Congratulations on finishing your manuscript! All those months, or years, you’ve slaved over your keyboard have finally paid off, and now you are ready for…(drumroll please)…the submission process! First, welcome to this wonderful and painful world. You’ve made a lot of decisions for your book and while you are unsure if you should go through an agent or not, you are sure you want to seek out that ever sought-after contract from a publishing company.
Certainly, traditional publishing has its drawbacks; however, there are several advantages to setting your sights on a publishing house.
Compensation
After the popularity of Twilight, Stephanie Meyer received a whopping $750,000.00 advance for her famous series and Suzanne Collins also signed an undisclosed six-figure contract for The Hunger Games series. Certainly, simply signing with a top publisher isn’t a guarantee you will reap that kind of cold, hard cash, but securing that top publisher with an agent could secure you a book advance if they feel your book will sell good.
Editing Services
Publishers have an assortment of editors and fact checkers at their finger-tips. They know the market – they know what sells and what doesn’t. They know plots that people crave and characters that people are drawn to. Editors who work for publishing houses know what your book needs, and even if your novel has been edited before submission, having a publishing editor comb through it before it hits the shelves could mean the difference between it becoming New York Times Best Seller or a bookshelf dud.
Cost
Publishing a novel is expensive. Even through cheaper self-publishing sites like CreateSpace which range their packages low. Between professional editing, ISBN numbers, and buying copies for marketing, the cost can be staggering, turning you into one of those cartoon characters with the dollar signs spinning around your eyeballs like a slot machine. For a lot of writers, the three jackpots lining in a row is simply an expense they can’t, or don’t want to, take on. Publishing houses; however, assume all cost of editing and printing the novels. Giving your wallet a lifeline and keeping it from jumping off the nearest bridge.
Marketing and Experience
Ask any reader not familiar with the publishing world who Lu Lu or iUniverse is and you probably will get shrugged shoulders and a blank stare. But ask that same reader who Little Brown or Random House is and you will get a list of books they recently read who have been published by them. With their media connections and solid reputations marketing your novel will be a whole heck of a lot less daunting. Most new writers also are unaware of the book world. Market trends can change with the weather and unless you are in the heart of everything, having a publishing house who knows exactly what is going on in that ever-changing world will be the biggest asset of your writing career.
Status and Experience
Even with a boom in self-publishing, there is still a stigma against a self-published novel. It’s not legit in some minds. Having the words Harper Collins, or Simon & Shuster on the back of your novel gives your sense of accomplishment a boost, as it should, and more writers are holding out for the prestige of a book contract.
