Comments on: A Look at Traditional Publishing

By: Kelly Higgins-Rucker

Kelly Higgins-Rucker — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 05:24:20 +0000

I agree that having an agent is a great way to go…but what does a writer do when you can’t get an agent? That’s the problem I have had for several years. I had to self-publish my book in 2011 after submitting my query letter to several agents. It looks like I will have to do the same with my second book. I will keep trying to do the traditional route, but it has been very discouraging.

By: Tatjana van der Krabben

Tatjana van der Krabben — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 11:12:49 +0000

I go agent-free and am very pleased with that, but I do agree to a certain extend that you need assistance with your editing. At some point you develop a blind spot and miss the darnest of things, but I don’t feel it needs to be this elaborate. As a professional writer in business communication I need to self-edit all the time. It is possible to take some distance from your work and review it as if it were somebody else’s. However, with a project like a book I wouldn’t want to go without an editor. In fact, when still in the planning stage I already asked a friend/author/former English teacher to help me with the editing. Glad she said yes!

By: Mary Chris Escobar

Mary Chris Escobar — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 17:22:15 +0000

Thanks for sharing this! I just wanted to echo Kathleen’s comment that it is possible to obtain editing services at all levels as an indie published author. I completely agree with both of you that this is so important; no matter how good you are at self-editing you will always miss things.

Publishing is such an interesting journey right now, no matter how you go about it. Thanks for sharing your experience!

By: Traditional vs self-publishing or a happy medium? | How I Became A Writer

Traditional vs self-publishing or a happy medium? | How I Became A Writer — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 21:57:48 +0000

[…] A look at traditional publishing […]

By: Diana Jackson

Diana Jackson — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:10:27 +0000

Hi Liesel
Interesting reflection on the traditional route into publishing. In my opinion it is the quality control for all writers to aspire to, although not all trad published novels are as polished as yours sound to be.
I too went through a more trad route with my first novel and this gave me a wonderful grounding as to what to aim for when self publishing and helping other local authors to do so, through our own imprint. I also agree with you that an author cannot edit or proof read their own work successfully and should pay for professional services if at all possible.
It is sad that so many of the small publishing houses have been swallowed up by the big five. Self published work give the reader far more choice and some I’ve read have been excellent (and visa versa I’m afraid when the author published traditionally has been either a celebrity or from the publishing or media industry)
Good luck with your writing and long may we all continue to be fruitful!

By: Liesel

Liesel — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 10:46:38 +0000

Kathleen, So sorry to hear about your agents. It is very true that the careers of most authors tend to have bumpy moments, myself included. I think your case illustrates my point. You went through the publication process 12 times. This means that you know and understand the process, you know how to find a copy editor, what needs to go into covers and marketing – the whole shebang. I think any author who scorns indie publishing these days is at best, doing themselves a disservice and at worst, a fool. We all have to think laterally these days in order to survive.

I think my message is more for new authors who haven’t gone through the publication process: The indie market is crowded. Publishing a book yourself is a lot of work and can be a tricky process. It’s therefore very nice to have a team of people behind you who ostensibly know what they’re doing. For this reason, it is something that should also not be scorned.

..and thank you so much for the kind words about my covers. They are lovely, aren’t they?

By: kathleenjones2

kathleenjones2 — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 08:56:18 +0000

Really interesting contribution to the Trade v Indie debate Liesel – so glad that you have had such a good experience with the traditional model. But for some of us it has been traumatic. I’ve had 12 books published traditionally, and have had 4 agents – one of them still owes me money, one terrified me, another almost destroyed my career. As you point out, it’s very important to get the right agent, but these days often getting any kind of agent is impossible, particularly for new writers at the beginning of their careers.
I’m also independently published and I’m loving it! While I agree with you that it’s not possible for most authors to self-edit to the desired professional standard, it’s possible to buy in the same editing services as the big 5 publishers. Now that I’ve discovered the freedom of Indie, it would take a lot to tempt me back into the Trade fold.
Good luck with your books – I had a look (fantastic covers!) and predict they’re going to do really well!!