A Look at Traditional Publishing: Pros (Part 2 of 3)
With the rise of self-publishing, some writers may wonder if traditional publishing still holds the same value. The answer is a resounding yes—for the right author and the right project. Traditional publishing offers unparalleled benefits, from professional editorial support to wide distribution channels. Let’s break down the major advantages of going the traditional route.
All publishing processes begin when a writer affirms that they have a final draft. In traditional publishing, the next step is to entice an agent to represent you. The agent will then labor to sell the manuscript by submitting it to usually multiple traditional publishers for consideration. When a deal is made with the traditional publisher, an editor will be assigned to coordinate the flow of professional editing, cover design, and formatting to ensure a salable product. This is the first point of the pros of partnering with a traditional publisher. The writer does not have to get his hands dirty with these tasks. He does not have to learn how to perform these highly specific jobs successfully. The writer can concentrate on authoring the next book. In traditional publishing, a writer gets to remain a writer. Others do the work. A strong editorial team with multiple points of view and years-acquired expertise will craft and refine the manuscript, along with the writer’s input when needed or out of courtesy, to align with market trends, all the time (hopefully) in line with the author’s voice and style, the traditional publishing house’s brand, and the all-important financial bottom line.
The key to sales is distribution. No matter how good a book is, if it cannot be found and purchased by an audience, it suffers the same fate as the multitude of less-stellar books on the market. Through long-established distribution channels, traditional publishers have well-oiled access to major bookstores, chains, libraries, online platforms, and international markets. Books published by traditional publishers often appear in prominent physical and online retailers because of the influence of the commercial traditional publisher, which increases the visibility and perceived value of the book, resulting in a purchase by a reader. These guys can put my book in airports, grocery stores, bookstores, and big box retailers, all of which I have seen.
Traditional publishers manage aspects of marketing, such as book tours, interviews, press releases, and reviews. Still, the extent of this depends upon the size of the traditional publisher, and we’ll look at this momentarily when we discuss the cons. In an ideal world, though, your book is so unique and irresistible that the traditional publisher will get you those much-envied primary media outlet interviews critical to boosting sales and putting you on the bestseller list. Note: there are exceptions, of course, to all rules, but it is near-impossible for any book to appear on a bestseller list that is not published through a traditional publisher.
A certain degree of prestige and credibility of being published by a traditional publisher adds long-term credibility to an author’s career, opening avenues to speaking engagements, awards, and future writing opportunities. Traditional publishing offers this credibility simply because of the amount of vetting: the writer must pass the hurdle of an agent’s assistant, an agent, an editor, an editorial staff, a team of specialty editors, a marketing team, a sales division, and a publisher even to be considered for publication. This is a formidable hurdle, but it means you’ve traveled the hero’s journey and made it to the other side. If your goal is to win a Pulitzer Prize, traditional publishing is the mode of publication to achieve that goal.
For those who like guaranteed money, traditional publishers traditionally pay an author an advance against royalties, providing the author with solid gratification and a benchmark that they have sold a book, not simply published it. This is guaranteed money, unlike the other publishing modes, which do not offer upfront advances. Advances can range from a low four-figure number to six-figure deals for a writer or book perceived as hot. I would caution you to proceed slowly with any traditional publisher that does not offer an advance, for this is one of the strong selling points of going with a traditional publisher in the first place.
Traditional publishers, especially the larger ones, have an office full of attorneys and sales reps. They oversee all subsidiary rights that they have acquired, and the good publishers do everything they can to exploit those rights for their benefit, which also overflows to the writer. These teams of specialists oversee those intricate and tricky—and multi-language—dealings that frankly are beyond any typical author without that specialty. A traditional publisher is worth their keep in this respect alone. Broader distribution in multiple media types is a win/win for any author and his career.
Traditional publishing has undeniable perks, but it’s not without its downsides. In the next post, we’ll examine the cons of this model, including creative control, long timelines, and the challenge of breaking into the industry.
