Traditional publishing: still the most desired option?

Trad publishing is still a popular pathway but that's changing

Beginner’s eyes

It feels a little odd to be writing this post. We have only been in the publishing “industry” for a little over a year. We have decades of experience in editing, writing, managing events, being published and curating journals and magazines, but we have only been publishers for a little while. However, we have by now published two books and connected with many writers, writer support networks, festivals and publishers. We have read articles, listened to podcasts and attended seminars on publishing until our eyes and ears have bled. We have held writers’ studios, mentored emerging writers and run workshops, book launches and reading events in our community. So we don’t know everything but we know some things. And we have the advantage of looking at the industry with “beginner’s eyes”, as Buddhists say, which gives us fresh, unbiased insight into where we see the industry is growing and where it is getting crusty.

In part, I’m writing this as a response to an article I read on Substack a week ago by writer and former publisher Devon Halliday. Her bio says she “offers hard truths and hot takes about the writing business”. The article was called Traditional publishing: Still worth it? It was an excellent article and it got me thinking.

A mixed bag in a time of many options

At the Edges is an independent publisher. We offer different publishing pathways, depending on our resources and where the writer is at. We get a lot of writers coming to us, asking about what we do, and we always ask them, “What do you do?” “Where are you at on your writing journey?” Sometimes we will say to them that their best shot is with a traditional publisher, so we encourage them to seek them out, giving them as many contacts as we can for success. Other times we think they are resourceful enough to self-publish. Other times, if we have values alignment and we know we can work with them, we take them on as authors we will publish. So far we have mainly assisted writers in their publishing journey, but we are open to the traditional pathway or a hybrid model if we get the right emerging writers. So that’s why we use the term “independent” to describe our venture rather than describing ourselves as “assisted self-publishers” or “hybrid publishers”. We offer a menu of options for these fragmented times where there are so many possibilities. In so doing, wre offering an alternative to the mainstream publishing industry. Which leads me to the point I want to make.

There is no one way to publish anymore. That’s my observation with my “beginner’s eyes” over the industry. Traditional publishing doesn’t hold the reigns anymore. Many large and small publishers are shutting down and there is so much competition out there that writers are giving up even trying to make a pitch to well-known publishers (though this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try). Many writing networks and institutions, festivals, programs and events are slow to realise this. They seem to have an awareness that things are changing and some of them are trying to catch up by offering self-publishing courses and mentoring, for example. But the majority of the writing industry is still working with the assumption that traditional publishing is what most people want. I don’t think that’s true. Most people don’t care anymore, or at least are beginning to care less. There is an emerging indifference and wariness towards the traditional publishing pathway. People are seeking other options.

Traditional vs self-publishing

In her article, Halliday breaks down the advantages and disadvantages of traditional vs self-publishing and she does a fantastic job. Her article rings true to our experience as publishers. For instance, she highlights that with traditional publishers many are outsourcing publicists and editors, which you could do anyway as a self-publisher - as long as you have the connections and the know-how to be able to discern the sharks from the professionals. In terms of finances, most people would think that being with a traditional publisher means you get more money back from your publication. That may not be true if your book doesn’t sell enough to meet the advance that was given to you at the outset. And we know of someone who self-published a book recently who has done incredibly well selling their books, making quite a tidy profit.

Halliday essentially says that you can go either self-publishing or traditional (with a slight bias towards traditional) as the industry is “pretty broken”. And that’s right, you can outsource any part of the publishing process and get it done professionally - again, if you know your stuff and have the time to put into it.

“The envy of our peers”

But in the end she would say there is one reason that people still go the traditional publishers pathway - for the “cachet”, “the envy of our peers”, “legitimacy”.

I agree with her that this is the drawcard for many people who want to publish with a traditional publisher. However, legitimacy and “the envy of our peers” are two different things. Less and less people, especially younger people who care less about traditional mainstream brands, want “the envy of their peers” - they just want to get their work out there. Legitimacy, however, is something else and I think it is a valuable part of the publishing process. I think all who self-publish should aim for legitimacy. And I believe it’s possible to have legitimacy without using a traditional publisher. I also think legitimacy is something that can be outsourced, just like editors, typesetters, designers and publicists can be. My sense is that this will increasingly happen, lessening the need to attain legitimacy from traditional publishing houses.

Halliday rightly says, “Self-publishing can replicate basically all the hallmarks of traditional publishing that we discussed above, as long as you’re willing to put enough work and money into it. But it cannot replace the one essential guarantee of traditional publishing: somebody else, somebody besides you, thought that your book deserved to exist in the world.” Great point.

Outsourcing legitimacy

At the Edges uses a pathway whereby we assist writers to publish their work. We find the best editors, typesetters, mentors, beta readers and peer reviewers, if needed, to make certain the writer’s work is of good quality. We read their work and let the author know where the strengths and weaknesses are and when they need to go to a manuscript assessor or even a writing class! And if the whole team of professional, qualified people - the writing community we work with - is in agreement, we publish their work. There are certainly “assisted self-publishing” sharks out there who will publish anything - we have seen that - but as writers become more savvy about self-publishing and rely less and less on traditional publishers, they will want quality in their work and so even the aspect of “legitimacy” (and as a result kudos) will be outsourced out of the hands of traditional publishers. We can already see this happening with the rise of so many independent publishers who employ quality editors/proofreaders/assessors and only accept quality work.

Write your story!

So my advice to a writer who wants to get published is: think about which pathway works best for you. If you choose self-publishing and you want legitimacy (we think you should), get good editors and fantastic manuscript assessments, get your work peer reviewed and let the public know you have done so, and run your work by established authors. If your work is quality, the public will know it - and it doesn’t have to sit with traditional publishing houses for that to happen.

Get your work out there and make it good. We need to hear your story.

Karina