Traditions are Great

It’s November. It’s only a few weeks from Christmas. I think Thanksgiving falls in there somewhere. And today is the last day in our series on publishing houses. I’ve really only barely scratched the surface on the pros of both traditional publishing and self-publishing, if I’m being honest, but I don’t want to overwhelm or confuse you by going into things that really only come into play a few times per published book. The things I’ve talked about are the big-picture things, the things that will make the most difference when it comes to choosing a publisher, by only looking at the pros.

So, today…

Traditional Publishing is Great

It really is. I have been, and always will be, an avid fan of traditional publishing. I don’t want my books involved in this whole "moving books" scheme, I don’t want them on the big screen just yet, I don’t want their covers designed by a newbie sitting behind a computer. I want them professionally designed and formatted, words on a page and nothing more. That’s what I like, that’s what I read, that’s what I do.

It’s traditional, and that’s what makes it awesome.

Traditional publishing is where it all began. It’s the company that backs the author, the professional editors, designers, and marketers who make sure this book reaches as many people as possible. It’s the team of people working with the author and through the author to produce a high quality book—which might be something you lose, in self-publishing, depending on how you go about it.

The thing that I really appreciate with traditional publishing is that if I have any questions about anything to do with publishing, I have someone I can ask. I’m in contact with my editor, I’m working with actual people who know the business and know how to answer my questions. I’m not just one person sitting at my computer hoping I’m doing the right thing. I’ve been that person. I didn’t enjoy it. And I wasn’t doing the right thing.

If you want to see the biggest pro to traditional publishing though, all you have to do is pick up a book that was traditionally published, and set it next to one that wasn’t. Read a few pages, maybe. You’ll be able to tell the difference; trust me.

Take Telekinetic, for example, and set it next to Coetir.

Which one looks more professional? Which one reads better? Which one has a smoother flow and actually draws readers in? Which one has characters that could actually come off the page?

That’s the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing. For some reason, probably for that team of people we talked about a second ago, the books released from traditional publishers are almost always a cut above what you’ll get from a self-published author.

And that’s what makes traditional publishing so great.

It’s a cut above.

It’s held to a higher standard.

It’s expected to be great reading, and there’s a reason for it: it usually is.

Traditional publishing is done by a team of experts in their field, not by an author sitting behind their computer and doing what they can.

I’m not trying to pick on self-published authors by saying this, mind you. I’m just telling you my experience. Traditional publishing is great—but only if you’re willing to give up on a little bit of that control, and let that team of people help you out.

[love]

{Rani Divine}