Book publishing can be a tiring business.
I know from personal experience as an author and publisher, as well as the stories I’ve heard from others.
Previously, I had a conversation with my mentor who told me his story working with a big self-publishing house, and how he was worn-out in the process. Wading through the publishing system had been so frustrating he couldn't enjoy that he had written and published a book.
I asked him the reason for his discouragement and he told me the exact problem. The company he chose to work with kept making errors, and it took forever to get anyone on the phone who could help him. Worse still, they didn't provide solutions but continued to try to sell him more services.
Another friend of mine went the traditional publishing route, and he was so proud when he signed his contract. When I spoke with him a year later, he was still waiting for a final release date. Mind you, he submitted his manuscript a year earlier. He felt frustrated by the \”red tape\” that delayed getting his book to his readers.
While there are pros and cons to traditional and self-publishing, what if I told you there was a third approach that blends the best of traditional and self-publishing? An approach to publishing that provides you, the author, with the expert support you need with the freedom you desire.
This non-traditional publishing approach has been called assisted publishing and hybrid publishing by some, but we prefer to call ourselves a partnership publisher. For us, our main focus is our authors, not our profit margins. Our desire is to create a partnership in the truest sense.
As an author, you can consider multiple options when it comes to publishing your book. But here are five benefits of non-traditional publishing (or partnership publishing) for you to consider.
1. You Choose Yourself
Many traditional publishing houses require working with a literary agent to submit your manuscript. If you don’t have an agent, it can take weeks, months, or more to find one who will not only represent you but have your best interests in mind.
When you go through non-traditional publishing, you can cut out the middleman instead of waiting around for someone else to represent you. There’s no one to wait on to tell you yes, no, or later. You can choose yourself and your book for publication.
2. You Can Publish Your Book When You Want
The timing of when you publish your book is important. Some authors want their book published in time for a specific event or speaking engagement. Other authors may need to publish their book to coincide with a current event, like a conference specific to their book subject.
If the release date of your book is important, who you publish with is also important. Traditional publishing houses can take 6-18 months to publish your book. And this clock doesn’t even start until after they have acquired your book.
But with non-traditional publishing, you can choose to publish your book when you like.
3. You Have Creative Control
Unlike traditional publishing, non-traditional publishing affords you the opportunity to maintain the rights to your book. It also allows you to oversee your content, production, and promotion of your book.
You can speak into who edits your book, what your book cover will look like, and even how much your book will cost to consumers.
Possessing the creative control of your book is a burdensome notion for some. For others, this is a tremendous benefit.
When choosing a non-traditional publisher, it’s important to know what to look for. We recommend finding a publisher who can provide the editing, design, and marketing services you need, along with expert feedback.
4. You’re in The Driver’s Seat
Whether you pursue traditional or non-traditional publishing, here’s one reality you will face: You’re responsible for marketing your book.
Though many new books still get discovered in bookstores, people are connecting more and more with authors online. Readers now have the ability to access individuals and companies via their website, email list, social media accounts, and more. At the end of the day, this makes you the best person to market your book.
But this doesn’t mean you’re alone in engaging your audience.
Look for a non-traditional publisher who can provide you with proven marketing support within your genre and niche.
5. You Will Receive Higher Royalty Rates
One of the differences between traditional and non-traditional publishing is when it comes to advances and royalties. Before diving into how they differ, we’ll take a quick crash course on how advances and royalties work
Advances
Think about advances like a signing bonus. It’s guaranteed money you receive before your book releases, but it’s paid against future royalty earnings. Let me explain.
Say you received an advance of $1,000 with a royalty rate that worked out to you receiving $1 for every book sold. This means you must sell 1,000 books in order for the publishing house to recuperate their advance. Depending upon the details of your contract, this means you may not receive a royalty check from your book sales until it sells 1,000 copies.
Royalties
A royalty rate is a percentage you receive upon the sale of your book – e.g., 10%.
Royalty rates are based upon either the retail cover price or the net price of your book. They will vary based upon the publishing house, the author, and the type of book that’s sold, such as a trade paper, hardcover, eBook, or audiobook.
Now that we have these terms out-of-the-way, we’ll compare how traditional and non-traditional publishing houses differ when it comes to paying advances and royalties.
Traditional vs. Non-Traditional
Traditional publishing houses usually pay an advance to authors. Non-traditional publishing houses are normally paid in advance by the authors. Traditional publishing houses pay for the rights of the author’s book. Non-traditional published authors pay for maintaining the rights of their book.
When it comes to royalties, traditional publishing houses provide a lower royalty rate for authors, whereas non-traditional publishing provides authors with a greater royalty rate.
Making This Work for YoU
As an author, you have three publishing choices:
- Traditional
- Self-Publishing
- Partnership Publishing
We understand how you decide to publish your book is a big decision to make. Writing and publishing a book is an extremely personal matter.
At Lucid Books, we invite you to learn more partnership publishing by visiting our Get Started page.
We’re here to help, so please, feel free to leave a comment below or visit our contact page to send us a direct message.
