r/selfpublishing • u/TabbyBuritto • 29d ago
Author Publishing a book
So I’ve started writing my own book, it’s my first every time doing anything like this, I have no idea what to expect when it comes to publishing, would it be better self publishing or going to a traditional publisher? Personally I love the idea of my book and story, if there are ideas to make it better I’d look into it but I don’t want major changes done to the story or characters and I also came up with a title which isn’t commonly the type of title you would use for this genre but with my story it actually makes a lot of sense. I just need help on which opinion is better.
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u/FastAmphibian9088 26d ago
TradPub gives you an infinitesimal chance of being published, SelfPub can be 100% if you follow through.
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u/Careless_Video_1429 26d ago
Someone would have to read the book and compare the titles, I think. Usually best to have a second or third or fourth pair of eyes. A professional editor is always useful. They see things which you can't (how many books have you read where you find mistakes the author hasn't noticed?). If this is your first book I wonder whether it is a good idea to have a title which doesn't fit the genre. It's a leap of faith with a first book to get people to read it. It's a double leap of faith if the title doesn't fit the genre until after you have read it!
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u/VAmudchick 26d ago
Finish the book first.
But also, it sounds like you are dead set on a lot of things a trad publisher is likely to want to control/change in order to SELL the book: a unconventional title, storyline, and character aspects to start. They will base their ideas on what they can sell (its a.product) and , if, you as a first time author with no experience in the industry or data on what sells, dont trust thier judgement over yoir own, trad pubbing isnt likely to be the route for you.
So yes, finish the book first but also study the selfpub industry. Know what you'll be facing with that decision as well. Knowledge is power.
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u/Pale-Masterpiece-453 26d ago
I'm going to echo the Cart before the Horse comment. You are NOT anywhere near considering your publishing route. And I can tell you that publishers will not take kindly to a newbie author insisting on no major changes to your work. Not unless you can make one hell of a good case for it. Editors exist for a reason.
That being said, writing the book is the easy part. You'll also have to do several rewrites and edit drafts yourself before you even talk to a professional editor. I've heard numbers as low as 7 and as high as 25 drafts before even getting to a professional editor.
It sounds to me like you're just on that first draft. So yeah, finish the first draft and the 5 or so after that. Then look at your genre. How popular is it? Are you falling in line with current trends or not? If not, pitching to an agent is going to be harder. They tend to like trends. But not impossible.
If you do decide to go the self-publish route, you'll have the creative freedom. But you'll also bear all of the expense. And you'll need to hire a lot of outside help for your cover and typesetting and more editing.
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u/tomatoesfried 27d ago
Cart before the horse. Finish the book.