Self Publish or Publishing house?

The publishing industry can be quite scary to novice writers, but there's actually less too it than you might expect - and there's certainly nothing to be afraid of!

When you've finished writing your book, there are two routes you can take with it: self-publishing or 'full' publishing. I'll discuss both here.

-- SELF/VANITY PUBLISHING

As the more simple route, and the one that most people don't really want, I'll quickly cover self-pulishing first. Self-publishing encompasses a lot more than printing your book off your computer and giving it to people. Essentially, it means that you are responsible for the content and marketing of your book rather than a publishing company. So what's it all about?

Self-publishing is perfect if you are writing a story, and want to see it printed, but don't actually want to be an author (or believe that you do not have the skill). There are two types of self-publishing: print on demand, and full run. Print on demand, as you might expect, involves going to a company with your book. The company will add your story to their systems, and when the book is ordered, they will print one off, bind it and send it off. If you only want one or two copies of your book, this is perfect for you.

Full run self-publishing is similar to 'normal' publishing except YOU pay for the book to be printed, rather than being paid for it. Why would you do this? If you then sell the printed booked to other people at a profit, you are making money off it. You will expect a print run of a few hundred copies to cost between £100-£500 (or $200-$1000 ish) which you resell - either to bookstores or the general public.

Self publishing is a perfectly reasonable route to take, but DO keep in mind that it won't make you an author - you are unlikely to gain much respect, and you won't see your book in stores worldwide.

For more info on self-publishing, have a read of http://www.publish-yourself.com/

-- 'NORMAL/FULL' PUBLISHING

When most people ask about publishing, this is what they are actually talking about. I left this for second because it's a little more involved than self-publishing (and you need to be able to write!)

If you want to be able to go to a bookstore and buy your book off the shelf, you will need to take this route, and enter the book industry. If you make it, that's it: you're officially an author. But, like the acting industry, lots of people don't, so watch out. To help you along, I'll outline the basic steps:

1. Write a book.

--- As obvious as it sounds, you need to have a completed story before you can become an author. Some people don't seem to realise this, so I've put it here in case.

2. Edit, edit and edit (lots) more!

--- When you've finished a book, you need to prepare it for entry to the world of publishing. This really means it has to be as good as you can make it. Go through the entire thing with a fine-toothed comb. Fix the spelling and grammar, ensure your plot flows and your characters are interesting. Make sure you don't contradict yourself, and that you've used roughly the same style of writing throughout. Rewrite any bits that are unclear, messy or annoying. When you've done that, do it again. Then again, and maybe once more. Then again. Get the picture?

3. Prepare the manuscript.

--- When you send a book off for publication, it needs to fit the expected format. You need to use font size 12, in either Times New Roman or Courier. You need to have at least a 1-inch margin around the page, and double space the lines. Don't use any fancy fonts, don't try and put a cover with it. In the header, have the title in capitals in one corner - along with the page number, and your name in the other. On the title page, just put the title and your name - don't number this page.

4. Find some (lots of) agents.

--- While some small publishers do accept unsolicited manuscripts, most won't. For this reason, you need to get a literary agent who works with the genre you've written in. An agent will negotiate with publishers and your editor on your behalf (see later), work with films rights and handle contracts etc. They take 10-20% commission - DO NOT PAY AN AGENT UP-FRONT! You need to make a list of between 20 and 30 agents who meet these requirements. You can find agent listings at http://www.writersmarket.com/ (or in the book by the same people) and at http://www.agentquery.com/ - read through loads, and come up with some.

5. Prepare your query letter.

--- You do not send your manuscript to agents - you ask them if you can. If they ask for it, you send it off. The query letter is a letter with three parts - a hook, where you grab their attention; a mini-synopsis where you summarise what happens and a mini-bio where you say who you are. The query letter will be less than a page, and could be sent by email or snail mail depending on the agent (look at their website!). It will be addressed directly to the agent you are contacting - don't say 'To whom it may concern...'! The hook should be only 1 or 2 sentences long - and also say the genre and length of the book, and the mini-synopsis a paragraph (or two, if you absolutely have to). The bio should be a few sentences - if you have won a literary competition, say so. Otherwise, don't say much here at all.

