This chapter was primarily made because people keep asking about this topic.
To be honest, I will be of almost no help in this area. I have only self-published two books, site-published two Paid Stories on Wattpad, and I have never attempted to query traditional publishers.
All three are good options, although the best one for you will vary depending on your circumstances and situation.
There are pros and cons to any approach:
Traditional Publishing:
Pros: They do most of the legwork, including paying for the editing (you'll be making the changes, though), advertising, quality checks on the books, networking, promotions, etc.
Cons: Lower percentage on the price of the book. Sometimes the contracts can have some stipulations or can hold the rights for various times. Not easy to back out of once the contract is signed. They may make you change parts of your story (some of this could be negotiable). Some require agents to submit to them, and the process can easily take a year to hear a yes or no (and sometimes you never hear back).
Traditional Publishing Resources: (Many more on Google) www.reddit.com/r/Write2Publish/comments/1azerj/traditional_publishing_resources_for_writing/
- Why have I never tried Traditional Publishing? 1. Because my books are extremely niche. 2. No publisher is currently looking for my sort of story (or else they only accepted submissions from agents). And 3. A publisher would make me change a lot of the unique stuff in my book, and I just don't have the time for such a massive edit. That being said, I may try it one day.
Self-Publishing:
Pros: You're in control. You can write the most niche story in existence and publish it without worrying about what most commonly sells. You don't have to split the revenue with anyone other than the site you use. No agent required.
Cons: You have to do most of the legwork. Advertising, paying for editing, doing the editing, formatting, etc.
There are a number of sites you can self-publish on including, but not limited to: Amazon, Draft2Digital, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and more.
Amazon KDP has an online community if you want help with some of the odds and ends, mostly around self-publishing, and it has a lot of guides when it comes to formatting and such.
If you want to see what the screens in Amazon's self-publishing book setup look like, they are further along in this guide.
Site-Publishing/Other Avenues: There are a surprising number of sites that allow books to have paywalls. Wattpad has the Paid Program, Radish has a few options, Tapas does as well, and various other sites also utilize various techniques to generate income. Some offer editing assistance or free advertising.
Pros: The application process is usually easier than Traditional Publishing. They will often do some of the legwork like advertising. Some offer editing assistance.
Cons: These sites may not have quality control, and people may be more reluctant to buy. The site and paying app often take part of the revenue. The contracts can really vary from site to site, and some of these can be very predatory or rights grabby. Please read the contract carefully and consult an expert.
For more on Wattpad's Paid program and how to apply, please see these links: www.wattpad.com/paidstories/ and support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037395112-Joining-Wattpad-Paid-Stories
Warning: There are good publishers, bad publishers, and scammy publishers. In fact, there are lots of scammy publishers with predatory contracts.
The good publishers often have thousands of people throwing their books at them and hoping for a contract.
The bad publishers also have many people trying to get a contract. Some of these will occasionally approach authors.
The scammy publishers... Well, they're prolific. And they want to make money off of your hard work.
So, if someone appears in your inbox and claims that they really like your book and mentions something about you making money or going to a different site, the first thing you do is give them the evil eye.
Why do I say this?
1. The good publishers are likely busy. The bad ones aren't likely going to be contacting anyone on Wattpad unless they have millions of reads and several completed books. That leaves the scammy ones.
2. If they're contacting you via your Wattpad inbox, they're already breaking the Terms of Service they agreed to when making their account.
3. Half of these groups are actually owned by the same people. They just create new sites to try and lure in new authors (often because of bad reviews and warnings posted on Google about their older sites).
Places like Dreame, Funfic, Swordystory, Xnovel, Rnovel (which sometimes gives a townnovel email for contact), Townnovel (owned by webnovel), Sofanovel, Inkitt, Galatea (owned by Inkitt), Webnovel, Tencent Literature, Goodnovel, Ringdom, Bablenovel, Plop and dozens of others love to use this method.
Wattpad shuts down dozens of these accounts on a daily basis, and these groups promptly go make a new email, a new account, and continue breaking the rules even though it's a huge hassle and they know it's wrong. Why? Greed.
If they're breaking the Terms of Service here, what guarantee do you have that they will honor their own contracts? Or even be honest about how much your books actually make? They want to make money off you. Be more leery of them than a car salesman during a sidewalk sale in the worst part of town.
If you do decide that you want to give them a chance (I know Inkitt and Webnovel have paid people in the past), be sure to thoroughly do your research and have an expert or lawyer check the contract. These contracts are almost always highly predatory.
Some clauses I've seen even include sections that allow them to take your book, change it, and then sell it with no compensation. Some places just put it on Amazon and take a third of the earnings (and anyone can self-publish on Amazon, so you don't need them for that). On top of that, many of these places are in countries with sketchy copyright laws. Be extraordinarily cautious when dealing with anyone who finds you in your inbox. Chances are that they're fishing for a new victim.
That's about all I can offer at this time. Google will help you research the best route for you. Just remember to research from several locations as some people get very attached to one method, or might have been paid by a group to write a stellar commendation of one route.
I wish you success in any route you choose to pursue.
YOU ARE READING
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