10 Tips for Choosing the Right Publisher for You
Book-publishing is becoming a trend even for people from varied professions, even though the business of publishing is not very lucrative. However, medium of publications are growing from traditional new ones to self-publishing houses and platforms. There are more ways to share your book today than you had earlier. Today, you don’t have to stumble with your manuscript at the doorsteps of affluent publishers to give a kind look to your work. Rejections have reduced a lot for authors with self-publishing in India. But being on your own is not that breezy. When the entire responsibility of writing, producing and marketing lies on the shoulders of the author, it is important to focus your decision; you have to get a publisher to smoothen the ISBN processes and designing responsibilities, but as you are on the self-publishing path, you also want to retain your authority. Even if your work gets selected by a traditional publisher, its still your work and you have all rights to decide who to handover your manuscript.
Here are 10 tips to choose the right publisher for your book-
- Consider Your Genre- the first thing that you must consider is your genre. Some publishers are popular for romance novels, some for non-fictions and some for literary reviews. You need to be specific to the area of your interest. You cannot submit your murder mystery to a publisher who publishes children’s books how much ever, popular they might be. Therefore, clarifying your genre helps in locating the right publisher.
- Route– Of course the next important thing to decide is which path or route you are going to choose for publishing your book. That is, do you want someone else to invest in your work with his/her evaluation and budget, or do you want to invest yourself and make your book what you want it to be. Especially, today, when traditional route of publishing is losing its popularity. Instant results are becoming the call of authors, hence self-publishing is gaining grounds. If you want to self-publish, it’s better to choose among publishers who provide effective services for constructing your book, rather than spending time on browsing traditional publishers who may take months to even respond to an email.
- Be Aware of the Industry and How Traditional Houses Work– It’s never an easy choice to make between traditional route and self-publishing in India, especially, when we are constantly being told that traditional route earns you respect. Though not all traditional publishers are snobbish, they are willing to invest only if your work sounds interesting as per the market trends; they might not be interested in your creativity.
- Be Aware of the Market Trends– Again that is something to research on, before you get onto writing your manuscript. Which genre has been making a buzz over the past years is something you must consider. Though not all authors can write with a business-minded approach, and that is why writing is a creative field.
- Have Specific Targets in Mind– Be clear to yourself as to what you want to get out of the process; that is, ask yourself if you want your manuscript to reach the world, or do you want to earn money in short time, or do you want to get a good book published quickly, or do you want to work with a brand. The answer to these specific questions can help you choose the route as well as the publisher.
- Consider the costs and the time- You may have to talk to several publishers before you finally decide on one. If considering self-publishing, you have to focus on the costs and the services you will get in return. Tally them. Even if you get a good deal from a traditional publisher, you may have to co-invest. Consider the time they discuss with you for the publication process and your investment (if any).
- Discuss the Marketing Strategies– Book marketing is a very important part of book production. Whenever, you talk to any publisher, make sure to ask them about what are their strategies for marketing your book. Tally the words with your expectations. How the book gets marketed should be your prime concern for choosing a publisher.
- Editing Quality– Another most important factor to consider is how the editing team works in the publishing house. Before saying yes, to any of the publishers, read a couple of books from their firm. It will help you to figure out their editing quality and technique. It can be a factor for choosing your publisher. Especially, while self-publishing in India, evaluate editing services before landing on someone.
- Get to Know the Publishing Team– After you have proceeded a bit into the system, it is never a bad idea to know about the different teams operating in the publishing houses. Editing is not the only thing. Creative works like cover design, promo design, illustrations etc. are significantly important for the success of the book. Evaluate these various sections before choosing the right publisher.
- Be Open-minded– Biases and limitations often cloud our decision-making abilities. Be open-minded about yourself as well as others. Do not get trapped into compromising with a publisher because you feel your work is not worth a second chance. Also, do not keep picking faults at others only because their ways are not similar to yours. Accept and share openly to create a great book together with your publisher. The same attitude will help you take the right decision about your work.
