By Brenda Dempsey

You’ve finally found the courage to write your book, and now the last full stop has been placed on your sweat and tears manuscript.  A victory, you think.  But this is only the start of the next phase of being an Author.  It’s now time for the serious work to begin.  Who do you turn to next?  Another question to be answered, “How do I publish my book?  It’s a minefield out there…”

Every author has the dilemma of determining the best route to publishing their book.  Should I self-publish or dare I find a traditional publisher who will pay me for my brilliant book?  To be fair, there are pros and cons for everything in life and publishing is no different. The advent of the Internet and Amazon has made it possible for anyone to become an author.  Today’s world presents an excellent opportunity for many people who love writing, yet know little about what it means to be a good author who writes quality material, to have a book published.  There is a place for that in our world of limitless possibilities.

While most authors play see-saw with self-publishing and traditional publishing, there is a path of least resistance to consider – Partnership Publishing.  Let’s look at what is on offer. But first, here is my tale of entering the world of publishing.

In my first attempt at publishing a book, Voices of Courage, I chose a large American publisher who never actually explained that their company was a self-publishing venture. A pitfall I had to take full responsibility for, as it was my choice.  When you are green, you don’t know what you don’t know, right? 

My book, an anthology, needed rescuing.  I had to find my courage as I was responsible for publishing a book with thirty-two women co-authors.  At no point did I consider Traditional Publishing, even though I knew this was a great book.  Ironically, I swore that this was going to be a great journey and a success as I had experienced a woeful tale as a co-author previously.

Fortunately for me, the universe brought two extraordinary people into my life who were the saviours of Voices of Courage.  I discovered Partnership Publishing.  Within a couple of months, my book was re-branded, new front cover and ISBN issued and, like magic, the book launched, and we all enjoyed a successful book launch attended by women from around the world. 

I was hooked.  Partnership Publishing offered me expertise and the freedom to still hold onto 100% of the copyright, as well as the potential to attract opportunities and make money.  As the ‘Queen of Collaboration’, this was the ideal route for me.

Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing is a trendy path for many new authors.  Why?  It is cheap, fast and easy to get your book on Amazon, boasting to be the most significant global bookstore.  Who wouldn’t want to get their book on Amazon especially as they brandish the enviable Best Selling Book title; a status many authors covet.  But for every good reason why self-publishing is an easy choice for many authors, there are at least three reasons for every one why not to self-publish.  The bottom line is that it comes down to three questions.  Are you in the Authorpreneurship game for a quick win or a long haul?  Do you want to be able to say you are a published author and not overly concerned with making the most of that status?  Are you serious about building a business, making money and an impact in the world?

Self-Publishing is limiting, not to mention you are on your own, and boy the world of publishing has many rooms in its mansion.  I will be discussing this in more detail in Part II of this short series of Blogs.  Apart from your book being on Amazon, you cannot have a worldwide distribution for your book, and the ‘book trade’ does not recognise your Amazon ISBN.  There is much information hidden from Authors about self-publishing for good reasons, mainly for those in the business who inflate their prices for green authors who decide to self-publish.

I intend to use my voice to share all the information that is unsaid about self-publishing.

Traditional Publishing

As a Publisher and Book & Business Coach, I speak to many new and aspiring authors who have a beautiful dream of writing a book and being paid for it.  This notion is the same dream for most authors I hasten to add.  Being paid for writing a book is known as Traditional Publishing.  This form of publishing is elitist and somewhat challenging to crack—a bit like the thousands of sperm vying to enter the one egg.

Without a doubt, getting paid to write a book is a great goal, but like everything in life, nothing is for free.  There are several caveats adhered to such lucrative contracts.  You are asked to sell a certain number of books, and to have a significant following on social media, not to mention having a track record of visibility, published magazine and newspaper articles.  To most new and aspiring authors, this is a step too far; after all, authors write for the love of storytelling, not all the palaver that is part of the publishing world. 

According to several reliable sources and authors, when you write your book, you believe it is YOUR book, but this is not so true if you have a traditional publishing contract.  Once your manuscript is handed over, you do not see it, nor participate in any discussions around editing, layout or design.  All responsibility is assumed by the publisher who will do as they see fit, irrespective of your feelings or ideas.  Oh and did I mention copyright?  It belongs to the publisher unless you are JK Rowling or Dan Brown.  After all, the publisher has to ensure they make money for their investment in you.

Books need Marketing and PR to sell and that does not come cheap.  These are just two mountains authors have to climb in order to sell books, land speaking gigs and make money.

Partnership Publishing

Consider Partnership Publishing like a beacon of light in the myriad of paths you have to take in the world of publishing, and becoming an Author.

You have written a great book but you still feel daunted about how to publish your book the best way, so you can be seen, heard and have people buy your beloved story.  Whether you have written Fiction or Non-Fiction, you believe in your book.  You want someone to see your book in the same way you do.  Someone who understands it is your book; you have the rights to 100% of your book and you want to make the best amount of money you can from its sales.  Let me introduce the world of Partnership Publishing.

Collaboration is at the heart of Partnership Publishing.  It brings the genius of the author and the expertise of the publisher together to create something special.  Something more powerful than either Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing combined.  From the onset, you maintain all copyright of your words and your book.  You are encouraged to sell your book yourself so you keep all of the high levels of profit.  With a great Partnership Publisher, you are guided and supported in Marketing and PR. This means that you are not alone in a whole new world that has so much variation.  A world that it is challenging for those in the industry to keep up with, never mind new authors.

Did you know that the ISBN issued by Amazon is only applicable to Amazon itself and is therefore not recognised by the book trade?  Partnership Publishing offers worldwide recognition and sales of the ISBNs issued by them.  This gives your book access to the media, and the national libraries in the four countries of the UK, as well as Advance Information necessary for the book trade.

Are you are a business owner, speaker, or author with a burning desire to write, publish and launch your book? Do you have a dream of becoming an Amazon Number One Best-Selling Author? If the answer is yes, then click the link below and let’s chat.   It’s time to learn how Partnership Publishing is the best investment you’ll ever make as an Author.