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Every writer, no matter if they author-publish (self-publish) or if they have sold their manuscript to a publisher, has to do their own marketing. But how can you promote your book, if you are at the mercy of a publisher – trade or vanity? What if you don’t own the ISBN and if you have no access to the retailers’ publishing / author pages, such as Amazon, B&N or Apple? We had clients whos publishers were not able to properly set up the Amazon page, did not choose the proper category, took weeks to make changes to a wrong price and months to add the images and text the author had provided for their Goodreads or Amazon page.
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This is a huge problem (among many others) that authors face after they have given away their work for a pittance – or worse, have paid thousands of dollars to a vanity publisher. So, what’s the difference between both, beside the fact that they make it difficult for their authors to market their books?
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TRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS
- Author needs to have a platform
- Trade publishers accept very few submissions (average: 4%)
- Authors might have to pitch dozens or hundreds of puplishers / agents
- Authors receive a small advance and even smaller royalties
- They do not use POD (single or few books), rather print large quantities
- Authors have barely any say to cover image, publishing date etc.
- Authors cannot decide the sales price, e-book prices are often un-competitive
- It takes very long until the book is published (12-18 months average)
- Publisher pays for printing, editing services and cover image
- Distribution services are covered by the publisher
- Professional marketing services available – but only for celebrity writers
- They own the ISBN for the book
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VANITY PUBLISHERS
- Author needs to have a platform
- Accepts almost ALL submissions
- Author never receives any advance in this “partnership“
- Author contracts are often worse than those of trade publishers
- Author pays for printing or ebook-formatting, editing services, cover image
- Authors have barely any say to cover image, publishing date etc.
- Authors cannot decide the sales price
- Mostly Quick turnaround and Print on Demand (POD)
- Barely any distribution services, compared to commercial publishers
- Vanity publishers don’t live from book sales, they live from printing/author services
- No professional marketing services
- Very few royalties – if any at all
- They own the ISBN for the book
- Your book has only 3 months time in bookstores to sell – before being discarded!
- Bookstores generally are wary of vanity books (except maybe local writers)
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AUTHOR-PUBLISHING
- Authors needs to have a platform in order to build a brand
- Needs to learn about the publishing / book distribution industry
- Needs to plan the publishing / marketing process
- Authors have to find / compare author services (POD, distribution, formatter, designer)
- Authors pays for printing or ebook-formatting, editing services, cover image
- Authors can decide everything: cover image, publishing date, retail price etc.
- Authors can do their own or hire marketing services
- Authors get up to 70% from the books retail price (or 100% if sold from own website)
- Authors own their ISBN – which is FREE in Canada! and low-cost in other countrie
- Bookstores generally are wary of author-published books (except maybe local writers)
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Conclusion:
If an author has all these challenges, waiting times (or costs to cover, in the worst scenario) – and cannot even do the necessary marketing without huge problems, what is the point in having or even paying a publisher? Why not author-publish / self-publish in the first place, and be totally independent when it comes to your marketing?
Whatever you will decide, take your time, don’t rush in anything and don’t let you sell any services, before you have thoroughly evaluated them. It does not matter if your book launches a month or a year later – important is that you have a platform as a writer and that you find a way of publishing that suits you and that gives you the freedom of your own decisions. If you decide to go with a publisher, don’t forget: Real publishers sell to readers – vanity publishers sell to writers!
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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only $ 179 for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.international-ebooks.com/book-promo to advertise your new book, specials or KDP Select Free Days.
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