Annie
asked
Penelope Douglas:
In your opinion, is it better to be a self-publishing author or to have a publisher, and why? Thanks for answering :)
Penelope Douglas
Hey, Annie!
As with everything, it depends. Some authors enjoy being in the book stores and having a publicist at their disposal who has the clout to get mentions in magazines and such. The advance you get is guaranteed money, you KNOW what you're going to make, nothing is left to chance, and it's a paycheck. It's security. I'm glad I did it. I wiped out my entire college debt.
On the reverse, though, indie authors have complete autonomy over their covers, their prices, their release dates, when they want to have a sale, and their stories. That is very hard to give up. Publishers will try to work with you to please you, but ultimately they have final say over all those things.
I may go with a publisher again, but right now, it's not where I'm at. I enjoy writing younger characters, and I left my publisher, with whom I had a great experience, because I didn't feel like I could write what they wanted to sell. I don't enjoy contemporary right now (that could change), and most romance publishers don't want high school characters in their romances. Especially if it's going to have sex, like mine do. We just have different styles, and I'd rather write a story I love than change it just to make it more marketable.
So like I said, it depends on what you want out of the experience. If you can write what a publisher can sell and like the guaranteed paycheck, then a publisher is a very good experience. I would happily go back if my mindset changes on what I want to write.
But for now, I like the freedom of choice, and I make the same as I would with a publisher. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and see what fits for you.
Thanks for the question!
As with everything, it depends. Some authors enjoy being in the book stores and having a publicist at their disposal who has the clout to get mentions in magazines and such. The advance you get is guaranteed money, you KNOW what you're going to make, nothing is left to chance, and it's a paycheck. It's security. I'm glad I did it. I wiped out my entire college debt.
On the reverse, though, indie authors have complete autonomy over their covers, their prices, their release dates, when they want to have a sale, and their stories. That is very hard to give up. Publishers will try to work with you to please you, but ultimately they have final say over all those things.
I may go with a publisher again, but right now, it's not where I'm at. I enjoy writing younger characters, and I left my publisher, with whom I had a great experience, because I didn't feel like I could write what they wanted to sell. I don't enjoy contemporary right now (that could change), and most romance publishers don't want high school characters in their romances. Especially if it's going to have sex, like mine do. We just have different styles, and I'd rather write a story I love than change it just to make it more marketable.
So like I said, it depends on what you want out of the experience. If you can write what a publisher can sell and like the guaranteed paycheck, then a publisher is a very good experience. I would happily go back if my mindset changes on what I want to write.
But for now, I like the freedom of choice, and I make the same as I would with a publisher. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and see what fits for you.
Thanks for the question!
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