort of shape I want it to be, first.
So, my long and muddied answer is… both.
Rick Daley says
I'm self-pubbing one WIP, but I'm planning to pursue the traditional route for my other WIP. It's like managing a diversified stock portfolio.
Anonymous says
After my one-and-only experience with a legacy publisher, I wouldn't ever want to go through that again. This was a huge publisher, one of the largest in the world, and I was treated horribly. I didn't get paid on time (to the point they called for an internal audit), I have to bug them every step of the way to get things that should be a given (author copies months after the book came out?), they never even told me when the book was to be published! I felt like nothing more than a cog in a machine through most of the process, like I was just a factory worker turning out some generic product. No thank you. I've sold hundreds of copies of my ebooks so far, with very little effort on my part beyond writing. Self-publishing isn't for everyone, but then again, neither is legacy publishing.
MKS says
I gave the tradition agent querying a try first. It didn't pan out even though I felt like I learned a lot from the process. After sharing the manuscript with some friends I ended up acquiring an editor and cover artists who believed in the book enough to help me bring it to publication.
I was going to make a pass at agents again after a few more revision, but now it is looking more and more like self-publishing makes more sense. Sometimes these things just take on a life of their own.
Bryan Russell says
I'm all about tradition. What would Christmas be like without eggnog?
Margo Lerwill says
I'm pleased to see such thoughtful, reasoned responses over the usual rhetoric (on both sides of the imaginary fence).
I responded self-pub all the way. A few background details: I've had an agent and went as far as contract discussions with Penguin, before it fell through. I've been published in magazines. Hmm, based on that, I suspect my answer is really self-pub all the way *from here on out*.
Earlier this year, I had a couple of agents I've networked with over the years ready to look at my newest project, and I had to make a decision on whether I was going to try out self-pub. Not because I'm anti-trad or hate agents or have a compulsive need to control every aspect of my work. It was mostly a financial decision and a long-term plan (especially after a brutally frank discussion with an industry professional I really admire about the future of publishing).
So I self-pubbed in May and did quite a few things wrong. Big splash and then petered out.
But I learned from my mistakes and self-pubbed again in October under a pen name and saw a hugely different (positive) result. It has been great motivation to keep putting in those long hours at the keyboard.
To those who are going to go self-pub, I have a single piece of advice. You've heard it from Konrath and Mayer, but it's also hard to follow until one's sees *firsthand* how right they are. Write A LOT. There is no promotion like a new release. A book or two a year is not going to earn a living for you in self-publishing.
Internet Geek says
Put me down for answer #4 or #5 – I plan to self-publish, and if my numbers are decent enough, I will try the traditional approach.
Susan says
I am hoping to be querying my novel, after years of work, in about 6-8 months. I'm not considering self-pubbing at this point. From what I can see, the current self-publishing marketplace greatly resembles San Francisco in 1849: lots of people mining for gold, and most of the money going to the people who sell the equipment. Just like back then, there's always a handful who make a big strike and make the papers, luring the masses over the mountains to try their luck.
Maybe that will change, but in the near term I like the idea of working with an agent, in particular, if I'm lucky enough to find one. I've worked too hard on this to throw it away in Smashwords or Amazon's endless pile, and I do not have the time to both write and become a full time publisher. I'm happy to take lower royalties for a better chance at really establishing myself as an author.
Mira says
Great topic, Nathan!
I thought the Eisler/Konrath discussion was great. I really like Eisler's viewpoint. I thought it was both balanced and clear.
I've been pretty open about this here, so no surprise, but I won't ever pursue traditional publishing, and even if my book hit it big I wouldn't accept any offers to publish traditionally.
The 'writer as lowly drudge' culture that permeates traditional publishing is the main reason for this.
I couldn't bring myself to sell rights to my work, work which is deeply meaningful to me, to an enviornment that I feel doesn't treat me respectfully.
If the culture of traditional publishing substantially reformed, I'd reconsider, but for now, it's really off the table for me.
I'm just grateful that I have options today that many generations of writers did not have. And good options. E-publishing is very appealing to me for many reasons – the creative control, the higher royalty rates and the pacing all appeal to me as well.
