If you've written a book and are unsure whether to self-publish it or seek a publisher, this presentation is for you! I go over the main benefits and drawbacks of self-publishing and traditional publishing. I also explain how to make the most of each route, and go over a few alternative and hybrid options. Made by https://reedsy.com

2. I’m Ricardo Fayet,
Founder at reedsy.com
@ricardofayet

3. Reedsy: An international community of
best-in-class independent publishing professionals.

4. Some things authors say to me…
“Ultimately my dream is to find a publisher for
my book but I’ll start self-publishing it to get
some exposure.”
“Self-publishing is 10% writing and 90% marketing.
I just want to write, so I’ll try to find a publisher.”
“I queried 20 agents and only got standard-form
rejections. So I’ll just self-publish.”
“I want to find a publisher just for my print rights, so I
get into bookstores – and I keep my ebook rights.”

5. There are countless publishing options out there…

6. Source: JaneFriedman.com

7. How to choose the right publishing path?
Changing paths and becoming
“hybrid”
What a traditional publisher
will do for your book
Self-Publishing vs.
Traditional Publishing
How to make self-publishing
work for you
Here’s what we’ll cover:

8. Self-pub vs Trad. Pub. – Pros & Cons
Gatekeepers
Upfront cost/advance
Artistic control
Ebook royalties
Print royalties
Rights management
SELF-PUBLISHING
100% chance of publishing
- $2,000-$4,000
Retain full control over your
work, publishing and marketing
60%-70%
20-50%
Retain all rights
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING
1% chance of getting a deal
+ $2,000-$10,000
All control is handed over to your
publisher
20%-25% net
<10%
Surrender all rights*
*Independent publishers and digital imprints may exclude audio, foreign and movie/TV

9. Author Royalties in Traditional Publishing
Hardback
Trade Paperback
(Chain Bookstores)
Mass Market
(Supermarkets, Airports)
Ebooks
Audiobooks
10% of Retail Sales
7.5% of Retail Sales
8% of Retail Sales
17.5% of Retail Sales (25% Net)
25% of Retail Sales
Format Average Royalties

10. Author Royalties in Self-Publishing
Print
Ebooks
Audiobooks
20%-50% of Retail Sales
60-70% of Retail Sales
40% of Retail Sales
Format Average Royalties

11. Right & wrong reasons for self-publishing
Right reasons Wrong reasons
“I’m confident my book will sell
well and I want to keep most of
the returns.”
“I’m entrepreneurial-minded.”
“I want to keep full editorial
control over my story.”
“My genre/story is too niche for a
traditional publisher.”
“I’ve been unsuccessful in finding
an agent/publisher so I’ll just put
my story out there.”
“I’ve read E.L. James has made a
ton of money.”
“It seems easier and quicker than
going through all the hassle of
finding an agent.”

12. Right & wrong reasons for traditional publishing
Right reasonsWrong reasons
“I want brick-and-mortar
bookshops to store my books.”
“I don’t feel qualified to pick and
manage an editorial and design
team.”
“It’s always been my dream to be
a ‘published author’.”
“I want to be considered for
literary prizes and reviews.”
“I want my book to be on
billboards and bookshop
windows.”
“Self-publishing is too costly.”
“I don’t want to ‘market’ my
books, I just want to write.”
“I don’t think I’ll be considered a
‘real author’ if I self-publish.”

