I don’t usually do this, because I don’t like debates. Correction, I love debates, but I hate two people screaming their opinion at the top of their lungs like it’s fact and refusing to listen to anyone who doesn’t agree.

But I want to speak my mind on these things, and will probably leave out some key points because I’m prone to do that. I was going to clump them all into one post, but that’s no fun. I’ll split my posts into multiples so you can see me not-quite rant for several days in row ^_^

Traditional Publishing vs. ePublishing vs. Indie Publishing vs. Self Publishing

1. They’re not the same thing. None of them.
2. They’re not mutually exclusive. None of them.
3. Just like diets, just like exercise, just like work, school, spouses, pets. There is no one single right answer for everyone. In fact, I’d almsot dare say every single person has a slightly different answer.

Traditional Publishing
I think this is the most misleading term, and I don’t like it, but I don’t have a better one. It’s the original version as far as any of us remember, so it gets to be ‘traditional’. One of the big six (there are six, right?) publishes your book in bound form. Words printed on paper, pretty cover, they’re the distributor.

ePublishing
Your book is available in digital form.

Indie Publishing
A smaller label, independent (hence the ‘indie) of the big guys, publishes your book.

Self Publishing
You’re responsible for choosing who will distribute your book, and/or distributing it yourself.

Here’s the thing – the big guys – they can decide to make your book available in digital form as well. Hell, these days it’s pretty common. So suddenly traditional publishing = epublishing. And sometimes they don’t own the rights to older books they don’t print any more. So the author can epublish those themselves. Suddenly traditional = self publishing?

The indie guys, they’ve got choices too. They could make your book available in print or digitally. So suddenly indie publishing = traditional + epublishing?

Oh, same goes for self publishing. You choose the format. You choose the distribution method.

I won’t go into all the possible iterations. Seriously, I’m not that dull. You get the point.

The thing is, all of them require similar amounts of types of work…to be successful. Unless you’re an artistic marketing savant who can write brilliant masterpieces in a single sitting, slap a spirograph on the front and the world will love you.

Regardless of the path you take, if you want the story to sell en mass:

• The story has to be written.
• The story has to be revised, edited, polished.
• The cover has to be designed.
• The distributor has to be selected.
• The world has to be told.
• The world has to listen, believe, buy, and tell their friends

And that’s just the short list.

You know what’s both amazing and horrifying about this digital age where everyone has access to a computer? Everyone has a voice. Everyone wants to be heard. Okay, maybe not everyone. But most of us. Acknowlegement. Our 15 minutes in the spotlight. Writing a book is a great way to do that. I heard a stastic recently that supported that.

A literary agent estimated that for every 3200 new queries they receive, 1 sells. That’s not how many people they sign, that’s not how many partials and fulls they request. Of course, that’s also not how many go on to multiple book deals, or to self-publish successfully, whatever.

That means for every one of you, there are 3199 other people who have also written stories. Or something like that. I think my math is bad, but you get the point. So, regardless of the publishing route you choose, you have to compete with those 3199 other people.

One way isn’t easier than the other. One way isn’t more sure-fire than the other. The future of the industry doesn’t lean toward one specific answer. But regardless of what the right answer is for you, you still have to show the rest of the world how awesome you are.

I know it, you know it, your CP’s and betas know it. How are you going to convince everyone else?

How are you going to shine? Would you rather do it on your own, take full control, and push yourself into the spotlight? Or would you rather have someone else guide and support you, in exchange for some untold percentage of that independence?

Tomorrow I might ramble a little about why agents helping self-publish is different from angents as publishers. Maybe. But that seems like a bigger can of worms and possibly a bit much for a TLIF post.