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> IMO, at this point, it's better to seek rejections directly from the market via online self-publishing. I was going to write exactly this. I looked into publ
by geerlingguy 10y ago
> IMO, at this point, it's better to seek rejections directly from the market via online self-publishing.
I was going to write exactly this. I looked into publishing my book in a traditional manner and found the entire ordeal strange and messy.
Instead, I put a cover image and description on LeanPub, found there were 50+ people interested in it (just posting it on my Twitter account and emailing a couple people I knew), and decided to write an intro and a chapter or two to test the waters.
Two years and 8,000 sales later, I'm glad I didn't stake my idea of being a successful writer (or my motivation) on getting a random editor at an institution that would like to suck out 50+% of my potential profits.
Nowadays, no matter what the type of writing, you can test the waters by self-publishing. The upside is any success you have can result in real dollars/income instead of a stressful and tenuous relationship with a traditional publisher!
Ironically, after my book started becoming successful, I had reps from the major tech publishers start asking if I would like to relicense the book to them in exchange for their marketing, while simultaneously giving up about 40% of the profit margin I currently enjoy.
- cm3 10y agoGiven the online channels and on-demand-print, why would anyone release via a record label or book publisher? What's the advantage? Is it professional representation/management?
- geerlingguy 10y agoI think some of the traditional reasons are editing support, marketing support, and the idea of being on real-world bookstore shelves. For the first two, it's just a matter of whether you want to/can put in the time to hire out your own editor, do your own marketing, etc. For the last, it comes down to vanity. For tech books especially (but for many other types as well), the world has moved on beyond brick-and-mortar book sales, and the audience you cut off by excluding bookstore relationships is very small. Every time I've done a rational comparison of 'should I keep self-publishing or should I go to a publisher?' I find that for money (not that we're talking 'quit-your-job' levels for 98% of writers), for stress management, and for personal brand building, there is no upside to using a publisher.
- cm3 10y agoAgreed, having good editors is highly valuable.
- dilemma 10y agoMarketing and distribution can increase sales hundred fold. A committed editor can also significantly improve the quality of the work (an editor that doesn't care or doesn't get it can have negative impact, though).
- projectramo 10y agoThere might be a difference between non-fiction and fiction in this regard. A non-fiction work can still really benefit from an editorial pass for readability and usability, but I think for fiction we need a much better external editor to tell us it needs more work.