BLOGWORDS – Monday 29 July 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – DAVID RAWLINGS

BLOGWORDS – Monday 29 July 2019 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – DAVID RAWLINGS
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NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – DAVID RAWLINGS
 
What is the best option for an international author – traditional or indie?

 

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When I started this writing journey, one of my first considerations was not what to write or how to write it. It was this: which path will I go down? Do it myself or follow a more traditional route? But ultimately, how am I going to get this story out to readers and share it with the world?

 

All writers face that decision – some early in the piece, some later when one option hasn’t worked out.  But for me, there was another wrinkle to complicate things. I’m an Australian writer, looking longingly at a marketplace in America, where I feel compelled to launch my story.

 

This raised the question – which is better for a writer hoping to break into an international market? There are a number of considerations that I went through to find the answer for me, and I thought I’d raise them here for you if you’re wondering about the best path for you to take.

 

So, what are the pros and cons of indie publishing v traditional publishing if you’re an international author? There is no “one size fits all” – you need to identify the best fit you

 

Considerations: Indie publishing

Getting into the market is hard enough, getting into a marketplace that is far removed from your own location is even harder. Indie publishing removes that – it gives you the chance to publish anyway, and notify this new market that you’re around.

BUT …

When you’re removed from the marketplace, you probably don’t have any presence that you can trade on. This will take time to build
If you’re marketing, you have control over what you do. (You have to – there is no-one else to do it ). And you’re not limited to other’s timings or their priorities.

BUT …

You’re now drawing from your own resources – time and money. It’s worth considering both, but particularly the time element. We tend to focus on the money side of things easily, but your time is also finite. What can you afford to take time to invest in?

 

Considerations: Traditional publishing

If you are removed from a marketplace, a traditional publisher will help you break into it faster. If you don’t have contacts in that market, you’ll need time to build up your profile. While it will still take time with a traditional publisher, it will help speed things up.

BUT …

It’s hard. You don’t need me to tell you that, but you’re now in the mix with all other aspiring authors who are trying to get in front of a traditional publisher as well.
A traditional publisher will allow you to work with a team of people who will partner with you as you develop your novel.

BUT …

You will need to get used to working remotely, and not talking to them easily on the phone or even in face-to-face meetings. You can’t just drop in, or seek support and comfort over a coffee. My publisher is in Nashville, and there is a 14.5 hour time difference. So scheduling meetings requires a constant thinking across a handful of time zones. And all of my emails from them come in overnight. That might not sound much, but it can slow things down and change the way you work.

 

So which way did I go? In the end, I pursued a traditional path, pitching agents and publishers with an award-nominated manuscript. It took a while – see above – but I’m now with the Steve Laube Agency, and my debut novel – The Baggage Handler – was published in March by 2019.

 

That’s not to say traditional is better. It was for me in the early stages of my fiction career, but it’s important to evaluate the best option for you, considering all that’s required so that your fiction writing journey isn’t just productive, but also enjoyable.

 

 

 

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David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father-of-three who loves humor and a clever turn-of-phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.

 

His debut novel, The Baggage Handler, is available from a range of book stories and online via http://books2read.com/baggage.

 

His second novel, The Camera Never Lies, will be available from December 3.

 

www.davidrawlings.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/DavidRawlingsAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/davidrawlingsauthor/

https://twitter.com/DavidJRawlings

 

 

#Blogwords, New Week New Face, #NWNF, Guest Post, David Rawlings