10 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Publishing Route

Published by: MM Ryan 9/27/2023

YAY!! 🙌🏽 🙌🏽 Your manuscript has been edited and polished-- you love what you've created and can't wait to share it with the world. What is your next step? 

This depends upon the answer to these ten questions:

1. Goals and Objectives:

•         Audience Reach: Who is your target audience, and which publishing route will best reach them?

•         Visibility: How important is it for the work to gain widespread recognition and visibility?

•         Career Impact: How will the chosen route affect your professional development and reputation?

2. Type of Work:

•         Genre: Different publishing routes may be more suitable for different genres.

•         Length: The length of the work may determine whether it is more suited to traditional publishing, self-publishing, or serialization.

3. Creative Control:

•         Editorial Control: How much creative and editorial control do you want to retain over your work?

•         Design and Layout: Do you want to have a say in the design, layout, and cover art of the book?

4. Financial Considerations:

•         Budget: How much are you willing to invest in the process?

•         Royalties: What are the expected royalties and how do they compare between different publishing routes?

•         Sales and Distribution: How will you price, market, and distribute your book?

5. Time and Effort:

•         Timeline: How quickly do you want to publish the work?  Securing an agent and a traditional publishing deal can take years.

•         Effort: How much time and effort are you willing to invest in the publishing process, including marketing and promotion?

6. Quality and Credibility:

•         Professional Editing: Do you value professional editing and proofreading services?

•         Reputation: How important is it for you to be associated with an established publisher?

7. Rights Management:

•         Intellectual Property: Do you want to retain the rights to the work?

•         Subsidiary Rights: How do you want to manage rights for translations, adaptations, and other derivative works?

8. Market Trends:

•         Industry Trends: What’s hot in the publishing industry for your genre?

•         Competitor Analysis: What publishing routes have works similar to yours taken, and how successful have they been?

9. Feedback and Revisions:

•         Peer Review: Do you value feedback and revisions based on peer reviews and editorial input?

•         Reader Engagement: How important is engagement with readers and their feedback to you?

10. Personal Satisfaction:

•         Fulfillment: Which publishing route will make you happy and give a sense of accomplishment?

•         Passion Project: If the work is more of a passion project, you may have different considerations.

Conclusion:

By weighing these factors, you'll make an informed decision on the publishing route that aligns best with your goals, preferences, and the nature of your work.

Whether it's traditional publishing, self-publishing, or a hybrid approach, it’s crucial that you do the research and consider the purpose you envision for your work.