Why Writers are Leaving Traditional Publishers ? Read This if You ...

There?s so much focus on the pitfalls of independent publishing that I don?t think many people are talking about the pitfalls of traditional publishing.

I believe there is still room for both. I believe there are some great traditional publishers, editors and agents working hard to do their best for writers.

However, it?s getting harder for them and easier for the unscrupulous to structure situations that don?t benefit writers. This has always gone on, to a certain degree. The difference today is 1) people are beginning to talk openly about it, and 2) writers have a choice.

You might be wondering, why would ANYONE not want to be traditionally published?

Things have changed.?

What hasn?t changed is that publishing is a business.

Because it?s a business, and you, as a writer, are the producer of the product, you need to educate yourself to make wise choices that are good business decisions.

To begin with, you must prepare yourself to offer the best product possible. Your writing needs to be polished, your story needs to be engaging, your presentation must be professional. The days of submitting a good idea on a napkin are gone, if they ever really existed in the first place.

You should study the market. I don?t believe you must write exactly what you read but you should be a reader. This is the single most important thing you can do to prepare.

When you have a great manuscript, it?s time to consider your options. I?m sure you?ve read all the scary stuff about independent publishing, and the success stories. But now the truth is coming out about the traditional publishers and some of the bookkeeping games that have been going on for decades. If you are writing solely because you love it, making a livable wage may not be important. But if you are running this as a business, and remember, the publishers have always told us that it?s a business, you should be aware of what?s happening.

A good friend of mine, B.J. Daniels, is a successful Harlequin writer and a USAToday bestselling author. She?s done well with the company as she?s prolific and disciplined. Of course, sometimes that?s not enough. Another friend of hers, Ann Voss Peterson, recently wrote about her experiences in a piece called Harlequin Fail, featured as an expose on J. A. Konrath?s blog A Newbie?s Guide.

In this she talks about how she can?t afford to write for Harlequin anymore. She explains how she makes 6 cents a book. You have to sell a whole lot of books to make any money when you?re getting 6 cents a book.

She explains how in the past, Harlequin offered their authors support and vast distribution with appropriate compensation, but that?s changed. The economy and the competition is putting a lot of stress on publishers and the pinch is felt all the way down the line.

If you want more truth from the authors who know, read this.?

The takeaway here is to not follow blindly along the worn path of traditional publication. Get informed. Find out the facts. Read your contracts and royalty statements. There are alternatives today.

Any of your options could be good options if you know what you are getting into.?

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