Misty Provencher says
I was 100% for traditional. I had offers, I got an agent and then I was turned out for something that didn't seem too reasonable. Traditional turned out to be something far different than I expected or hoped. Frustrated, I began to release my novel on my blog a few chapters a week, but when advised to protect my work, I self-pubbed. I don't know where the road will take me, but it has given me choices that I wouldn't have had as a traditionally pubbed author. I chose my own title, I chose my cover art. All the choices and work can be overwhelming, but with all freedom comes great responsibility.
Najela says
The problem is that neither one is mutually exclusive. I don't see why author couldn't pick both. I would publish traditionally for exposure and self publish for the money. My main goal would be to write the best story possible and after that is done, figure out where the best home for it would be whether that be through one of the big 6 or to do it myself.
historywriter says
Things in publishing are so fluid. I think it's wrong to dismiss traditional publishing and vice versa. I sincerely believe that publishing in both worlds will become normal.
After years of querying, I decided to self-pub a historical fiction novel of mine. It is about the Civilian Conservations Corps. It's doing well and I have unique audiences that are interested in the story and the subject. Libraries are picking it up. Self-pub is good for THIS book, but I'm querying two others. One, an agent has been very interested in. I hope to go the trad way with it.
Hiroko says
I'm more inclined to self-publish because I like having freedom over my own material, though the exposure traditional publishing brings is fairly tempting. Where I am right now is going for self-publishing, but if I were to be offered a traditional deal (by some miracle), I might or might not consider it.
Anonymous says
I'm not surprised more people said they prefer the traditional way.
David says
Self-publishing only, from now on, forever. If I were advising a young writer, just starting out, I'm not sure what I'd say, but for those of us at the other end of a writing career, self-publishing is the only way to go.
This sort-of relevant blog post might be of interest: https://eyeblister.blogspot.com/2011/10/those-awful-self-published-books.html
Lexi says
I self-published, and last year made considerably more than the advance I'd likely have been offered by a trad publisher.
I've given up submitting. I'm not against the right legacy deal, but contracts seem to be getting tougher and more all-inclusive, while offering smaller advances. And the time they take to get a book on the shelves is inexcusable…
D.G. Hudson says
I will try trad, and keep open options for self-pubbing.
Attending a writer's conference recently helped me re-align my next moves.
There's no reason for a writer to narrow their own options by taking one side or the other. That said, I couldn't help but chuckle at Peter Dudley's take on the whole process.
Miranda Hardy says
I'm not attempting the traditional path. Although, it's for some, the industry is shifting drastically and it's no longer necessary to do things the same any longer. With the right cover artist and editor, not to mention a great marketing plan, it's viable to do well on your own. I'm not looking to make millions. I desire to write good books with no pressure.
anya* says
I am going the traditional route. The book I am trying to get representation for right now is a contemporary ya and I just don't see how that would work well for self-pub e-book format. Maybe it depends on the sort of books one is writing as to wether they are more or less likely to go the self-pub route?
I wish I wrote suspense/thriller for adults because those are the ones I keep hearing about being hits as e-books. Maybe I'm wring?
Annalise Green says
I definitely want to try the traditional route first. I certainly like having self-publishing as an option, but I think there's no reason not to try traditional publishing, at least for me.
I'll admit that it's not such a rational decision as an emotional one – I've always bought books through bookstores that were traditionally published. I'd like readers to be able to access my books the same way.
Natalie Aguirre says
I'll be trying the traditional publishing route and keep writing if I can't get an agent for my first book. With working full-time, I don't think I would have the time to independently publish and do all the marketing. But I can see how this is a good option for some people.
SBJones says
I think the first publishing house that develops a model to recruit successful self published authors with a fair and reasonable contract, is going to come out on top of the business.
I'm not talking Amanda Hocking or other self pubed millionaires. But the authors who are selling 1000 books a month, but could be selling 10,000 with the right polishing and muscle of a traditional method.
LM Preston says
I always pursue both. Give it a year to pimp traditional then publish with my small press. My small press is doing well enough for me to consider pubbing others. So why does an author ever have to decide in a blanket. At the end of the day it's about sales. Either to a large pub then to market or straight to market. It's up to the author to decide what's right for them. Some authors just don't have the desire to run a business which publishing something is the business of 'selling' a product. And that's okay. Now we just have – more options. And I like it that way.
