I'm tired of Publishing Snobbery

It seems that everybody wants to be an author, everyone has a book inside them, everyone has a story to tell. We know however it is only a very small amount of these people who are given the honour of being gifted with a publishing contract, so what does that mean for everyone else, should we just give up and keep our story inside? Of course not, that is why Self-publishing, partnerships and vanity are so popular and a booming business for all, everyone can finally tell their story to the world, or can they?

Yes it is possible for everyone to put their book online and out into the world but there is still a stigma about authors who don't follow the 'traditional' path. If you disagree then that's your opinion, however magazines and online reviewers refuse to accept books that are self-published or vanity press, why? Most likely because they are attempting to concentrate solely on books with a larger commercial appeal, much the same as the agents and traditional publishers do. However this short sightedness stops potential hidden gems from actually gaining access to that large market that may give them commercial appeal. Also we all know that if a book performs well then that will attract the attention of agents and publishers, or at least allow the author to be taken more seriously. Take for example the legend that is JK Rowling, imagine for a minute if she had have given up after her first few rejections and decided to self-publish, with the industry and attitude such as it is, would we all know now who Harry Potter is, would we arguing over whether you are a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff?

The attitude extends past just the publications, what about others within the industry, recently I submitted to a publisher who came back and asked me for a full manuscript as they like what they had read so far, so being a little sceptical, due to the amount of knock backs I have received I researched further into the company. It turns out that the firm along with being a traditional publisher also offers partnership contracts and although this would not be my first choice I felt armed with this information I had no issue forwarding my manuscript. The mistake I made was I kept reading up on the company and I found my way into forums which are filled with idealists, the most common theme was, 'publishers pay you, not the other way around, it's a scam.'

I appreciate the sentiment and I agree that the best way for the majority of people to publish is through a traditional publisher, however with contracts so hard to get and agents who are so full of clients that they are being very choosy about who they will represent, we are left with the other options to consider. Everyone will tell you that pure self-publishing is the only way to go and that vanity or partnerships should be avoided, especially as 'money flows to the author not from the author.' But that isn't true either as self-publishing can be very expensive if you actually want someone to read your book. My latest book which I was intending to put out as pure self-publishing has so far cost me money in the following ways, creation of 2 trailers, creation of 2 press releases, cover design, printing of promotional copies, postage to book shops and reviewers. Not to mention the hours spent on plugging everything to do with the book on social media and the web. To be completely honest I have spent a lot of money and despite being someone who is experienced in the field of marketing I have made little headway, because launching a book and breaking into a market is hard. Waterstones will not even allow me to host a launch event in my local branch, despite the fact that as it is my local I can almost guarantee a turnout (even of just family and friends).

I can totally understand why people go partnership or vanity, because they want to see their books in a bookshop and if you aren't lucky or talented enough to gain a contract then these can seem like the only option. Not everyone has the time or knowledge to carryout the tasks associated with launching a book and working with a professional company can seem like a good place to go if they have the money. Also it is not a scam, providing people go into the situation with eyes wide open, ask all the questions, find out exactly what they will be doing for the money and explore ways in which you can help, as I would think it very naïve for someone to expect a company to deliver massive sales without input from the author.

So there it is, whether you agree with me or not we still have a way to go to get past publishing snobbery; bookshops, magazines and other authors need to realise that there are more ways to get into this industry now and the people who take these routes are no less entitled to have their chance at a writing career and gaining an audience. If my publisher comes back to me and offers me a partnership deal, then I don't know what I will do, but I can say for sure that I will research it fully and ensure that if I was to go ahead it is for a deal that I approve of and see value in.

As always your comments are welcome below.

Written by Martin Wallace