Traditional vs Independent Book Publishing: What’s Best for the Success of Your Book(s)?

By Lee Foster

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Why This Matters

• Successful “independent publishing” or “indie” authors may get “traditional” offers

• You may have several books in you, and possibly some should be done indie, some traditional

• A better understanding of traditional may confirm the wisdom of your indie path

Three Paths to Publishing: Defined

• Traditional “work for hire”

• Traditional “royalty”

• Independent self-publishing

Example of a Work for Hire Book

• Lee’s Back Roads California (Dorling Kindersley) and all his Lonely Planet Travel Books

Pro and Con: Pro: Traditional Work for Hire

• Cash in the bank. Try to save a little

• Your work is done, no promo required

• Prestige, your book with a major player

Con: Work for Hire

• Serial financial life. You move from project to project

• Your Identity may not be advanced (but also may, as DK listed Lee as the “author”)

• You can’t use the exact material elsewhere

Example of a Royalty Book

• Lee’s The Photographer’s Guide to San Francisco (Countryman Press)

Pro: Traditional Royalty

• You are part of the action, as an owner of the book. You get an advance against royalties.

• Royalty books tended to be more personal books, less formulaic

• In the past, publishers had exclusive access to the market (mainly bookstores) and had the needed capital for publishing and promotion

Con: Traditional Royalty

• Royalty publishers are not selling enough books today, and may not favor an ebook version, and may do no promotion

• Royalty publishers do not offer better market access than an author can get direct, such as with print-on-demand Amazon and Ingram (bookstores, libraries)

• Royalty publishers have conflicts with authors over web and app use of similar material

Example of a (Recent) Indie Book

• Lee’s Northern California Travel: The Best Options

Pro: Independent Self-Publishing

• Earn more per $14.95 list price print book sold, perhaps $4.25 vs $1 from a royalty book

• Author controls design, distribution, and book form (print, ebook, app, website etc)

• Author can license and sell material elsewhere, and book may be an ebook, website, and app

Con: Independent Self-Publishing

• Author needs to promote book

• Author needs to think like a publisher, not like an author who wants to be published

• Author needs to invest in good design

Independent Self-Publishing Arenas

• The print-on-demand book

• The ebook, and possibly the app

• The website presentation of the book

Example of a Print-on-Demand Book

The Print-On-Demand Path

Both these options are needed, in my opinion, to get sales in all markets:

• Amazon/CreateSpace so the book can be immediately available on Amazon

• Ingram/Lightning Source so the book will be saleable to bookstores and libraries

Example of an Ebook

The Ebook/App Path

• BookBaby (Brian Felsen) can distribute the ebook to all viable markets, returning you 100% of the net sale. This is Lee’s choice

• Smashwords (Mark Coker) is another viable alternative, but requires you distribute to Amazon yourself

• Some of my books are apps. Apps are “software enhancements” of book content

Example of a “Book” as a Website

The Look of the Book Website at http://www.fostertravel.com/category/norcal/30 chapters

The Website “Book” Path

• Your website may be your most versatile “book” venue of all. Present the book in chapter or chunks. Sell more books/ebooks.

• Your book as a website will show your expertise and can lead to other revenue, such as Lee’s licensing GreatWorldGetaways and his contract with Answers.com as their San Francisco Expert

Example of Lee Licensing a Book Chapter

San Francisco chapter licensed to GreatWorld Getaways, formerly the Uniglobe site

Example of Book as Website Getting New Contract: Answers.com Hires Lee

Lee contracted as the San Francisco Travel Expert. Answers.com said they “liked my presentation of San Francisco on my website.”

Conclusion: What is a Wise Future for Your “Book(s)”?

For Lee, the future will likely mean:• More independent self-published books• Some traditional work-for-hire cash-outs, such

as the DK book• Fewer traditional royalty books• More focus on electronic products (ebooks,

apps) and Internet outlets, his own and other Internet sites

Links to Presentation

• Lee’s website, showing his articles, books, ebooks, apps, and photos, is at www.fostertravel.com

• His article on this traditional vs independent publishing subject on his website is at http://www.fostertravel.com/traditional-vs-independent-book-publishing-whats-best-for-your-book/

More Links to Presentation

• His “website book,” with its 30 chapters, is at http://www.fostertravel.com/category/norcal/• His books/ebooks on his website are athttp://www.fostertravel.com/shop/?category=1&product_id=2 • His Amazon Author Page for his books is at http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Foster/e/B001HNI5S8/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1353686444&sr=1-2-ent&tag=fostertravelp-20

Final Links to Presentation

• His recent licensing of a book article on San Francisco from his website to Uniglobe can be seen at http://www.uniglobethetraveltimes.com/2011/north-america/san-francisco-%E2%80%93-a-one-and-only-experience

• His newly contracted position with Answers.com as

their San Francisco Expert, showing his first 10 articles from May 2013, can be seen at http://local.answers.com/g/sanfrancisco

Nuances: Why Electronic Products?

Electronic products can reach a worldwide audience. Lee’s app on San Francisco was chosen by Apple as a staff favorite and quickly sold 1000 units