Traditional Publishing or Self-Pub by Marian Lanouette

What I’m reading this week? A Little Bit of Baby by R C Bonitz

Today I’m sharing my experience with both. My first two books in the Jake Carrington Mystery Series are published by MuseItUp Publishing. I enjoyed the experience working with professional content and line editors. They really helped make the stories come alive.  I also liked working with the art department to get the covers that best displayed the story inside.

Are there draw backs? Yes, It takes a good nine months to a year to see the fruits of your labor up for sale. If it is an e-publisher it is released in e-book format first. Second, the paperback copy could take as long as one and half years after signing a contract to hit the shelves. This isn’t really a problem, if you understand the terms of your contract.

Why then would I look at self-publishing? I looked at self-publishing because I had a short story that I wanted to put out there fast. I also wanted a physical book in my hand when I went to book signing. You can’t sell a book no one knows about. By self-publishing my short story, it gave me the opportunity to promote my ebooks. At book signings, I not only signed the book, I handed out postcards for my other works to entice the reader to discover all my work.

Now with that said, the process was hardly faster. The differences? It will come out in five months as opposed to nine months.  I had to pay for the editors. I would never put my work out there if it wasnt’ professionally edited. After all I a girl from Brookyn—and what I think is a normal way of talking (see in New York people talk, in the rest of the world they speak) might not come across in the written word. So editing is a definte must no matter which way you’re published. I also had to pay a cover artist to produce my cover. These costs, the editing and the cover are up front. In a traditional publisher or epublisher the publisher’s percentages cover the cost of the books (net sales) before you’re paid.

You have to know what will work best for you. What your goals are for your books? And who you want to work with in the future, is also important. Writing, publishing and marketing all go hand in hand. Believe it or not the publishing industry is a small community and I want to build relationships that last a lifetime.

The beauty today is that you’re not tied into one format. So for each book you write explore all your options before making a decision.

Can you pick out the self-published book?

                                                                Both coming in January 2013

Filed under: romance