9 Misconceptions about Traditional Publication

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally I find myself in the middle of the conversation with a new writer who is interested in heading down traditional publication roads. In some cases, the new writer is already familiar with the basics associated with querying and the hunt for an agent or publisher. However, sometimes I come across a new writer who is clueless about what it will really take to get their book published by traditional means.

If you fall into this clueless category, know now that you are not alone and are normal. I was there once myself, completely delusion and as clueless as they come. When I started on my own publication journey, I had no idea what it was really going to take. As I started to learn about this industry, I discovered how much I really didn't know.

It's that old saying: the more you learn, the more you realized how much you don't know. And I'm still learning!

Today, I want to address some of the misconceptions that many new writers have about the traditional publication road.

Misconception 1: To find a publisher, all you have to do is send them the manuscript.

There are so many issues with this statement. The first is the assumption that publishing houses read every manuscript that is sent to them. That is not the case.

Just like the hunt for an agent, you need to:

1. find the publishers that are open to unsolicited queries for your genre,
2. send them a query letter containing the information that they have specifically requested on their submission guidelines (which may include a set number of sample pages, a synopsis, or any other submission materials), and
3. spend forever waiting.

Seriously, the publishing industry is a hurry-up-and-wait industry. Much of the querying and submission process is filled with waiting. If you do not have the patience to wait, then perhaps traditional publishing is not for you.

But let's continue down this traditional publication discussion.

Even if you follow everything in the submission guidelines, there is zero guarantee that a publisher is going to read your submission. And there is zero guarantee that you will ever get a response back.

Trust me: I have firsthand experience with the frustration associated with the zero response phenomenon. Don't get me started.

An excellent book about the realities associated with querying agents and publishers is Scott Pack's How to Perfect Your Submission. It might be an old book, but if you ever wanted a wake-up call about the harsh realities associated with querying, this book is overflowing with truths.

Misconception 2: You don't need to have a finished manuscript to find an agent or publisher.

This one will depend on whether you are dealing with fiction or nonfiction.

If you are writing a fiction novel, then your manuscript needs to be complete and edited to the best of your ability. You will also need a query letter, a synopsis, an understanding of your target audience, and a list of comp titles. That's only the beginning.

I will revisit the idea of understanding your target audience and finding comp titles in a future blog post, but if you would like more information on synopses, visit A Synopsis is NOT a Blurb.

If you are writing a nonfiction manuscript, then it becomes a question of what type of nonfiction are you writing. If you are writing a memoir, then you may be required to have a completed manuscript, edited and polished, before seeking publication. But for most nonfiction, you do not need to have a completed manuscript, but you will need to have a complete proposal.

Your book proposal includes an outline for your book, along with sample chapters, your marketing strategy, and information about your preexisting platform.

At Black Wolf, we don't edit nonfiction book proposals, but Jane Friedman has a really good article for writing nonfiction book proposals, including a template that you can download.

Misconception 3: A publisher will help you edit your first draft into a publishable manuscript.

Yes, a publishing house will pay for some editing before they publish your manuscript, but the level of editing employed will depend on the publisher's budget for your book. Sorry to say it, but debut writers are at the bottom of the heap, so they get the lowest budget possible and minimal editing.

As a debut writer, if you want to put your best foot forward, you need to invest in your own editing. It is best to do this before you even attempt to seek a publisher for a given manuscript.

You are competing against an insane number of writers all seeking to be published. As such, you need to give your manuscript the best shot it has at standing out among the crowd. This means editing!

Before attempting to query your manuscript to agents or publishers, you need to edit your manuscript to the best of your ability. And I'm not talking about just punctuation and grammar. I am talking about developmentally editing your story—story structure, character arcs, characterization, show vs tell, dialogue, narrative voice, and the list goes on.

If you are just starting out in this industry, it is safe to assume that the manuscript you believe is finished is not finished. Most writers will write in the order of four or more novels before they finally snag that elusive publication contract. And with each manuscript they write, they are learning more about how to write.

When it comes to editing, about 90% of the editorial process falls into the developmental editing category.

For more on what developmental editing involves, check out this blog post on The Stages of Editing.

