I will no longer be updating this guide. I'm leaving it up in case it will continue to be helpful to anyone in the future.
People have asked me writing tips, Wattpad tips, and whatever. This is some of that advice I give them. Keep in mind most of t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Since I mentioned the need for deciding which publishing route is right for you, it's only fitting I do a chapter on both. Before I get into this chapter, here's the truth--I've never published in either form. I'm working toward it, but haven't finished either Freelander or Guardian of Calandria to a point I feel confident it's ready. Which means this will be 100% my opinion and there's nothing wrong with that. This debate is going to change depending on everyone you ask and it should. Don't take what anyone says about Traditional Vs. Self publishing as gospel, decide for yourself which fits the needs of your book.
In today's world, there is no right or wrong publishing method. Both have their pros and cons so it's up to you to decide which is best for your book. When you're finished writing the first draft, plan to sit down for a few days, or more, and do your research. Publishing really isn't, or at least it shouldn't be, as simple as "I want to publish, so I publish." You spent the time writing this book, now take the time to find the best life for it.
Also if you have any agent or publisher contacting you, saying they'll publish your book, but you have to give them x amount of money...don't do it. A real publisher and/or agent will never ask for money out of your pocket. If they do, 99.9% of the time it's a scam. If it's a kickstarter type thing, like the fan-funding Wattpad had here, that's another story. But you should never have to pay out of your pocket to have your book published by somebody else. There is a great website called Writers Beware that you can look and see if that publisher is legit. You can also go to the Industry Insiders club and ask there. Plenty of people are willing to help you and make sure you don't get scammed.
Don't get stars in your eyes because someone wants to publish you. Stop. Think. Research. I will go more into this when I cover vanity presses.
So how do you determine which method of publishing is right for you? Make a pros and cons list first of all, but also talk to other writers who have gone through the process. Join writers groups online, google publishers and agents, and most of all...don't get overwhelmed. It's not as daunting as it might seem at first and this is coming from someone who has zero confidence in herself that also gets easily overwhelmed. If you have to take your time sorting through everything, do it. This is your books life we're talking about. Treat it as if it were any major decision and take your time.
There are some people who will swear the best and only route is traditionally publishing. There are others who say self publishing is the best route. In the end, they're both a crapshot. It's a lot like Wattpad in a sense, except it's far more brutal because real money is involved. People aren't going to be happy if they hand over their hard earned cash, even 99 cents, for something that's been poorly polished or just a generally bad story. They'll also be less forgiving. If you write a book that someone hates, they're less inclined to come back for more. That's why it's important to take your time on all aspects. As frustrating as it might be at times, there's no quick solution.
So here are my pros and cons. My hope is it'll get you started on thinking about how you want to do this. There is nothing wrong with trying both, do the query letters and see what rejections you get before self publishing.