13. 1,000,000+ books were be
published in 2016 in the US.
Self-published ebooks
represent over 40% of
Amazon ebook sales.
SELF-
PUBLISHING
700,000
TRADITIONAL
PUBLISHING
300,000
Source: Author Earnings

14. The “hybrid” options: are they worth it?
The “hybrid publishers”
The “agent-assisted
publishing” imprints
The digital publishers
The “assisted
self-publishing” companies
The “crowdfunding
publishers”

15. The “hybrid” options: are they worth it?
The “hybrid publishers”
The “agent-assisted
publishing” imprints
The digital publishers
The “assisted
self-publishing” companies
● Idea: “share costs, share
profits”
● Questionable (if not dodgy)
● Traditional publishing model
● Only ebooks (25% royalties)
● Great for commercial fiction
● Self-publishing model
● Handholding
● ‘Mark-up’ on services +
distribution cut
● Similar to digital publishers
● Used mainly for the backlist
● Conflict of interest?
The “crowdfunding
publishers”
● Curated selection
● Crowdfunding to fund the
publication of the books
● Traditional publishing
model if funded
● Higher royalties (50%)

16. How to avoid the scams
● How do you make money?
● How much do I have to pay upfront or for services? (Compare that to market prices).
● What rights do you acquire and for how long?
● What are my royalties on the rights you acquire?
● How will you distribute and sell my books? (Check if they have a sales team).
1- Ask the right questions:
2- Run a “background check”
● Google “company name” + “scam” or “complaint” or “review”.
● Ask on social networks (Fb groups, Twitter, Kboards).
● Ask specialized organizations like ALLi or The Authors Guild.
● Consult David Gaughran’s blog and Writer Beware.

17. How to choose the right publishing path?
Changing paths and becoming
“hybrid”
What a traditional publisher
will do for your book
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional
Publishing
How to make self-publishing
work for you
Here’s what we’ll cover:

18. What does the process look like?
Embarking on your publishing journey

19. Your indie publishing journey

21. What kind of editing do you need?
Full definitions
can be found
here

22. How much should I budget for editing?
Price per word

23. How much should I budget for editing?
Full infographic
analysis here

25. $600

26. What to expect from a pro cover designer?
The usual process:
1. You provide a brief and inspiration
2. The designer produces 3-4 “concepts”
3. You choose one
4. You get 2-3 rounds of iterations
You should be clear on:
- The number of concepts
- The number of iterations
- Photo vs. illustration
You can read more about the cover design
process here.

27. First round of concepts
86%of Reedsy designers provide three to four initial
design concepts.

28. Second round of concepts
69%of Reedsy designers provide two to three rounds
of iterations after a first concept is picked.

31. Interior/Layout Design vs Formatting
For simple fiction/non-fiction
Most formatters will charge you
<$100 for ebook, and slightly more
for print. You can also use online
tools.
For illustrated fiction/non-fiction
Designing the layout of a complex
cookbook, for example, can cost up
to $5,000.

32. OCTOBER 2016 @REEDSYHQ
The Reedsy Book Editor changes
how we create books
Easily format your book
Create chapters and parts and
apply the type of paragraph or
character style you want.
Download EPUB and PDF files
Compatible with Amazon
Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, etc.
and print-on demand services
(Createspace, Lulu, Ingram)

33. Game-changing. One program to format
distribution-ready EPUB and PDF files
Compatible with Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, etc. and print-on
demand services (Createspace, Lulu, Ingram)

34. Two other online tools you can take a look at
Vellum
Mac-only, pricey, but
well-designed and easily
customizable for EPUB
and print.
Draft2Digital Templates
Free, automated
conversion from Word to
EPUB and print. Wide
selection of templates.

36. Clear branding
Simple CTA
Lead magnet
Links to all the
retailers
Mailchimp/Mailerlite
Segmented lists
Automated sequences
Link to it from your
website & books
Right categories
Right keywords
Strong blurb
Author page
Reviews
Define your
audience and
channels*
Pre-launch strategy
Post-launch strategy
*ARCs (Bookfunnel), crowdfunding, Facebook ads, promotions, giveaways, PR, blog tours, social, content/SEO

37. To learn more about book marketing: Reedsy Learning
28 free courses. 25,000 students enrolled. 5 minutes a day.
https://blog.reedsy.com/learning

38. How to choose the right publishing path?
Changing paths and becoming
“hybrid”
What a traditional publisher
will do for your book
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional
Publishing
How to make self-publishing
work for you
Here’s what we’ll cover:

40. 5 Myths of traditional publishing
It’s your book, you’re
the boss.
#1
You can quit your day
job now.
#2
Your publisher will
launch a huge
marketing campaign.
#3
Your book will be
published in the next
year.
#4
Write the next one,
your publisher will
publish it.
#5
Note : This is from the Wise Ink blog.

