Publishing Information

• Big Five Publishers- traditional major publishers in order of size: Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Macmillan
• Midsize Publishers- Smaller publishing companies that you don't necessarily need an agent to publish Examples: W.W. Norton, Scholastic, Chronicle, Kensington, Sourcebooks, BenBella Books
• Small/Indie Press- these publish the fewest titles, but can sometimes be better for those outside the WordCount or Genre guidelines 
• Hybrid Publishing- hybrid publishers require authors to pay for some or all of the services needed to publish their book, including editing, formatting, cover design, and print-on-demand services. The concept of a hybrid publisher is that they merge some elements of traditional and self-publishing.
• Self-Publishing- To self-publish, you will set up accounts with eBook retailers to distribute digital copies and work with a print-on-demand service to distribute print books. You will set the price of your books and determine the formats in which they’re published. You will retain all profits from book sales, minus the fees charged by your eBook retailers and your print-on-demand service.
• Social Publishing- Sites like Wattpad, Substack, and Patreon allow writers to publish their creative work, often in ongoing installments. You might also choose to publish your book on your own website or blog.  Authors might charge a small subscription fee for access to their story or offer it entirely for free, making this the least financially reliable method of publishing. Keep in mind that once you publish your book online, it typically excludes it from traditional publishing in the future. 

• If your priority is to publish as fast as possible, then self-publishing or social publishing will give you the most control over your timeline, since there is no external company or publisher involved.
• If your priority is to see your book in physical bookstores, then working with a Big Five, midsize, or small publisher is your best bet for achieving that.
• If your priority is to not have to pay to publish, then traditional publishing requires no upfront investment from you.
• If your priority is to sell the most copies, then first consider your own marketing and promotion abilities and interest. If you have a substantial following or are willing to put in the effort to build one, then self-publishing and marketing directly to that audience might generate a lot of sales for you. Alternatively, you could work with a hybrid publisher to combine their distribution network with your platform. If you need to lean on a publisher for marketing, distribution, and sales support, then working with a traditional publisher might lead to higher sales.
• If your priority is to retain complete control over the process, then self-publishing or social publishing will grant you the most control since no publisher is involved.

The first time you are likely to put "skin" in your book process, other than your precious time [and sanity], will likely be to get an editor. Most editors charge in the THOUSANDS depending on the type of editing you need. See Editing Info. for the different types of editing.  You can try querying agents before editing—but, like me, you might not get very far. My debut novel has major flaws in the first chapter, (see overwhelmed blog) so when I query- that is the only chance I get for them to see whether they want to take you on. 

Most agents will charge 15% on all money made from your book, but they will also help you pay for editing and getting everything ready to publish. 

I am not as well-versed in the area of getting paid (I've earned nothing yet) as some others, so I will direct you to this video that explains how authors get paid. Shout Out to Alyssa Matesic's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaXtfwGFAhM