THE PUBLISHING GAME

by Kathy Cretsinger

Publishing is a game, a game of how to publish. Do you want to spend a lot of money, or do you want to take your time and go with a traditional publisher? It is up to you and how much time and money you want to spend. Let\’s look at one type of publication.

When you begin to write, you want to make the best decision regarding publication. We begin to investigate several ways we\’ve seen advertised and several comments we\’ve heard at conferences. Some sound wonderful, but some don\’t. We talk to agents and editors,,and we\’ve sent them a proposal. Some have been refused. This is probably the most heartbreaking thing a writer can have happen to them. Someone doesn\’t like your book. What to do?

There are other ways to publish besides a traditional publisher. One way you do not want to go is \”vanity press.\” This is probably the most unethical way to publish your book. Some vanity presses are owned by honest people, but others are not. We have all heard the stories of how a publisher was paid megabucks, but the author never received their books. Not all vanity presses are dishonest, but a lot are.

Why pay a lot of money to have your book published by someone you do not know? Too many authors have told me they have \”a basement full of books.\” If you publish with a vanity press, you will receive books. It all depends on how much you want to spend. It can go from $2,000 to $20,000 or more. The more you spend, the more books you will receive, and the more books you will have in your basement.

Your book can or cannot be put on Amazon to sell with a vanity press. You are probably the only person who is going to sell your books. There are only so many conferences, speaking engagements, and homeschool functions you can go to. You are limited in your capacity to sell your books.

Beware of one company that is owned by one of the \”Big 5\” publishing companies. It is a vanity press, and they try to hook you by saying the mother company \”may\” pick up your book after you have spent all the money to publish it. Is it worth it? No! You are still going to be stuck with \”a basement full of books.\”

Run from any publishing company that asks you for money for anything. No legitimate  company will ask you to pay for any part of publishing.

Next week, there will be another article about publishing. Saturday, March 20, I will speak at a virtual conference, Mid-South Christian Writers Conference. It is still open through Thursday to take registrations. Go to midsouthchristianwriters.com. I\’d love to see you at my session at 10:30 CST.