8 Reasons to Traditionally Publish Your Book

The majority of authors I meet want to pursue traditional publishing. I find this interesting given the constant talk about the rise in number of independently published books and the benefit to authors of indie publishing.

When I ask a roomful of aspiring authors at a writers’ conference how many plan to pursue traditional publishing, more than half typically raise their hands. In my conversations with conference attendees, many tell me they are undecided about the publishing path they will take but lean toward traditional publishing and think they will at least try to get a book accepted prior to self-publishing.

That means self-publishing is a fall-back position for many writers.

The Continued Value in Traditional Publishing

A successful blogged book can attract a traditional publisher in the same way as a successful blog. And bloggers continue to land book deals. You might want to do the same. And there continues to be value in traditional publishing—despite the continuous flow of information to the contrary.

If this weren’t so, you wouldn’t see writers like Amanda Hocking opting for traditional book deals after successfully self-publishing.

Why You Might Want to Traditionally Publish a Book

Here is my list of eight reasons to traditionally publish your blogged book, or any book for that matter.

1. You are given a “management team” to produce your book for you.
2. You get paid to write your book.
3. You receive some money for your book—no matter how it sells upon release.
4. Someone else invests their money and time to produce your book project.
5. Your book gets distributed in physical book stores.
6. You receive credibility or authority because someone financially backed your project.
7. Publishing professionals make decisions about important details concerning your book, such as cover design, metadata, and editing.
8. You have a business partner—or more than one (ie. an agent, an acquisitions editor, a developmental editor, a publisher, and possibly a publicist).

Why I Choose Traditional Publishing

I continue to seek traditional deals for all the reasons above. In particular:

• I enjoy traditional publishing because it gives me a higher degree of clout and expert status. It’s true that self-publishing has become more widely accepted, but when a traditional publisher invests in you and your ideas, readers and potential customers and clients still see your book as having more value in many cases.
• I like the extra distribution into brick-and-mortar book stores. It provides one more chance for my books to be found and purchased.
• I am happy to give a percentage of income to my team (my agent and my publisher) so I don’t have to be a project manager or run a publishing company, which is what I must do as an indie publisher.
• I enjoy working with professionals who might know more than me about some a aspects of publishing, such as design.

I have independently published, and I know what it takes to do it well. I have found it difficult enough to find the time to write and promote my traditionally published books let alone to do these jobs while also producing my books and running a publishing company.

You have to get very clear about your goals as a writer and author. And you need to know what you are good at and what you want to do and don’t want to do. Consider carefully if you and your book will benefit from traditional publishing. This knowledge will help you know if traditional publishing has value for you.

I’d love to hear the reasons why you think traditional publishing has value. Add some items to my list by leaving me a comment.

Copyright: wavebreakmediamicro / 123RF Stock Photo