LM Preston says
Oh, I do want add that now that I partner in a small pub I totally understand the biz way more than I ever did when all I wanted to do was write and get paid just to do that. Now I can write, sell it, and take it to market … and do it darn well. Something I would have never discovered had I not had the journey of publishing.
Ann Best says
I just successfully self-published a novella, after having published with a small press my first memoir, which I don't regret at all. In fact, it was the best way to go. But I'm too old (71) to wait and wait again for the publishing process to play out (and there's also the issue of control, and promotion, which more and more authors have to do on their own). I voted self-pub to your question; but I WILL try my next full-length memoir traditionally first, but only with two companies I have in mind that would be possibilities. Otherwise…I've done the querying, and I'm done with the querying! The rest of my time here on earth is too short. I am confident about self-pubbing because I got degrees in English and creative writing, and have worked as a proofreader and editor, and have a friend who can make covers for me. And I'm having great fun with this since I just figured out how to get my work properly formatted for Amazon!
Ann Best, Memoir Author of In the Mirror & Imprisoned
filmworksusa says
Sure, it would be wonderful to hand off the actual publishing work to "professionals", but even that is no guarantee. I had a contract with An Important Publisher some years back but walked away because of a conflict with an assigned editor who clearly had no understanding of, or deep interest in, my project.
A few years later I had another project at a Very Large and Important Agency. When a fair and reasonable contract offer came in, the agent responded by screaming down the phone and demanding a high six figure advance. The offer went away – and so did I.
My experiences are perhaps not typical – but, before you can find out, 'legacy' publishing demands you submit via an agent. Given that even the smallest boutique NYC literary agencies are getting (at minimum) 1,000 queries every week – is this the kind of lottery you're comfortable with? Makes you wonder if Tolstoy, Trollope and Twain could have passed the query letter test. Well, Twain certainly.
I spend 5 months writing a novel, 3 months researching and tracking agencies so that I can make a personalized and appropriate query, and then wait a further 3 months until the responses, or non- responses, have come back to me.
I think that putting the effort into self-publishing rather than gambling my time away on the 'legacy' route is probably a smarter way to go.
We live in an amazing time for emerging writers.
Karen Coombs says
I've had eight books published with traditional publishers. After an unwelcome hiatus from writing, I'm back submitting a number of mss, but find the industry has changed so much it's a challenge to get back on the production line. This month I waded into the waters of e-book publishing with one of my out-of-print MG novels and am waiting to see how it goes. Success might encourage me to go the same route with my unpublished works, even though self-promotion is not my favorite activity and it takes a lot of time away from my writing. I'd rather have a traditional editor in my corner, who can take off some of the pressure and leave me more time to write. However, I am pleased with the way my e-book turned out–once the initial glitches get exorcized.
Sassee B says
As a newbie in the writing world I haven't decided yet whether I'll go traditional or self-pub. I recognize that I need editing services, and I've researched enough to know that an agent can get me a smoking deal with a publisher (if my stuff is worthy), but self-publishing also looks appealing in that I can keep more of the profit for myself. I'm just not sure which way I'll go when I have something sellable.
Taylor Napolsky says
Traditional. I want a real editor. I want a team to help develop me. I want my $5,000 advance damn it!
Serena Casey says
I self-pubbed my first book (not in print, digital only). It was a fairly painless – and free – process, and rather than still sending out queries, I'm already earning money. Only a teeny trickle so far, but I'm not doing it for the money anyway.
Would my book be better if I had the valuable advice from a editing team and whatnot? No doubt. But people are loving it as it is, so it's a win-win.
lrcutter says
I had three books published traditionally. Then I stopped writing for a while (personal reasons.) Now I'm back, and it's self-pubbing all the way. I'm releasing my novels electronically on my own, as well as new short fiction. Next year I'll start releasing new novels.
That being said, the publishing landscape is changing. Would I accept a contract today from a legacy publisher? Probably not — terms are too draconic. Would I accept one in the future? If the terms change significantly, I may.
DearHelenHartman says
My vote – self pub all the way – is a bit disingenuous – I continue to write and publish in my genre of 14 years as long as they will send me checks. But because of micro managing that work is no longer my best so the community and persona (dearhelenhartman.com)and the platform (I hate that word almost as much as Tribe – ugh) I am building on line will support my more interesting, work (what used to be called Break Out books) and I will probably not even try traditional publishing for that.