Misconception 4: Publishers will pay you up front for your writing.

This is a weird one, because yes, a traditional publishing house will pay you for your writing, but exactly how you get paid, and when you get paid, will depend on a variety of factors.

Not all publishers offer advances (where you get paid before the book is published), but the publishers that don't offer an advance tend to be small presses.

Regardless, if you are going with a traditional publisher, you should be paid for your writing. End of story.

As an added hint: if any publisher asks you for money before your book is published, then they are not a traditional publisher. They are likely a vanity press.

Misconception 5: You get all of your advance at once.

An advance is a payment of funds earned by your book before your book sells. It's an advance against your royalties. But an advance is not paid out all at once. And sometimes portions of your advance come in after the book is published.

The payment schedule for your advance will be defined in your contract. It is common to see a payment schedule with at least three benchmarks:

• signing the contract,
• submission (and acceptance) of your edited manuscript,
• and upon publication.

Some publishing contracts include a fourth payment that comes in months after the book's publication. And because of how long it can take for a book to go through the publication cycle, it could be years before you see all of your advance.

It is common for publication cycles to be in the order of two or more years. (Being a writer is not a get-rich-quick scheme.)

Misconception 6: You will get royalties.

Any advance you get from your publisher is an advance against your royalties. In other words, you won't see any more money until your portion of the royalties equates to more than the advance.

It is a sad truth, but many books never earn out their advances. And there have been circumstances where even the ones that do earn out their advances never see their additional royalties either.

True story based on personal experience: One of my own publications was tied up in a publishing house takeover. Because of debts that the publishing house owed to other debtors, any funds that came in during the takeover went to the other debtors before my co-authors and me. We were given our full advance, and we've earned out that advance within the first few months of the book's publications. But after the publishing house takeover was complete, we never saw another dime—and we're not expected to either. But that's the way the industry goes sometimes.

Misconception 7: A publisher will do all the marketing and publicity necessary.

Remember how I said above that the publisher will only pay for a certain amount of editing based on their budgets for your book? Well, the same is true about marketing.

Even the big-named authors, with a much larger budget from the publishers, will need to do some level of marketing for themselves. And the debut writers often get minimal budgets.

Some of the publisher's budget for your book will include some level of publicity and marketing, but you, as the writer, will be asked to do marketing too. Accept it now.

Exactly how much marketing that you do yourself will depend on your own budgets—both in finances and in time.

Hint: Part of the reason that writers get advances is because it is expected that a portion of your advance will go towards your own marketing.

Misconception 8: Being a writer means that you can spend all your time writing stuff.

Already in this post, I have hinted at editing and marketing. Well, there is also the networking, learning, accounting, and taxes, just to name a few of the crazy things that we writers have to do.

There are only so many hours in the day, and sometimes, writing just isn't on the list of things to do for a given day.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but being a writer means that you write… some of the time.

Misconception 9: Writers are able to make a reasonable amount of money from writing books.

If you are lucky, then yes, you might be able to make a living wage from your writing alone. However, for most writers, this is not the case.

Even the big-named writers do more than just write.

Look at James Scott Bell and Brandon Sanderson. Both of them are teachers of writing, being paid presenters for writing courses and conferences. Mary Robinette Kowal makes a portion of her living by being a book narrator (a damn good book narrator, but her income doesn't come from solely her writing). And James Patterson will be getting a portion of his income from the royalties of his Masterclass.

It is a rare writer who makes all of their income from their books alone.

Research!

There are many other misconceptions out there regarding the traditional publication path, but most of them stem from one of the nine misconceptions listed here.

I don't like writing posts that deliberately aim to shatter the delusions of certain writers, but sometimes, it takes the hard truths to point out the realities of this industry.

To survive the publishing industry, your number one tool (besides your ability to write) will be your ability to do research.

At every step along the way, you need to do your research. Learn what you can about publishers (and agents), so you can ensure that you are querying the right publishers (or agents) for your book. Learn about some of the common clauses that you find in publication contracts, so you don't fall prey to one of the many disastrous clauses that could ruin your career before it begins. And always continue to learn and do the research that you need to for your stories.

So, what are some of the misconceptions that you might have heard about publishing?