Introduction
At first glance, the publishing industry is difficult to navigate. It’s hard to know where to start, and which avenue may be best for your work whether you’re a new or seasoned writer in the field. This particular guide delves into the different areas of publishing—traditional, hybrid/vanity, independent, self-publishing—including how to avoid common scams when submitting to open calls or contests so your words can reach their optimum audience.
Different Publishing Methods
If you are beginning to branch out into the literary scene, you have likely submitted to nonprofit or youth magazines/presses. These are often considered independent, or indie, as they are independently-ran through the support of volunteers, grants, donations, or university departments. Independent publishing, for both publishing houses and magazines, entails an affordable way for a writer to get their name out there. Most indie outlets have little to no reading fees and quick turnaround times regarding responses—generally anywhere from a few days to six months at most after submission. Some well-known examples include Electric Literature, ArabLit Quarterly, New Words Press, and Oneworld Publications. These publications are best geared towards writers of color, queer, disabled, and other minorities, as they look distinctively for works on lived experiences that allow the otherwise brushed aside voices the light of day they deserve. The author receives anywhere from fifty to ninety percent in royalties after each sale of their books, with the other percentage contributing to keeping the independent press running, paying staff and interns, and/or donated towards an important charity. Some independent magazines are also paying-markets, where they’ll pay the author anywhere from $5-100 USD to the author per writing accepted into their issues.
Traditional publishing, on the other hand, can be largely difficult to make a name in. Publishing houses such as Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster are the better known examples within the United States. To have your books published through this avenue requires years of querying for agents willing to represent your work, an already established standing within the literary community, and a strong grasp on the insides of book marketing to truly help your work become the next NYT Bestseller. Traditional publications can’t be solicited directly by the writer, or else your submission will be left collecting dust on an editorial assistant’s computer. It isn’t to say that this publishing method isn’t impossible for minorities— it would merely require a great deal of patience, countless hours of rejection therapy, and a tireless grit. When your agents submit a sample of your writing to the publisher that best fits your book, you can expect to wait a few years before hearing back on whether the publication is interested in producing and marketing your book to the global audience. In terms of royalties, per every book sold, an author can expect to receive less than twenty percent on their books after the publishing house takes half and your agent withdraws their own stipend from each successful sale. Another downside to traditional publishing is the loss of free rein within your writing. These agents and publishers alike create tight deadlines for when they want the next book of yours to be out— leaving little time to branch out or take a step back without terminating your contract.
Self-publishing, unlike the others, is vastly different. It includes completing a majority of the publishing work out-of-pocket without the support of a press supporting you in the editing, marketing, designing, and retailing processes. Some websites aid in the distribution and uploading for print and ebooks include Lulu Publishing, XinXii, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital. Amazon KDP and B&N Press are also reliable options. Throughout the self-publishing process, authors retails full rights to their works as well as have the freedom of deciding each step of the process on their own time. However, to compete with other traditional books on the market, it requires higher costs of spending for the author’s ads to reach their designated audiences. Self-publishing is where most authors turn to if Independent or Traditional isn’t the right fit for their needs, and are looking to have their works out into distribution as soon as possible. Although self-published books aren’t widely recognized within Traditional publishing spaces, should your writing skyrocket later down the line, it is a humbling first step in making it up the ladder if it is an available option. This area of publishing also includes zines, which are “mini magazines” made and distributed by one or more creatives to be sold at conventions, donated to little free libraries, and spread within communities as a way of educating about any topic, a form of protest, or merely for one’s creative work to begin reaching small audiences. Depending on the platform used, an author is able to earn one-hundred percent of their royalties in return upon this method.
Publishing Scams and How to Avoid Them
In the previous category, I had skipped over mentioning Hybrid publishing as a publishing route. While there are some reputable Hybrid publishers, it is few and far between. Because of this, it is widely considered a scam route within the publishing industry. I’ve dealt with a fair share of Hybrid “publishers” when I was just stepping into the literary landscape, and they’re hard to catch until the last minute. Some of the well-known “publishers” include Austin Macauley Publishers in the UK, Gatekeeper Press, and Eber & Wein Publishing within the United States. These can also be considered Vanity publishers, given their restricting contracts and high fees. The best way to spot if you’re being scammed by one of these publishers is by thoroughly reading the contracts they offer to publish your books, researching their reviews, and checking how much that they are asking for upfront payment. A true Hybrid/Vanity publisher does not charge authors any upfront fees, and their contracts are for a shorter period of time without substantial price tags attached for book printing and other services. An author should never have to pay over $20k USD to be published in the industry, as most publishers pay for those themselves to better support you. Hybrid publishing is meant to be paid around fifty percent by the author and publisher, while still earning a high percentage of royalties. If you are looking into taking the Hybrid publishing route for your books, I would recommend Rise Books, Greenleaf Book Group, and Atmosphere Press, although the costs vary depending on the amount of services you require.
Lastly, when it comes down to submitting to open calls and contests that sound too good to be true. In many scam contests, you’ll hear back within weeks that your submitted work has won a prize— in turn for the author needing to pay anywhere from $20-200 USD in order to receive your contributors’ copy of the anthology, or to merely have your author biography below the piece itself. They charge higher fees when submitting, anticipating younger and newer writers to submit. An excellent example of this is Poetry Nation’s national poetry contest within the United States. They publish any poem that is sent to them, while their anthologies can only be purchased directly on their outdated website— their Amazon has yet to update with any of the new anthologies from the last couple of years. Contests, such as these, are also known to use the writer’s works without their permission in the future. It is good to cross-research anything said during running contests advertised, regardless of the press, to know that the awards, publications, and other information mentioned are reputable for further advancement in your literary career.
Conclusion
As we delve deeper into the publishing industry, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the variety of options available and knowing whether or not an opportunity is the right choice. Even as a seasoned writer, it is easy to fall for scams despite understanding the methods in avoiding them, as many come and go too quick to thoroughly dive into. Nevertheless, despite the difficulties of adjusting to the industry, there are always opportunities that will allow your writing to be heard by the right audience.
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