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Types of Book Publishing

Engaging a writer to help get your story out of your heart and head and onto the page is one element. Finding which publishing path is right for you and your book is another.

While you may choose to publish your non-fiction book in e-book, print and/or audiobook formats, you essentially have three options with how you can publish it.

  1. Traditional publisher
  2. Self-publishing
  3. Partnership or hybrid publishing (Depending on the actual setup, there are some legit publishers in this realm. However, they often get tarred with the same brush and are known as vanity publishers. Like all of the publishing options presented here, partnership publishing requires due diligence by ensuring you know everything before entering into an agreement, including financial obligations.)

Publishing a book with a traditional publisher has often deemed one as being a real author, while a self-published author has sometimes been stigmatised. The truth is, it’s all about your perspective and intent.

Some authors relish self-publishing; they wouldn’t do it any other way. I know of some authors who have published through traditional publishers and have self-published. Others have said they would never go back to traditional publishers. Some have self-published first, then have been contracted by a traditional or trade publisher with new titles. Everyone feels differently about, and has different means with, publishing. That’s the beauty of being an author.

So let’s explore what each type of publishing involves:

Approximate Timeframe to Publish

Traditional Publishing

Depending on the size of the publisher, it can take 12 to 18 months for your book to be published from the time of your signed publishing agreement and the submission of the final manuscript.

Small publishers may take six to eight months to publish.

Self-Publishing

Usually within four to six months after the manuscript is complete.
 
This will depend on your line editor’s and book designer’s availability.

Partnership Publishing

This will depend on the package you have chosen.

Allow at least four to six months after the manuscript has been written.

Steps

Traditional Publishing

  • Beta (test) read your manuscript once it is complete. Allow for about four weeks for reader feedback.
  • You may choose to write a book proposal and find an agent to submit your manuscript on your behalf (the agent takes a percentage of the royalties if they are successful with submitting your manuscript to a publisher and a contract is drawn up).
  • Alternatively, submit your manuscript directly to a suitable publisher that is accepting unsolicited manuscripts in your genre, based on their submission requirements. (These submission requirements must be followed exactly and differ with each publisher.)

NOTE: Traditional publishers usually require a minimum of 50,000 words in a manuscript to be considered commercially viable.

The submission normally includes a synopsis, book summary, how the book differs to those in a similar genre/market, your author bio and/or area of specialisation relating to the book and a few sample chapters. (Sometimes they will accept the entire manuscript — check their guidelines before submitting.)

If a publisher is interested in your manuscript, they usually get back to you within one to three months. You can submit to multiple publishers at the same time, you just need to advise them, as a courtesy, if your manuscript gets picked up by another publisher.

When you enter into an agreement with a commercial publisher, once they have the final manuscript, they will then do the following production processes:

  • Book Cover design (NOTE: some small publishers may require you to provide the image or artwork which they will then design).
  • Editing of copy, ensuring everything is clear and consistent (although not always the case with small publishers. In this instance, it’s a good idea to engage a line editor before submission and a proofreader after — see comments above in Self-Publishing).
  • Registering and assigning an ISBN (a unique International Standard Book Number) and barcode (and possibly a QR code) for your book.
  • Typesetting/design of body copy/text and placement of any images/illustrations as supplied by you and/or which form part of the story.

  • Indexing, depending on the genre/subject. Usually applies to books citing a lot of research. For example, philosophy books.

    However, some small publishers may require the author to engage and pay for an indexer.

  • Book blurb or description for the back cover of your paperback book and where the book is available to purchase online (NOTE: some small book publishers may require the author to provide the book blurb).
  • Proofreading.
  • Final proofs (in printed format) provided to you, the author, for sign off.
  • Book is published in the agreed formats and distributed. This includes making legal deposits of your book to the national library in the country your book was published. For example, if your book is published in Australia, a legal deposit needs to be made to the National Library of Australia and to the state or territory library that the book was published in.
  • Official LAUNCH of BOOK and its release (combination of publisher and author seeking media opportunities and networks to share book news). For the author, marketing is ongoing.

Self-Publishing

  • Beta (test) read your manuscript once it is complete. Allow for about four weeks for reader feedback.
  • Complete any line edits or updates (allow for about six to eight weeks), especially if engaging an editor.
  • If your book contains a lot of research, or is a professional or personal development guide, it will most likely require an index, therefore will require a professional indexer.
  • Ensure you have purchased ISBNs (and barcodes or QR codes for print books) if you are choosing to have an ISBN, etc. Thorpe Bowker Identifier Services Australia offers a range of packages for Australian authors.
  • Cover design (with ISBN and barcodes on back if using). Confirm trim size for printed version of book.
  • Typesetting of body copy and internal pages (allow for about to six to eight weeks for design, sometimes longer depending on book length, detail, feedback, amends and formats).

