LEGACY [TRADITIONAL] PUBLISHING VERSUS INDEPENDENT [INDIE] PUBLISHING. I'LL GO INDIE EVERY TIME!

ENTER THE “INDIE” PUBLISHER
It’s a whole new world and the world is better off for it.

Not so many years ago to get a book published, you needed and agent who could find you a manager just to get your works looked at. Millions of authors in search of a publisher languished in the face of legacy publishing’s insane and pretentious requirements. To this day fewer than 2% of submissions by recognized agents are approved for publication.

Of that 2%, fewer than 3.8% of them will be promoted in any way by the publisher who instead relies on the author to do his or her own promotion. I know, as an author of a legacy publisher and also independently published, just what’s happening and why I have begun the switch to independent publishing.

After jumping through myriad often indefinite hoops, kissing a lot of asses and pacing the floor at night an author is lucky to be offered 15% royalty on a hardcover book. 7.5% on a paperback and 25% on e-books. Worse yet is that the publisher decides what format this book will be published and distributed in. An author, in order to achieve the holy grail of being published will surrender his or her choice of format and co-ownership of copyright.

I've spoken with agents and managers who tell me that any manuscript submitted is automatically turned down at least twice before it's even read. Yup, they'll let it sit on the desk until they have a few minutes in order to 'red tag' [that means refuse] it.

Today less than 27% of new titles in all formats come from legacy publishers with 73%, [that’s over 3x as many], coming from independent author/publishers. Companies like Amazon offer inexpensive and high quality printing and distribution opportunities for the independent author/publisher. They offer tools to help format and ‘clean up’ the manuscript, preparing it for print and publish. They’ll print your books for you.

This is NOT a "Vanity Press" because it doesn't cost anything. Nope! As soon as you pay someone to print your book or publish it, then that's Vanity Press!

They’ll distribute your books through more than just the Amazon.com venue. Rather than jump through the hoops of legacy publishing or dropping thousands of dollars on one of the many ‘vanity presses’ the folks at Amazon make it a lot easier.

Indie Publishing’s good, the bad, and the absurd:

The Good: Independent authors can print and distribute their books through Amazon and even label their books with the name of their own publishing house. [Get that name registered for your own protection]. As an independent or ‘indie’ publisher/author you own your copyright outright and don’t have to share it with anyone.

As an ‘indie’ you are guaranteed publication of your work as long as you keep it reasonably decent and adhere to a simple yet fair set of standards imposed by Amazon. You know that your work will be distributed; the reward of every author.

The Bad: You lack the funding for promotion and advertising that a legacy publisher can provide. ‘Launch parties’, book-signing tours and television appearances don’t come cheap. Neither does advertising and in-store promotion.

Legacy publishers can guarantee you circulation. They can assure that, through the press distribution syndicate, your books will end up on the shelves of major booksellers including Walmart and Target.

The Absurd: Friends, acquaintances, relatives and others who are not privy to the industry and are ignorant as to how it works often look down on an ‘indie’. Their preconceived notions, born in the soil of ignorance or jealousy, cannot grasp what indie publishing even is. More’s the pity, but who needs those bastards anyway. Remember this; it’s like explaining the state budget to someone who failed high school math. Ignorance prevails.

Your best-selling indie authors often earn significantly more than traditionally published authors. A survey by the Alliance of Independent Authors shows that Indies are seeing steadily rising incomes, and their earnings are beginning to eclipse those of legacy published authors.

Ada Norris is a published author who has kept abreast of ‘indie’ publishing’s growth says, “The stigma of independent publishing seems to be wearing off as readers find what they’re looking for in the world of independently published works. Legacy publishers are largely out of touch with what the public wants and this is good for everyone except the legacy publisher.”

I’m gonna give you two examples of hot books by ‘indies’ and leave the rest to you. Glenna Rollins Riddle is the author of a series of excellent books, the latest, first of a new series, “Before She Sees Tomorrow”, a spine-tingler that grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go until you close the cover with a deep breath.

I am honored to say that Glenna Rollins Riddle is a very close and dear friend of mine. Call her my sister if you will. And her books, as good as they are, might never have seen the light of day in a legacy publishing environment. To quote Ada Norris, “Their loss is our gain.”

Then there’s Alec MacLeod and “Stone Academy”, a brutal tale of discipline, revenge, and retribution. Alec is a pulp fiction writer so his books tend to be much shorter than Glenna's. Of course what they lack in size they more than make up with gripping suspense and almost unimaginable violence. For this book, after consulting his lawyer, Alec abandoned legacy publishing and went ‘indie’. He tells me, “I’ve never looked back. This is something that, had I known it existed before, I’d have pursued it from the very beginning.”

So there ya go. Check out books by Glenna Rollins Riddle, Alec MacLeod, and Rob & Laura Petri. Good stuff!