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Confessions of a Published Author: 47 Truths About Traditional Publishing
Prior to becoming a published author, I often wondered about those
things that nobody talked about. Why did they turn down a book that
seemed to be a perfect match? When frustration took over and I was
willing to go to almost any length to become a published author, how
could I avoid being taken advantage of by less than legitimate
publishing houses? If I did manage to land a book contract with a
legitimate publisher, how much money was I going to make?
Writing
a book is an inaccurate science at best, affected by personal biases
and multiple perspectives that can strengthen or weaken the overall
structure. The finished work will necessarily be critiqued.
Hopefully it will be praised. It will also be criticized, no matter
how much care you have taken to ensure clarity of language and
accuracy of sources. Like any project, it is subject to the bottom
line. No matter how well-written and intriguing a book is, it must
prove cost-effective, or no publisher will pursue it. Too long?
Slash a section here. Too general? Trim the periphery. In the end,
it might not resemble your original vision. It's a risk you accept
in return for the prospect of getting published.
If
you're willing to give it a try, beware! The market is highly
competitive, and selling your book to a traditional publisher
requires persistence and toughness. Treacherous minefields lurk in
the waters surrounding the publishing industry. Look for and steer
clear of any publisher who asks you for money. Your contribution to
the project is your knowledge and the time it takes you to research
and write the book. Your entire monetary expense should amount to no
more than the postage required for submitting your proposal. Subsidy
publishers and vanity presses who publish books at the author's
expense, although legitimate in a business sense, will quickly drain
your wallet (a good marketing program can cost tens of thousands of
dollars) and compromise your reputation as a serious scholar of
whichever subject you have chosen to hang your hat of expertise on.
Look
for and steer clear of any publisher who offers you a blanket
contract that asks for the right to all aspects of your professional
life, or "all rights today in existence and hereafter invented
throughout the universe." Don't sign the cosmic clause; don't sign
away your future when you don't need to. Who knows, I might see you
in the movies some day!
And
don't sign away copyright ownership in your project. A publisher
should ask only what they need to publish and market your book
successfully. Typically, the author retains the copyright but
licenses to the publisher exclusive rights to publish and sell the
book throughout the world. Upon termination of the contract, when
the book goes out-of-print or the publisher folds, all rights
granted to the publisher should automatically revert to the author.