  • If you are an Australian self-published author, you have the option (for FREE) to pre-register your book online with the National Library of Australia’s (NLA) pre-publication data service. However, when your book is published, you are legally required to deposit a copy of it with the NLA, along with a copy to your home state, or territory, library. For example, if you live and publish in Victoria, you send a copy to the Victorian State Library. This is known as a legal deposit.

  • Proofreading (allow for at least three rounds with your designer/typesetter.)

  • Upload and/or print your book.
  • BOOK LAUNCH.

Partnership Publishing

  • Contact a partnership/hybrid publisher to discuss your publishing requirements and which package may suit you, including if there is a deadline for submission.
  • Beta (test) read your manuscript when it is complete. Allow for about four weeks for reader feedback.
  • Complete any line edits or updates (allow for about four to six weeks), especially if engaging an editor. Alternatively, editing may be an option with the partnership publishing package you have selected.
  • As per Self-Publishing, consider if your book requires an index to be completed by a professional indexer.
  • Partnership publishers usually provide ISBNs and/or barcodes. However, see comment regarding ISBNs in self-publishing if this isn’t the case.
  • Cover design.
  • Typesetting of body copy and internal pages (allow for about four to six weeks for design, sometimes longer depending on book length, detail and formats).
  • Proofreading (allow for three rounds with your designer/typeset-ter, depending on what your pre-paid package includes.)
  • Your book is uploaded to the platform via the partnership publisher (pending your package), or you upload yourself.
  • Partnership or hybrid publishers usually make the legal deposit of your book with the national library of the country where it was published. (For example, if your book was published in Australia, a legal deposit is made to the NLA and the state or territory library, based on where the book was published.) If not, you will need to do this as per self-publishing.

Creative Input

Traditional Publishing

Shared between publisher, editor, designer, typesetter and author.

Marketing is usually and initially done by the publisher (i.e. announce book release/launch and/or signings online and through relevant media), but this largely rests with the author.

Self-Publishing

Although entirely based on your input, as a self-published author, it is essentially a collaboration between author, designer and editor.

Partnership Publishing

Usually yours, but again depends on the package and/or agreement you have with the partnership publisher.

Challenges

Traditional Publishing

Can be difficult to be seen, especially in early stages, of a crowded and constantly evolving industry. Commercial publishers love great new authors and their stories, but will also consider things like a person’s following to help determine commercial viability.

Self-Publishing

Unless you hire someone to market your book, the marketing will fall to you. This can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, especially when you don’t receive a response and need to research contacts to approach.

Partnership Publishing

This is a fee-based publishing service. The publisher is responsible for sharing and distributing your book, although you will also need to assist with marketing.

Financial Investment

Traditional Publishing

More time and energy on the author’s behalf than financial investment. As per the above publishing steps, the publisher covers the cost of design, publishing and distribution.

Self-Publishing

If you are engaging an editor, book designer, printer, distributor, etc., depending on who you use may see moderate to high fees for the production of your book.

If you are selling your book on your designated website, you need to factor in postage costs, which are normally added to the sale price of the book and calculated near the completion of the order.

Partnership Publishing

Fees can vary, depending on the package you have chosen, but can be high. They are designed to help with the major steps in publishing. Again, ensure you know exactly what you are getting.

Book Quality

Traditional Publishing

Best quality.

Self-Publishing

This will depend on your print run and budget. If you go through a professional digital printer that is experienced with books (and is either local or near your distributor to save on delivery costs) it will be good.

If you are looking to do a print run of 1000 or more books, it’s suggested that you approach a printer that does offset printing (equivalent to book publisher quality). This can be more cost-effective for larger print runs.

Print on demand services have their pros and cons; some authors are okay with the quality of the finished product, while others feel it’s not. Seek other self-published author feedback for this.

IngramSpark offers print on demand specifically for self-published authors. Most authors feel the quality is good. IngramSpark has the option of printing off small quantities (for example, under five copies) at a higher but affordable per unit cost to help determine if the print quality and trim size of the book is what you want. Again, it requires research.

Partnership Publishing

Usually equates to traditional or trade publishers, but perhaps ask (pending where they are located) if you can see an example of another published book that used a similar package, or is in a similar genre to yours.

Or if you find an author online who has published with them, politely email them and ask them if they would be willing to share their experience.

Income

Traditional Publishing

Sometimes there is an advance, but payment is mostly royalties (based on how many books are sold). Royalties usually average 10%.

Self-Publishing

If you distribute your book on self-publishing platforms, you receive a percentage of each sale.

However, if you sell your book on your website, then you receive the full price or cost of your book.

With print on demand, you receive a percentage after costs.

Partnership Publishing

Depending on your package, some partnership publishers will supply some or most of your copies for you to distribute. Whatever they sell on their platform, or via their distributor platforms, you will receive a percentage of.