Many Paths to Publication: What Avenue is ... - James River Writers

In his recent commencement address to the University of the Arts, Neil Gaiman talked to students about the publishing world they would be facing. ?No one knows what the landscape will look like two years from now, let alone a decade away,? he described. The situation was ?on the one hand, intimidating and on the other, immensely liberating.?

A diverse group of panelists offered their view of the changing landscape for authors at The Writing Show on June 28.??Even though there are a finite number of publishing opportunities, no two writers? journeys are the same,? moderator David Kazzie said in his opening remarks.

Kazzie talked about how he self-published his debut novel as an e-book.?Author Rosemary Rawlins spoke about the daunting process that writers face when they choose to pursue publishing their work.?Dave Smitherman, partner at Palari Publishing, discussed the structure of a publishing house and the relationships between writer, editor and agent.? Robin Sullivan, who runs Ridan Publishing, defined industry terms and talking about the transition from self-publishing to being signed to a publishing house.

Then, the four panelists thoroughly discussed the four paths available to writers ? Big Six publishing,?small independent presses,?self-publishing,?or selling one?s book directly to people online.? All of them are viable options for writers, especially since the industry is in flux.? Publishers are eager to grab onto a title that looks successful. In fact, since all four paths can yield success, it can be difficult to decide which choice is the best one.

When deciding which publishing route to take, Sullivan spoke about the value in researching the sales rankings of books put out by particular houses because ?there?s greater room for economic success with small presses than through a [major] publisher.? Smitherman added that when authors go with small presses, they find personable and quick representation.

Sullivan acknowledged, ?Big Six publishing is everyone?s dream,? referring to the major publishers who can get a writer?s books on the shelf at a retail bookstore??Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House and Simon & Schuster. But that?s hard to do unless you first get a literary agent. If you publish an ebook and it shows steady business over a year, you might be able to entice a Big Six company to sign you on, but retaining your rights when going from an e-book to print is tricky.

Whether an author self-publishes or lands a contract with a traditional publisher, all agreed that self-marketing is crucial to success. Authors today must actively market their own books.

However, the panelists were encouraging.? ?People will buy your book because they like what you like,? Sullivan said, ?Show people your passion!??Rawlins backed her up by asking writers to consider, ?Who does my book appeal to?? Who does this teach to??? The answers to these two questions led her to use her book in conjunction with speaking engagements at medical conferences.?Smitherman added, ?Sometimes it?s best to start local and build out from there.?

For more information on publishing options, Rawlins recommended the book,?The Fine Print of? Self-Publishing?by Mark Levine, and Sullivan encouraged the audience to watch Simon Sinek?s lecture at TED.com.

Even though the publishing industry may be in the midst of change, it seemed the best advice of the night was to be true to your work and to connect with a like-minded community.? With the advice and support of people like these panelists, choosing to publish seemed like a small step into a much more rewarding world of celebrating the written word.

? Elizabeth Rabin, JRW Website Contributor; and?Melanie Carter, JRW Intern

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Source: http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/many-paths-to-publication-recap?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=many-paths-to-publication-recap

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