6. Send your letter to the agents.

--- Do not send the letter to all the agents at once, but to maybe 4 or 5. Wait for a reply - a positive reply will usually take a few weeks, a negative one a month or two. If you haven't heard after two months, it's a rejection. Send off your letter to some more. If you get 20 rejections, you need to change your letter. If you get asked for a sample chapter or some content, you're in. If someone says yes, don't wait for another offer - if one comes, politely decline (if you turn down the first offer, you risk getting a bad name - everyone talks to everyone here).

7. Send off the sample.

--- Following their instructions carefully, send off the manuscript to the agent. This is make or break - if they like it, you're on your way to being published. If not, you could try again - or try improving the book. Don't resubmit to the same agent if they reject it.

8. Welcome to the industry!

--- Your agent will help your prepare the book, then work on selling it to a publisher. When successful, you will be matched with an editor who will help you prepare the book for sale. The marketing department will give it a cover, and may advertise it (or they may not). If you get to this stage, you're sort of past the realm where Yahoo! Answers can help you - congratulations on making it all the way!

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I hope this helps you - good luck!

I am also 15 years old and am in the middle of publishing my book also.

I would recommend a Publishing house because you are young and a beginner (like me.)

If You self publish that means that you have to do all the difficult things yourself as in making sure it goes into shops and what shops. Advertising and designing everything e.c.t.

You would of course get more money if you Self Publish, but it is a very small chance that you will earn more and sell more books if you do every thing yourself.

If you choose a publishing house you can sit back and watch your book get published. (it sounds easier than it is but much more easier than self publishing.)

basically there is a very small chance that you will not make it if you self publish.

hope this helps :)

Nowadays, many authors turn to self-publishing for many good reasons. Traditional publishing has been known to be very complicated a process. With trying to get a publisher to notice your work, expect to go through all that waiting and waiting and even more waiting. The worst part is dealing with rejection letters. It can get frustrating, really. For a writer who has spent what seems like a lifetime crafting the perfect story, how much time are you still willing to take just to publish it?

Self-publishing saves you from going through all that waiting and those rejection letters. Best of all, it fulfills your dream of publishing that great story you have. Many authors nowadays turn to self-publishing for many good reasons. It allows full creative control of your book and you retain ownership rights to your book - after all, you wrote the book and not you.

Self-publishing is also a smarter option especially if you are planning to publish a book on a specific niche, because you can actually cater to your target readers. You also get to control the number of books you want to have printed. Usually, your POD publisher only prints your book depending on demand. This way, you wont end up with a garage full of unsold books.

Other than understanding how the publishing world works, it is important to entrust your work to a publishing company that will take care of your book's creation - from editing, layout and illustration, printing, marketing, etc.

Be prepared for failures. The idea of getting few readers, initially lures you to write. Keep on writing, honing your skills. You will succeed. Anyone who tries hard will be a winner. There is no short cut to success. Spend an affordable amount for publishing and see for yourself, and proceed further based on the result.

Hi Ota.

In self-publishing (think vanity press), you pay to publish your work. This is fine if you have the money to spare and don't plan on making money off your work. Maybe it's a book for an organization that you'll give away or sell at cost.

If you self-publish and want to make your work known, you'll have to do ALL the advertising yourself. I would suggest you read up on how the author of the Eragon books did this:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=eragon+self-publish...

Count him lucky as far as being picked up by a publishing house; this is a rare exception.

If you are able to get out there and sell your book yourself, and have the money to spend on self-publishing, then it's an option.

The best bet is to spend a certain amount of time trying to get published via a publishing house. First, aim for an agent. If you can interest an agent, he or she will contact the publishing houses they think your work will have the best chance of interesting.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/04/how-to-fin...

