Traditional Publishing Versus Self-Publishing

July 16, 2018

If you think writing a book is difficult, wait till you start making efforts to get it published – writing would seem to be a walk in the park in comparison. If you are planning to write a book, or in the process of writing one, or already have a manuscript ready, then I’m sure you would be struggling with the dilemma of whether to take the traditional publishing route or go for self-publishing. Being a recently published author who has dealt with both types of publishers, I think I am an ideal candidate for drawing a comparison between traditional publishing and self-publishing.

I had finished writing this book, along with the preface, blurb, story summaries, book proposal, my résumé etc. in 2015, but I had to wait until June 2018 to hold my published book in my hands and to see it go live on international online bookstores like Amazon. These three years were wasted in approaching traditional publishers, and then after having signed a contract with one, waiting for the company to cover each stage of book designing. Finally, my patience ran out and I withdrew my book from the publisher. Then after some research and hard thinking, I signed a book publishing contract with White Falcon Publishing, Chandigarh, and they delivered a perfect product in less than six weeks. It was a long wait, full of hurdles, disappointments and setbacks, but it also taught me some invaluable lessons which I would like to share with young aspiring authors.


1. Traditional publishers don’t want to publish new, unknown authors

Yes, that’s a hard, bitter fact. Traditional publishers want to publish already famous authors, because it ensures instant sales. As for first-time authors, they like to publish known names: famous film stars, television personalities, sports stars, politicians, socialites, fashion models, celebrity chefs, and youth icons, because the first book written by a celebrity creates a lot of buzz, which translates into thousands of copies sold within the first few weeks of the book release. So the best way to get a big publishing house to publish your first book would be to first become famous in some field, and then write a book. Traditional publishers are not interested in unknown first-timers because promoting and marketing their debut book involves a lot of expense and hard work, and the book still may not sell beyond a few hundred copies. They want to publish books which can bring in maximum profits with minimum effort.

If you send a sample of your first book to some well-known traditional publishers, chances are you will not even get a response. Some of them are decent enough to return your manuscript or sample chapters with a short pre-typed note informing you that it would not be possible to publish your work, but it is heart-breaking for a struggling writer to have his manuscript or sample chapters returned by a famous publisher even without being read or opened.

I was extremely discouraged by the responses I got from the ten biggest publishing houses to which I sent three of my short stories as samples: some did not respond at all, some returned my samples saying they did not entertain unsolicited submissions, while some politely refused. Rupa Publications informed me that they did not have a spot for a new author for the next two years and that I should re-send my submission after two years!

Given this scenario, I think self-publishing is a boon for first-time authors. Being a published author is no longer a privilege of a select few belonging to an exclusive club with membership closed, out of bounds for the common man; instead, anybody who has the talent and ability to write can now have the satisfaction of holding his printed book in his hands and have it distributed globally.

2. Traditional publishers are too slow

Even if a traditional publishing company agrees to publish a first-time author, it will take a very long time – months if not years – for the book to come into the market. In large publishing houses, every stage of book publishing, like editing, proof-reading, interior designing and cover designing takes months to complete, which can be extremely frustrating for the author. On the other hand, most self-publishing companies are smartly managed, modern and efficient organizations, and usually take 6 to 8 weeks from signing of the contract to book release.

For two years, my book was languishing with a traditional publisher. I would get a vague e-mail informing me that the editing of my book had started, and then there would be no communication for six months. Then out of the blue, I would get another e-mail containing two proposed cover designs, and after some online discussion, there would be complete silence for another six months. It’s a miracle that I did not lose my mental balance and my belief in the merit of the book I had written. Finally when I signed the contract with White Falcon Publishing, things started moving on a day-to-day basis: e-mails started flying to and fro, and things like trim size, cover design, fonts to be used, and styling of headers and footers started getting finalized swiftly.

3. The author’s involvement in traditional publishing is minimal

With traditional publishers, once the author signs the contract and hands over the manuscript, his involvement in the whole process of editing, proof-reading and designing the book is minimal. In contrast, self-publishing companies take even the smallest of decisions in consultation with the author, and also educate, guide and advise him in areas of publishing which he doesn’t fully understand.

