How to Choose the Right Publishing Path for Your Children’s Book
The KidLit Creator’s Chronicle – Issue #60
If you’ve been around children’s book circles, I’m sure you’ll have heard these questions: self-publishing or traditional? Which one is better?
I get asked this quite often, and I mostly support self-publishing. I think traditional or hybrid publishing can be a better fit for some authors, but I’ve seen too many authors who never publish because they were only willing to be traditionally published. More on that in a minute.
The three options
Self-publishing means you’re in charge of everything. You hire (and pay) your editor and illustrator, you have far more say in the creative direction than you would with a publisher, and you keep the rights and all of the royalties (unless you pay your illustrator royalties, which is unusual). And no gatekeeper has to say yes before your book exists.
Traditional publishing means a publisher takes on the financial risk. They pay for editing, illustration, printing and distribution, and in return, they own the rights and you earn a much smaller royalty, usually with an advance against it.
Hybrid publishing is in between. You put in some money, the publisher puts in some money and expertise, and you typically get higher royalties than traditional in exchange for covering some of the cost yourself. It’s not vanity publishing (where anyone can pay to get published, no gatekeeping involved), because a hybrid publisher still has to say yes to your manuscript, and they carry some of the costs.
Traditional Publishing
Traditional can be the right call
For some authors, traditional publishing is a good fit. If you don’t have the budget to cover editing, illustration and a print run yourself, traditional removes that barrier. You get professionals assigned to your book at no upfront cost to you. For authors who can’t self-fund, this can be the difference between a book existing and not existing.
A traditional publishing deal also carries a certain validation and credibility. That stamp of legitimacy can open doors for school visits, speaking events and more.
For authors with limited funds, it can also mean a higher quality book than they could have produced independently. A good traditional publisher brings a level of professional editing and illustration that’s hard to match on a tight budget.
The risk I’ve seen with traditional publishing
I’ve first-hand met numerous authors who landed a trad pub deal and after 1-2 years it fell through. Or they landed an agent but never got published. Some had the deal secured, were told their book would be out in 18 months, and 10 months later, the deal fell through. (Some waited even longer.) Lists can get cut, publishers restructure or close down, or the editor who loved your manuscript leaves the company. It happens. This is really sad to me, because they lost so much time nevermind the emotional rollercoaster. And some of them simply give up after this.
So, in short, I’ve seen traditional publishing cause people never publish and, thus, lose their dream.
I mention this, because sometimes authors will say their only chance to get published is the traditional route. But this may mean they never get published. And, when I really chat to them, often self-publishing is much more attainable than they’d thought.
That’s the real risk of traditional publishing, in my eyes. It’s not the lower royalties (although, that can be a big one too!) or the loss of creative control. It’s that pinning your hopes entirely on gatekeepers means your publishing career is in someone else’s hands.
The marketing myth
First off, traditional publishers don’t market your book nearly as much as most authors expect.
Often when I speak to new authors, they expect that if they can just land a traditional publishing deal, they will sell tens or hundreds of thousands of books, and that the publisher will keep marketing for years and years, meaning they’ll earn royalties far into the future. But this is almost never the case.
Marketing budgets get allocated based on how well the publisher thinks your book will perform, and unless you’re their lead title for the season, you may get a listing in a catalogue, maybe a small marketing campaign, and not much else. You’re still expected to build your own platform and do your own promotion, the same as a self-published author would. The difference is, you’re doing it with a smaller royalty cheque. (But also fewer upfront costs, to be fair.)
So, “traditional will handle the marketing” is not quite what many authors expect.
Other traditional publishing pitfalls
I’ve also worked with several authors whose contracts limited what they could do, including things which could improve their book sales. For instance, some contracts discourage authors from regularly reselling their own books directly at school visits, because those sales don’t get tracked the same way as a bookstore sale, and that count matters for royalties and for whether a publisher takes a chance on your next book.
Also, you can’t make changes to your own book. Want to update your cover because it’s not converting? Want to add a promo page in the back to grow your email list? Those things have to go through the publisher, and it may not happen, or not quickly. The publisher owns the final cover, layout and illustrations, because they’re the ones who created them.
These things are worth knowing and thinking about.
Self-publishing
Pros
With self-publishing, you are the captain of your own ship. Nobody has to say “yes” to your book. Nobody can pull your book from a list or sit on your manuscript for two years before deciding it’s not quite right for them after all.
You set the timeline, you keep creative control (choosing your illustrator, having more input into the final book), and you can do whatever you want with your published book and your marketing.
You also earn a far higher royalty per sale, which can make a big difference when you’re trying to build a sustainable author career rather than chase a single advance.
Children’s Book Mastery Author, Stacey Rayz, doing a school visit.
Cons
It’s more work and costs upfront. You’re funding the editing and illustrations yourself, and you’re responsible for finding the right professionals and getting the book market-ready.
One thing I need to mention, not really a con, but a potential con, is poor quality. I’ll never forget, a few years ago I got tagged in a Facebook post, with a huge,very excited thank you from an author who had just published a picture book and said she could’ve never done it without my help. She had attended my summit and learned how to publish there. Now, I feel terrible saying this so publicly, but I wished she’d remove my name from that post. The illustrations were unprofessional, and the book needed a lot of work. But it was out in the world now. I see this every so often. I think we all know there are many poor-quality self-published books. I believe it’s our responsibility to use the benefits and freedom of self-publishing responsibly.
So… if you self-publish, you have to be willing to invest to create a high-quality book.
Hybrid Publishing
Hybrid publishing sits between the two. You contribute some of the cost, the publisher contributes expertise, resources and marketing, and you typically earn higher royalties than you would with a traditional deal. A hybrid publisher still has to say yes to your manuscript.
How much creative input you get varies widely–some hybrid publishers operate very similarly to traditional ones, and some allow you to have more input. So if this is important to you, it’s worth reading the contract carefully.
So which one should you choose?
In the end, I think the best route is the one that allows you to get your (high-quality) book out into the world. Whether that’s through traditional, hybrid or self-publishing, the goal is the same: a published book that reaches children and that you’re proud of.
To help you decide, honestly, ask yourself these questions:
- Can I fund professional editing and illustration myself (even by saving up)?
- Do I want creative control over my title, cover and content?
- How would I feel if I queried for two years and got nothing? Would I still publish the book?
If you’d rather watch than read, head over to my YouTube channel. I publish these articles in video form there too. And while you’re at it, a subscribe would mean the world to me! Children’s Book Mastery on YouTube.
Over to You!
Have you been leaning toward traditional publishing, or have you already decided on or done self-publishing? Has anyone you know had a deal fall through, or landed an agent and then… silence? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience.
Comment and let me know.
Whichever route you choose, happy publishing!
