Once in a while, budding writers ask me how they can get published. I’ve always found this to be a difficult question because it depends on so many factors. I decided to write this post partly in response to this question.
The ominous title came to me because of some disturbing ads I’ve seen on social media. Basically, some vanity presses paint this picture of awarding writers the privilege of publication . . . as long as they pay a certain fee.
I’ve seen upbeat flyers talking about the opportunity to get published in anthologies, with submission details requiring a short story manuscript and a fee (something like $50 USD).
The first time I saw such an ad, I had to lift my jaw from the floor. At one point, I politely declined an offer to sell my short story for $40 USD. That same story ended up selling for $250 USD + contributor copies worth $60 USD. I didn’t pay anything in the whole transaction. This is how traditional publishing should go—money flows to the author.
I couldn’t understand why someone would charge writers for inclusion in an anthology! My understanding is that writing skill (amongst other requirements) gets you into literary magazines and anthologies. And to expect budding writers (trying to make it in a tough economy) to fork out $50 USD was just plain audacious. It’s one of those things that you don’t comment on at the time yet the disquiet crawls beneath your skin.
So, whenever asked about publishing short fiction by a budding author, I tell them to steer clear of vanity presses. There are lots and lots and lots of literary magazines out there that don’t require a single cent from authors.
There are non-paying markets, token paying markets (around the neighbourhood of 10 – 50 USD), semi-pro paying markets (around 3c/4c per word), and professional paying markets (8c per word and beyond). *These rates are as of the writing of this post*
So, really, it’s better to go with a non-paying or token paying market than to pay for inclusion in an anthology whose eventual readership you can’t predict. Especially in Africa, there are token paying markets that attract readers and can give you the opportunity to appear in professional paying markets. Indeed, some of the literary magazines are prestigious and will give you credibility as a writer. That backlist of previous publications can work in your favour as you search for more lucrative publishing deals.
Yes, getting into some magazines and anthologies is very, very, very hard. But that’s the beauty of it. Once you’re skilled enough to appear in those places, the achievement is that much more satisfying. I think it’s much better to hone your craft and to be good enough to appear in competitive markets than paying someone to appear in something that won’t get you much traction as a professional writer.
Here’s the deal with vanity presses:
- They sell publishing services like book formatting and printing. Whether your book sells or not, they’d have already made their money.
- Because they don’t need your book to sell for them to make a profit, their involvement in the marketing and distribution of your book isn’t guaranteed.
- You’ll very likely get your book published if you’ve got the money to pay for their services, regardless of the quality of your writing.
If you’re paying to get published, how can you know that your writing is actually good? It’s like those local awards you hear of where the recipients pay to receive the award. How do you know you deserve the award if you’re paying for it?
The consequences of going with a vanity press can be unflattering:
- You’d have a tough time convincing anyone with an understanding of publishing that your book is good when you paid to get it published.
- Indeed, you’d be lucky if the vanity press provided you with professional editing and book cover design.
- Your book will not be eligible for certain awards and prizes which judge traditionally published books. And these are usually the most prestigious awards.
Vanity presses can be an option if you decide to go the self-publishing route. But, still, you would need a guarantee of quality. For quality’s sake, it could end up being a better option to hire a professional editor and book cover designer. Some of these professionals would have come from a traditional publishing background, so there will be a guarantee of quality.
Here’s the deal with traditional publishers:
- They don’t charge you anything during the whole publishing process. They take on the costs (i.e. risk) in the hopes that they will recuperate their costs and make a profit in selling your book.
- In most cases, they invest thousands of dollars on you before your book has hit the shelves. Imagine all the money and expert man hours required in multistage professional editing, professional book cover design, book formatting and printing, marketing, distribution…
- Usually, the larger publishers also offer you an advance against royalties (can be from a few thousands to over a million dollars).
- Since they put all the upfront costs, it is in their best interests to market, distribute, and sell your book to the best of their abilities.
- Because they invest so much time and money in you, they will only take the best work (according to them), which they believe will sell.
- The quality of your writing is a major contributor as to whether they will accept your manuscript for publication or not.
Just looking at the above points and comparing with vanity presses, you can immediately tell which is by far the more prestigious route to publication.
Getting traditionally published goes beyond mere prestige:
- There’s no greater seal of approval for your work than a group of publishing experts telling you they love your novel.
- Traditional publishers put their money where their mouths are. It’s not just talk; they invest in you to show just how confident they are in your work.
- Your book will end up in bookstores and public libraries, exposing your work to a wider audience.
- Even if you start with a small publisher, critical success of your book could provide opportunities to work with a larger, more sought after publisher.
Searching for publishers can be easily done online. As far as short fiction, some of the most prestigious literary magazines accept unsolicited submissions (though some have specific open windows). Another route is short story competitions that only require a manuscript submission.
There are also many novel publishers that accept unsolicited submissions. They can also be found online. In all cases, it’s important to read submission guidelines, submit only the genres required, and follow every single instruction to the dot.