41. The main advantages of a (good) publisher
You’ll get an advance
and won’t have to pay
for anything.
#1
You’ll work with a top
editor who will root for
your book.
#2
You will get access to
literary outlets,
reviews and prizes.
#3
You will have a
marketing team
working on your book.
#4
Your book will be
available –for some
time– in bookstores.
#5

42. Fiction: Do you need a literary agent?
Accept unagented submissions
Some Big Five digital imprints
Most digital publishers
Some independent publishers
Crowdfunding publishers
Big Five imprints
Most independent publishers
Only accept agented submissions
More info on the role of literary
agents in this blog post.

43. Fiction: Finding a literary agent
Write your
query letter
Query 5 agents at
a time
Polish your letter
based on their
feedback
Consider seeking
a freelance
editor’s opinion
Research
literary agents
Resources:
● UK: Writers & Artists
● US: Writer’s Digest
● US: Publishers Marketplace
● US: Poets & Writers
Feedback No feedback

44. Fiction: Submitting direct to publishers
Write your
query letter
Query 5 publishers
at a time
Polish your
submission based
on their feedback
Consider seeking
a freelance
editor’s opinion
Research
publishers
Additional Resources:
● Google alerts: “unagented submissions”
● Authors Publish magazine
Feedback No feedback

45. Non-fiction: Creating a book proposal
What does a book proposal consist of?
● A title page: your hook or elevator pitch;
● A table of contents (for the proposal);
● An overview/synopsis of the book;
● A list of chapter headings;
● Details of the content to be created for each chapter;
● A list of 3-5 competing books that have had strong sales;
● A sample chapter;
● An author biography;
● A marketing and promotion plan;
● A list of experts (or celebrities) willing to provide blurbs or endorsements.
Source : Barry Fox (Ghostwriter)

46. A note on memoirs and children’s books
Children’s Books
Know exactly which age group
you’re writing for.
Do not get your book illustrated
before querying agents.
Follow the same rules as for
adult fiction.
Memoirs
Your story needs to be truly
unique for agents/publishers to
even consider it.
Unless you’re an accomplished
writer, you’ll need both a book
proposal and a full manuscript.
Follow the same rules as for
non-fiction.

47. How to choose the right publishing path?
Changing paths and
becoming “hybrid”
What a traditional publisher
will do for your book
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional
Publishing
How to make self-publishing
work for you
Here’s what we’ll cover:

48. The different forms of “hybrid”
You are published by a traditional publisher but
self-publish on the side.
You self-publish but a publisher has acquired the print,
audio, foreign and/or movie rights for your book.
You self-published a book but it has since been acquired
and re-published by a traditional publisher.
You self-publish but your print books are distributed by
a traditional publisher.
#1
#2
#3
#4
Common
Rare
Unlikely
Very unlikely

49. From self-publishing to traditional publishing
Path #1
Path #2
Write a new book
‘Sell’ the rights to a
publisher
Find an agent for
that new book
Self-publish a book
Sell 500,000+
copies
‘Sell’ the rights to a
publisher
Find an agent for
your book
Self-publish a book

50. From traditional publishing to self-publishing
● Rights reversion clauses
● Potential exclusivity clauses
This very much depends on your contract with the publisher. Pay special attention to:
These two organisations are worth joining for their free legal counsel on contracts:
● Alliance of Independent Authors
● The Authors Guild
Finally, you have to read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Business Musings every week.

51. Hope you enjoyed the presentation!
Learn more about Reedsy at https://reedsy.com
Any questions? Drop us a line:
service@reedsy.com