OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
This is a guest post from Allan Douglas. I really appreciate these guest posts during my time of life flux.
There is a tendency for authors, especially new authors, to discount the value of the established and venerated publishing houses; those establishments that have for, in some cases, hundreds of years provided the readers of the world, with quality materials to entertain, inform and enlighten. But suddenly the reverent awe in which we have always held these firms is being besmirched, like graffiti on a church by a pair of hooligans; a bratty upstart called Self Publishing and his sidekick Indie Press. Oh, sure, their cousin Vanity Press has been prostituting herself for almost as long as the Big Houses have been around, but she pretty much kept to herself and offered little threat to them.
Self and Indie, however, have managed to lure a sizable contingent of writers into their posse with promises of instant money and fast stardom. But, here are six reasons why authors should stick with the brick and mortar giants of publishing.
One
Rejection is so rewarding. You enjoy spending a year or more querying agents and wallpapering your office with the politely worded notices that you aren’t quite right for them at this time, serving as an everlasting memorial to your inadequacy.
Two
You enjoy the challenge of rewriting your book to conform to the socio-political stance of the publishing house that has seen promise in your work.
Three
You want to savor the prolonged anticipation and expectation of knowing your book is in the works and will be made available to the general public by stretching it out for a year or a year and half if possible.
Four
An up-front cash payment of several thousand dollars is enough of a carrot to induce you to give up all rights to your work, trusting that the Big House will be actively seeking every possible opportunity to sell said work.
Five
Because, should said work sell well enough to cover your advance and produce royalties, 5% to 7% of sales is certainly generous compensation for the paltry amount of labor and thought you put into the creation of one book. After all – how much sweat and angst can it take to produce a book that sells well?
Six
Self publishing, like micro computers and cell phones, is a fad; merely a passing fancy with technology. Once the hoopla wears off, all reputable authors will be pounding on the doors to the hallowed halls of the Big 6 begging forgiveness for their sinful dalliance with this slick-talking upstart.
So, what’s it going to be? I say; hold tight to your Smith Corona typewriter and that curly-corded telephone and keep banging out query letters to feed your rejection addiction. After all; we ARE supposed to suffer for our art, aren’t we?
_____________________________________________________________________
The egocentric liar who cowers behind the pen name Allan Douglas has been an author, writer, prattler, dreamer since the 1970’s, published mostly in magazines but has duped publishers into producing three books to date, one through a publishing house the others self-published – but they were just an experiment; like that first cigarette out behind the barn, just to see what all the fuss is about. Really!
He lives on a mountainside in the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee with an undeservedly wonderful wife, a genius border collie and a Prima donna English hound who is queen of the mountain. He serves as an ordained Elder in his church, is a master woodworker, former custom furniture maker and once dreamt of sailing the world in a Bristol Channel Cutter. But then he met a girl, got all twitterpated and lost is way. Stories about his life as a mountain man wannabe are posted to www.SimpleLifePrattle.com. He also offers hackneyed advice to misguided writers at his blog http://AllanDouglas.com/blog/ where he compounds his offense by making a feeble attempt to sell the progeny of his tryst with a couple of the members of Self Publishing’s posse. May he never live down the shame!
Allan Douglas Writes
Bsn Web: www.AllanDouglas.com
Bsn Blog: www.AllanDouglas.com/blog/
Psn Blog: www.SimpleLifePrattle.com
From Joanna: Top image is my own from Sydney Writer's Festival. The Green Room is reserved for authors who are speaking – I would say 100% of those are traditionally published at the moment – will that be changing?
Allan Douglas says
June 14, 2011 at 3:42 pmA great contract with a major publisher is still the gold medal of the writer’s Olympics, Tanja, and I would LOVE to get one of my Sci-Fi books published by Del Rey or Tor BUT while we’re waiting for the great doors to the hallowed halls to swing wide and admit our pumpkin coach drawn by four white steeds, let’s look at what else is available. Hold to the dream, but don’t let life pass you by in the mean time.
Susan Bennett says
November 1, 2011 at 6:40 pmHilarious. Maybe if agents and editors would like to stay in business, they need to have a bit of a rethink. I doubt they’re up to it.
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:01 amThanks, Susan. The world of publishing is going through a shake-up, that’s for sure.
Stephanie Chandler says
November 14, 2011 at 3:46 pmLove this! And don’t forget this one:
Give up creative control. You’ve got enough to do anyway. Who cares what the cover looks like or if they take a hack saw to your title? You’ll be too busy waiting for the first installment (1 of 3) of your paltry book advance to arrive.