But first, read up on publishing and agent scams!!!! You don't want to get sucked in to one of those!

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/agents.html

http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/

It really just depends. I found this book, A teen's guide to getting published, and it has helped me a lot. Here is the most useful info (i personally think) it gave on getting published:

Why Publish?

Because it’s only the most rewarding hobby in the world, with prestige and accomplishment written all over it! For those who love o write, publishing is also a confidence booster like no other. Seeing one’s writing in print is a very rewarding experience at any age, but can be particularly beneficial for young scribes trying to assess their own level of talent. Getting published is the ultimate compliment, an affirmation that your work has strong merit. Publishing also enhances self-esteem by helping you probe to yourself, and to others, that you don’t have to be attractive, popular, athletic, or even book-smart to be an interesting, talented person.

Aside from writing ability, publishing in and of itself is also a skill. It’s about the buzz of matching your creative work with the right publication, the joy of finding your niche, the perfect mouthpiece for your voice. Finding the one that speaks your language is an awesome feeling.

But, publishing is not just about giving you a chance to speak; it’s also about offering others the chance to listen, and convincing them to do it. Through your writing, you can inspire, comfort, motivate, inform, or simply entertain people.

You also become a small part of history this way, contributing your own two cents to the very complicated picture of what it’s like to be a teen in today’s world. Seize this opportunity to show often-skeptical people that the word teenager is not a synonym for slacker or delinquent. Many teens are very smart, perceptive, insightful, funny, and compassionate, with so many different voices to share—voices that are worthy of being heard by people of all ages, and especially other teens.

Your work might be really good, and this could be the best risk you ever take. Years from now, you’ll pull those dusty old issues out of a box in your closet and smile at the memory of receiving those acceptance letters. Adventure awaits.

Self-Publishing

The most straightforward way to see your work in print is to submit it to a professional publisher in hopes that they will accept it for publication. However, the landscape has changed dramatically over the last several years, and the alternative of self-publishing has expanded and grown increasingly popular.

Self-publishing is just what it sounds like—the act of publishing something yourself. This could be as simple as using a desktop publishing software on your computer to format and print out copies of your work and distributing them to neighbors and friends. The most common example is to create a novel or nonfiction book and pay a print shop to produce copies of it for you to distribute. Regardless, in self-publishing, you do most of the ward and are responsible for the entire process: writing, editing, designing layouts and graphics or illustrations, marketing, and distributing copies of the finished product.

Obviously, this kind of self-publishing is not for everyone. It’s really a business in and of itself, requiring a true entrepreneurial spirit and a significant investment of time and money, particularly if you are self-publishing a book. Some people equate self-publishing with self-indulgence. They may assume –rightfully or not—that you chose to publish your work yourself because it wasn’t good enough to be accepted by a real publisher, or because you didn’t have the patience to collaborate with an editorial staff. Impatience certainly is not a good reason to self-publish.

However, thanks to the advent of digital or electronic means of publishing, self-publishing has become much more popular, and much more affordable than it used to be.

A handful of talented (and lucky) authors have managed to generate bestsellers by self-publishing. If a self-published book sells enough copies, thereby proving that it has a substantial audience, it may get the attention of traditional book publishers. Although this type of success story is still rare, it has helped change the reputation of self-publishing, making it more respectable in the industry.

Self-publishing can offer a great opportunity for an author whose work doesn’t quite fit with the mainstream publisher. It may also provide an outlet for ideas that fall “outside the box.” First, however, take a step back and try to give yourself, and your ego, an honest appraisal. Are you looking to self-publish simply because you are afraid of receiving criticism from an editor or can’t stand to make compromises with a traditional publisher? Or are you genuinely interested in taking charge of the whole process in order to bring your unique project to life? Do you have the time and energy to commit to the project? Can you afford it? It helps to have the support of your family and friends, as well.

I paraphrased a little . . . but the message