Traditional publishing professionals think they can jump on the indie bandwagon and make a mint from applying the same techniques they learned in that industry to self-published authors. This is the big error. The world of publishing and assisted publishing are two different beasts entirely.
And here’s why:
1. In assisted publishing, the author is the client.
This is confounding to many new services because in trad (traditional) publishing, the publisher holds the puppet strings. New services who don’t take the time to spell out deals and what the author will get on their service descriptions and websites feel like a lack of value for money for clients and confuses those new to the business who just want to have a book in their hands as easily as possible.
Not everyone knows or cares what ranking, SERPs, proofs, PDF/A-1a, DPI, SWOP Coated CMYK, Mark-Up Tools or BISAC are. But many assisted services think you should.
2. Client-authors demand perfection without concern for resource costs.
In the traditional publishing world, the author must let the publisher work out editing, formatting, cover, and promotion costs and sit back from creative decision-making. In the assisted world, authors demand changes to their text after sign-off, creative input, and make final decisions on promotions because they feel they are entitled to have a say, even if their decisions are uninformed.
Many assisted publishers then find they are giving away resources, time, and budget to pander to these needs — needs that in publishing the author would not have met, and haven’t been allowed for in packages that have bundled the basics without any wiggle room.
3. In trad publishing, the book is picked up halfway done.
A publisher would not pick up most of the books in the early state they are brought to an assisted publishing service. Before a publisher buys a book in the trad world, it has been edited, formatted, and worked on several times by the author and an agent to get it ready for perusal. In the assisted world, that book comes in for preparation usually unedited and unformatted.
These extra costs for preparation have not always been factored in when an assisted service starts up, and bundled service prices may hit a wall when the books come to production.
4. Assisted services offer trad freelancers at much higher prices than a self-publisher will pay.
For example, a trad editor may charge more than 6 cents per word, where an indie book editor may charge less than $0.01 cent per word. This is because in trad publishing, it is assumed the book will reach a much broader audience, and cost more, so it requires much harder editing. Indie authors much of the time want a very soft edit, and have no time for critique. This attitude may surprise trad editors, who are used to their opinions for story and commercial value being deeply considered.
These two edit styles clash on both monetary and critical levels, and assisted services find unhappy clients because they’ve both paid commercial rates for their book, and their edits are too supercritical for their tastes.
5. Client-authors demand much more personalization for their books.
An author who is published in the trad would not have any say in the creation of their book cover except to say if they like it or hate it, and even then their opinion may be overruled. Indie authors might want to use a family photo or self-made artwork for their cover, and even if this seems inappropriate to the publishing service, this has to be accommodated. The image may not be up to the correct printing specification or may be blurred, too small, or too dark.
Often, the indie author may be okay with these issues as long as the image gets used, but the assisted service may end up with technical issues, and as a result, more costs.
6. Client-authors are not versed in publishing, and need hand-holding.
Providing customer service for authors may seem alien to a trad publishing professional, as this would usually be the job of an agent or editor, not the publisher. However, it is essential that the author is treated as a client and not a commodity. If not, the author may prefer a refund, and to go elsewhere. These demands can seem trivial and silly to a trad professional, but often an indie author has spent many years writing one book, and has had to save up a long while to pay the fee for having their book published.
When these concerns are not fully addressed, they end up with a poor reputation for customer service.
7. Trad publishers still do not understand online promotion
— and most don’t offer it. Indie book promotion is a very edgy process, demanding a lot of focus on Amazon and Goodreads in real time. If the book is released in shops without gaining reviews and sales, it is likely the book will fail if it is not promoted aggressively the week it comes out online. eBooks are essential to the promotion of indie books. Paperbacks published without an eBook miss out on all the great ways authors can take advantage of the internet for garnering fans and selling books.
I have personally spoken to several award-winning authors in the mainstream who say they are deeply unhappy with the lack of promotion their publisher did on their book release, and many have to do all the legwork to get sales in, such as book tours and traveling around the world to speak for free.
However, trad publishers can rely on national press and the name of the author, book rights, and film rights in ways that an indie author just cannot, and therefore taking these tools away creates a chasm. If a trad publisher knows little of how indie book promotion works, the indie books they represent will sink without a trace immediately on publication.
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