8 myths about traditional publishing

I previously wrote a post about some of the myths surrounding self-publishing – today let’s focus on traditional publishing!

In case you didn’t read the previous post, I’m what’s called a hybrid author, meaning I have self-published and also been published by a major publishing house. I have some insight into both paths, so hopefully you will find these posts interesting or useful, especially if you’re trying to decide which publication route to take.

1. Traditional publishing means giving up creative control of your writing

Notice I mention the writing here – because traditional publishing does mean giving up some creative control. For example, authors usually have very little say in their cover design, or will only be able to give minimal input on this, as opposed to in indie publishing where the process of working with a cover designer is very different.

When I got my book deal, I actually found this very freeing. I got to see drafts of the cover and give input as it progressed. But leaving the major decisions in the hands of a publisher was quite freeing for me, as I was able to just concentrate on the writing.

In terms of your book, a lot of authors believe that publishers will change your work, removing its heart and soul until it’s unrecognisable. While it’s true that some authors have had bad experiences during the editing stage (I don’t want to deny this, because it does happen!), most publishers treat editing as suggestions that the author might want to follow to improve the book, rather than orders that must be followed. That’s been my experience, at least!

Even at the copyediting stage, an author gets to review the changes to their work before it goes to print!

2. Publishers don’t market books anymore

You may have heard negative stories about publishers who don’t put in any effort to market a book. Based on these stories, it can be easy to assume that it’s a reflection of the entire industry. There are certainly stories of authors who this has happened to, and negative stories like this tend to spread more quickly – and very loudly.

But broadly speaking, publishers buy books because they see the potential in that book, and believe they can make money from it. It’s in their interests to market those books and sell them, which means that most publishers do give books a marketing plan so they can earn back the investment they’ve made.

It’s in a writer’s interests to actively participate in marketing, too, and these activities might be more visible (events, podcasts, interviews, and so on). This doesn’t mean the publisher is doing nothing, though. It might just take place behind the scenes.

3. You won’t make any money and should self-publish instead

The money debate is huge – and complex – on both sides of publishing. A common misconception you’ll usually hear, though, is that self-publishing is the route to making lots of money and that traditional publishing means earning next to nothing.

As with anything, there are so many grey areas here. Nothing is ever that black and white!

I touched on this in the post about self-publishing. Authors might assume they will earn more money in self-publishing because royalties are higher. But the author has to pay for all of the costs of producing and publishing the book, plus printing costs. Then they have to shift enough copies to earn back what they’ve spent, and make a profit. This can be hard to do on your own.

Royalties might be lower in traditional publishing, but authors in that space don’t have to worry about footing the cost of producing a book because the publisher is paying for that. And having a publisher and an entire team behind you can definitely help you sell more copies if you struggle with marketing (which is something self-publishers have to do on their own).

Something else that is often left out of these debates is the other opportunities available for authors to earn money within traditional publishing.

Your agent or publisher can sell foreign rights to your work, which means you can get advances and royalties from other countries. You could sell film or TV rights and audiobook rights. (Some self-publishers end up selling these types of rights to their work as well, but it’s usually once they have sold a lot of copies.) There may be opportunities to speak at events, festivals, or schools for a fee.

Authors with agents and book deals are more likely to be able to do things like IP writing too (this is where a publisher comes up with an idea for a novel and hires an author to write it – it’s often done for franchises with TV tie-ins like Doctor Who).

4. The traditional publishing model is outdated

The traditional publishing industry has come a long way. There are definitely parts of traditional publishing that can seem slow or outdated to some – but I don’t think it’s as creaky and outdated as people claim.

Having access to distribution via bookshops, libraries, and retailers isn’t outdated. It’s smart, and can mean better visibility for a book.

Many publishers now also understand the importance of ebooks and audiobooks, and can shift a huge number of copies. Some publishers are digital-only, or digital-first (meaning they place a heavier focus on selling ebooks, even though other formats may be available).

Traditional publishers have marketing teams that understand the current market and the industry – and their efforts usually combine campaigns focusing on the digital and the physical spaces. That might include things like influencer outreach, enrolling books in online promotions, running digital ads, running virtual book tours, pitching to bookshops and the media, and so on.

If you’re curious about how traditional publishing functions on the whole, and what this looks like for authors, Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum is an excellent book to check out for some insight into the industry.

5. You need an established following or platform to get published

Now, if you are a non-fiction author, a platform is important, because you’re presenting yourself as an expert in your field and publishers will expect this. But for fiction authors? A platform or a following is absolutely NOT required.

Yes, there are people who have signed book deals based on their platform (there are plenty of popular writers on TikTok or YouTube who have gone on to sign deals – and good for them!). But equally, lots and lots of writers sign book deals every day who have absolutely no platform at all. That situation is the more common one!

If you’re unpublished, I personally wouldn’t worry about platform at all until you have readers to connect with. (Although do make sure agents or publishers have some means of contacting you that you check regularly – email is enough.)

6. Publishers and agents look down on self-published authors

This may have been the case once, but not anymore! You don’t have to look very far to see publishers clamouring after self-published authors who have found success, eager to sign them to their list:

• Orion Fiction scoops five-book deal with TikTok ‘sensation’ Jeneva Rose
• Five years and 2m copies later, self-published author lands UK book deal
• Atria lands self-published romantasy
• Reinert signs major deal with Flatiron

Publishers have come to understand self-publishing as its own unique market. Many of the authors in that space do a wonderful job of writing engrossing, gripping books; building a fanbase; and marketing their work.

If you’re a self-published author who has done well and shifted a lot of books, this can even make you attractive to agents if you go on submission!

7. Your book will be available in all the bookshops

Ah, every debut author in traditional publishing has experienced this one. An author’s family might expect to wander into their local bookshop and pick up a copy of the book – or even to find the book in a supermarket.

This is a huge expectation that a lot of writers have, because it’s one of the most attractive parts of being an author: walking into a bookshop and seeing your book on the shelf!

For many authors, though, this type of distribution is not guaranteed. Traditional publishers pitch their books to retailers to convince them to stock a book, and these retailers may only end up buying a certain number of copies due to limited shelf space. Where those books end up can vary – and usually, this isn’t every bookshop in the country!

Marketing and money can also play a huge role here. Books that sold for splashy advances, with bigger marketing campaigns, end up with more promotion behind them. The buzz this can create means a book is more likely to be placed in bookshops – particularly in priority positions.

8. You are guaranteed an advance

Advances are talked about a lot in traditional publishing (a sum of money paid to the author before the book comes out, against future royalties). But did you know that not all publishers offer an advance?

Some publishing houses offer higher royalties instead of an advance. For example, digital-only or digital-first publishers might offer a 40% ebook royalty, with no advance. (If you’re being offered an advance, ebook royalties are usually 25%.)

Not being offered an advance isn’t always a bad thing – if an author is happy with the arrangement and ends up selling a lot of books, the author might end up earning much more money!

Equally, it could go the other way, where the book might not sell well, and the author may have been better off with an advance instead.

There is just so much unpredictability in publishing. Even if an author takes an advance, or a deal with higher royalties, there is no guarantee that money will keep coming in at the same level. This is why most authors have another source of income. Jane Friedman’s book The Business of Being a Writer has a wonderful section on how authors make money, if you want to dig deeper into that.

You might also like…

• 8 myths about self-publishing
• Self-publishing checklist for authors
• How to publish a book on a budget
• Self-publishing and traditional publishing: The pros and cons

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