All Ready To Go?

Here's a great post for all of those participating in NaNoWriMo ( http://www.nanowrimo.org/ ) this year, for those who all ready have finished a novel, or will finish one soon. The all-important question that no one can seem to answer without difficulty - what to do with that novel after it's written, revised and ready to go.

Pretty much, when it comes to publishing there are three different kinds of publishing. Traditional, Self-publishing, and Vanity Presses. You have to decide what's best for your book, but I'll break down each type of publishing for you, so you can better understand what these are all about.

          Traditional - This is the kind of publisher you all probably have heard about. You send them your work, they look it over, and if they think the material will do well in the current market, and the editing is up to par, then they will accept it, and publish it.

They'll take care of hiring editors, layout designers, and artists for your book. There is still editing to do even after you submit your work though, and you'll have to work on the editing with one of their editors even after it's accepted - but that doesn't mean not to edit your work before you send it in, if there are too many errors, they'll reject your work anyways. You still have to do most of the marketing and promotion for your book, with any route you go. Traditional Publishing is free, these types of publishers take a chance on you and your book hoping it'll do well in the market. The only thing you might have to pay for is books - providing they aren't eBooks.

          Self-Publishing - This is where you are in complete control of your work. You do everything - editing, layout, cover design, illustrations, proofreading, marketing, and promotion - or hire someone to do it for you. If you do your research, this can be quite rewarding and a great opportunity. But it can be overwhelming if you've never been through the publishing process before. There is some money involved in this one depending on if you do all of the work yourself. You'll also foot the bill for all of the books you buy as well, since in self-publishing you are the publisher - but at the same token, you get keep all of your revenue.

          Vanity Press - I have never been through a Vanity Press before, but my work has been accepted at one. They are pretty much the same as a Traditional Publisher, but the author piches in for the funds to get the book published. Which is why some people say Vanity Presses are a rip-off.

Examples of the different kinds of publishers are listed below:


Traditional - Wild Child Publishing, Wild Rose Press, 4RV Publishing
Self-Publishing - CreateSpace, LuLu
Vanity Press - Tate Publishing

Happy publishing!