4. The author has little control over quality and pricing in traditional publishing

Most traditional publishers have in-house style parameters regarding such things as trim size, font size and style, paper type, and headers and footers style, and the author has little or no control over the final product. Moreover, the author has little say in the maximum retail price of his book. On the other hand, a self-publishing company is completely author-oriented, and involves him in every aspect of the designing and publication of the book.

With White Falcon Publishing, I had complete control over the quality of the finished product. As for pricing, I did not want to cross the psychological barrier of 200 rupees for my first book, so the price I had in mind was 199 rupees. But when my publishing consultant at WFP explained the whole situation to me, I realized that with the given cost price and 199 rupees as MRP, it would be impossible to convince physical book stores to stock the book, so I agreed to an MRP of 249 rupees for my book. There are a hundred things like this that a self-publishing company will involve you in, and you’ll be a much wiser and enlightened author by the time your first book enters the market.

5. The terms and conditions in the traditional publishing contract often favour the publisher

Most traditional publishers design contracts that are heavily loaded in their own favour, and first-time authors sign them without understanding the first thing about book publishing contracts. Such contracts often give publishers an exclusive right to print and distribute the book – forever. What that effectively means is that if the author is not satisfied with the services of his publisher, he cannot get his book printed from another publisher. Apart from that, most traditional publishers offer a new author no advance, and a mere 10% to 15% share of royalty, which is a pittance.


On the other hand, self-publishing companies like White Falcon Publishing enter into a non-exclusive agreement with an author, which means that the author has complete freedom to get his book printed from elsewhere at any point if he so wishes. Moreover, the author retains the copyright to his work and gets 100% share of profit from his book.


6. Traditional publishers no longer have the edge in marketing and distribution


All right, I admit that traditional publishers used to have a huge advantage in marketing and distribution of books until a few years back, with their wide marketing reach and deep distribution channels all over the country, and that’s why wannabe authors had no choice but to beg and plead with famous publishers to publish their books.


But the advent of Internet, coupled with the rising popularity of online stores like Amazon and Flipkart, has completely changed the game. Now more than half of book sales are through online book stores, and the sales share of physical book stores is declining with every passing year. Consequently, the physical distribution channels of traditional publishers are becoming redundant. Top grade self-publishing companies like White Falcon Publishing can make the book available at online stores not only in India but all over the world.


I admit that some readers, media houses, critics and book stores will take a traditionally published book more seriously than a self-published one, but with more and more well-known writers choosing to self-publish, that too is gradually changing.


7. Most traditional publishers do not offer print-on-demand facility


A traditional publishing house will typically print 1000 copies of a new book, and once those 1000 copies are sold, the book will go out of stock at physical book stores as well as online retailers. Then the publishing house may drag its feet on printing the second edition of the book, citing logistical problems and company policy. Meanwhile, the book will continue to be out of stock for weeks if not for months, and as a result, the public’s interest in the book will fizzle out.


In contrast, most top-notch self-publishing companies now provide POD, which is print-on-demand facility. That means the company will print even a single copy of the book if need be, so the book will always be available and never go out of print or out of stock.


8. The conclusion


From the above-mentioned points, it’s evident that self-publishing is a clear winner, at least for a first-time author. But as they say, every coin has two sides, so self-publishing cannot be all positive without any sort of dark side, right?


Well yes, there is a downside to self-publishing, which I must discuss before I end this blog post. The market is today flooded with self-published books, but most of them are weak on content. It is saddening to note that a large proportion of self-published books contain amateurish sentences, grammatical blunders, spelling errors and punctuation mistakes. A self-publishing company may warn you about problems with the content, but if you are adamant about getting the book printed as it is, then it may go ahead and publish the book – it’s your funeral, after all.


So my advice to all the young wannabe authors is this: Don’t be in a hurry to publish your first book. Educate and train yourself in the craft by reading well-known contemporary as well as classical authors. Give samples of your writing to your family members and friends, and seek their honest feedback. Be sure to edit and proofread your book multiple times. If in doubt, hire professional editing and proofreading services.


If your reader finds odd expressions, half-baked sentences, misspelled words and punctuation mistakes in your book, he’ll be put off. Even a few adverse reviews on Amazon, Flipkart and Goodreads will warn people off your book, and your first book may turn out to be your last. Be absolutely sure of the quality of your writing before thinking about publishing. It’s your first ever book, so work hard to make it awesome!


From the Author of And That's the Whole Story
Ravi Bhasin


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