Go self-publishing!
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:02 amOh, Good one… Thanks Stephanie
Enid Richemont says
December 6, 2011 at 7:55 amThis is brilliant, and I speak as one who’s recently had a picture book text contracted and paid for by a (nameless) well-known publisher. It’s taken almost three years for them to decide they really want to do it, and I’ve been editing bits of it (at their request) for the past few months – this is a text of less than 1000 words! They’re now proposing to take it to Bologna in the spring, but once again they’ve gone silent re- final tiny edits and selection of an illustrator. When publishers are good, they are very, very good (eg Walker Books), but when they are bad, they are horrid. Check my opinions about epublishing on http://www. authorselectric.blogspot.com
Joanna Penn says
December 7, 2011 at 1:41 amThanks Enid, it does seem like you have to get the right publisher as an author – the best fit is great but a bad fit is why so many are joining Team Indie!
Catherine Bybee says
February 25, 2012 at 4:07 pmWell said. I might add one more reason to stay with the big six. You LOVE to write a synopsis.
Go Team Indie
Catherine Bybee
New York Times Bestselling Author of Indie Published Romance
Wife by Wednesday
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:05 amOh, yes… cover letters and synopsis (synopsees?) aren’t they a joy to write? The only time I have more fun is when I’m at the dentist. Thanks, Catherine!
Hope Welsh says
March 5, 2012 at 10:26 pmI loved it. I do think there is a place for Traditional Legacy Publishing. For those that have a need to see their books on a shelf–it really is the only way to get on them.
Still, I enjoy those monthly deposits in my bank account, thank you very much. I’ll stick with my indie publishing any day.
To each his/her own, I say. I won’t knock someone for going legacy–after all, some of them make millions. The publisher is behind them 1000%. But most authors aren’t going to make that kind of money–and why would they want to wait 2-3 years to find an agent, a publisher, and ultimately, their work in a store?
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:10 amOh, definitely: Legacy Publishing is not going to go away and, all fun-poking aside, still has a major role to play in the world of publishing. I still feel that landing a good contract with a major publishing house is the gold medal of the publishing Olympics. But it is no longer the only sport in town.
Diana Stevan says
July 4, 2012 at 9:06 amThis is a great post! The truth of it all is funny. We’re all suckers for punishment, jumping higher and higher to get that golden ring. And yet, it is a quandary for writers in the evolving digital universe. What to do, what to do? Thanks for giving the matter of how to publish and with whom this comical twist. It’s given this writer pause.
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:24 amTrue: there is no magic bullet, either way we go is going to be a lot of work to become successful. We just have to choose from which side of that golden ring we’ll be jumping. Thanks, Dianna!
Val says
July 29, 2012 at 6:42 amGreat! Loved it. 🙂
Which reminds me… I must get a copy of your book…
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:25 amPlease do: the mortgage payment is due again. 🙂 Thanks, Val, good of you to drop in.
Rachel Francis says
August 8, 2012 at 9:18 amWow, you got me! Posts with titles like this are rare in my Twitter feed, and I was halfway to tracking the perpetrator down before I actually read it. Thanks for the laugh!
Allan Douglas says
August 8, 2012 at 9:26 amSnuck up on you, did I, Rachel? Glad you enjoyed it!
Stuck in the Stone Age says
December 7, 2012 at 5:40 amI know this is an older post, but I just came across it. Wonderful! I was briefly fooled by the title, and confused that Joanna would publish such a thing. I should have known better! Thanks so much for this.
Some writers are truly stuck in old ways. I continue to read blog posts by authors who insist that rejection is good because it helps you hone your craft. As if you couldn’t hire a freelance editor to help you with that!
Allan Douglas says
December 7, 2012 at 6:17 amI’m glad you enjoyed it. S.S.A. Times are changing; some of it is good, some of it no so much. We, as authors, now have much more access to publication. I’m glad you mention editing. Quality of work is still important and we need to be sure our work is the best it can be before clicking the “publish” button. They say first impressions are the most important. If a reader buys my book and says, “this is amateurish, unedited crap.” they are not likely to give me a second try. Thanks for joining the discussion!
Doug Bittinger says
October 13, 2016 at 6:43 amHi Joanna! I hate to be a pain in the sitter-downer but over the years all of the links in this post have become illegitimate. Partly because I murdered Allan Douglas (http://dougbittinger.com/thoughts/murdered-allan-douglas/) and partly because I have assumed his identity. Would you please be so kind as to point folks to http://DougBittinger.com instead of those other places? THANKS!