Quick Link: Why Fiction Authors Benefit from Indie Publishing

Expert publishing blog opinions are solely those of the blogger and not necessarily endorsed by DBW.

Independent publishing has changed the way authors look at the industry, with many questioning whether it’s worthwhile to play the waiting game and pray for the payoff from a traditional publisher, or instead take their fate into their own hands. There are clearly benefits and pitfalls to either choice. What authors need to seriously consider when they make this decision, though, is whether or not they are willing to put in the time and effort to make it work.

Indie publishing is a tough job. Authors aren’t just the ones who write the book. They also have to be savvy enough to hit the right target readers online. They have to build a strong online presence. They have to be able to commit a significant amount of time to finding creative ways to make the sale. And they also have to be willing to invest money in a good editor, ebook conversion service, and cover design, all of which combined can run in the area of $1,500. The reality of all the legwork and cost can be disenchanting.

The factors that breed this disenchantment, however, are exactly what make traditional publishing so enticing. There are reports of authors getting massive advances—upward of $100,000—when they’ve never even published before. What author wouldn’t want that kind of advance? Unfortunately, most of these types of reports are inaccurate and not written by people actually involved in the transaction. The reality is, most traditional publishers offer new authors an advance of about $5,000. In a few cases, some may receive up to $10,000. These contracts also typically only pay out five percent of the sales to new authors, and the agent often takes 15 percent of that profit.

The realities can be even further discouraging for fiction authors.