Launching a new author involves a lot of risk for the publisher. The book can become a best-seller within a month or struggle to sell even after a year. For many first time authors, selling a large number of copies becomes difficult as it takes time to spread the word. Established writers have a dedicated follower base and present a safer bet for the publisher.

Book publishers in India are notoriously famous for rejecting most of the scripts they receive, late replies and inclined preference for established authors. So how do aspiring authors with no connections in the industry get their book to the stores? How do you find a publisher who would be interested in publishing your book?

Before we discuss how you can publish your book, let’s briefly understand the two broad kinds of publishers in India.

Traditional publishers are hugely popular for their wide distribution network across the country. They buy the publishing right from the author, sell it in bookshops, and pay the royalty (5 to 15 %). You don’t have to invest money to publish your book with a traditional publisher. However, an extremely high rejection rate of scripts makes it incredibly difficult for debutant authors to get a deal from a traditional publisher.

Self-publishing, on the contrary, is an author-centric book publishing process. You make a one-time investment for the publishing services. An experienced group of consultants help you create, publish and promote your book. Arguably, anyone who has written a story/poetry/academic script can publish it. You don’t need to be a rock star writer to become a published author.

How traditional publishing works

Once you complete writing your script, the challenge is to find a publisher interested in publishing your book. Most of the book publishers in India accept scripts from aspiring authors without the help of a literary agent (though having one is always better). You can visit the website; fill up the necessary details, along with a cover letter & synopsis. Additionally, you need to send 30 to 40 pages of your book for review. On an average, it takes 3 to 4 months to receive feedback from the publisher depending on the number of scripts they receive every day.   

What happens when a publisher accepts your proposal?

If the editor feels the script is suitable for their publishing house and people might like the book, they will request you to send the complete script. The publishing house can ask you to make changes in the script depending on the subject.   

Once the script is finalized, you will be signing an agreement with the publisher with details of distribution and royalty percentage. The publisher takes up complete responsibility of distribution and marketing your book.   

What if your script is rejected?

If you receive a negative response, you can approach another publisher or look for alternative ways to publish your book.

You can self-publish your book with the help of publishing consultants.

Self-Publishing option

Self-publishing is an author-friendly book publishing model. You stay in control of the process, select the cover and interior design; retain complete control over your story, choose the distributors and finalize the price of your book. Self-publishing reward authors with high royalty (50 to 90%) on every book sold.

Self-publishing your book is simple, easy and affordable. All you need is a script and a will to become a published author. The first step is to complete your story, get it proofread by friends and family and get feedback. Incorporate any changes you want to make. Once you are confident about the content, you can contact a self-publishing company to guide you to publish your work.

After you share your manuscript, an editor will go through and suggest changes. You can accept or reject the recommendations based on your understanding. The next steps that follow are cover and interior design, distribution, and marketing.

When you self-publish, you actively participate in the entire book creation process. The publisher plays the role of a facilitator. You get to work with designers to create a perfect cover design and participate in creating magnetic marketing campaigns for your book. To simplify, you share the responsibility of making your book successful.      

What should you choose- self-publishing or traditional publishing?

Choosing between the two publishing platforms is tricky and critical. You need to identify your goals before finalizing any one.   

If you are ready to make changes in your script according to suggestions of the publisher, want nationwide distribution for your book, and you want the publisher to take responsibility of promotion of the book, traditional publishing is perfect. The only barrier on your way is getting selected by a publisher due to the high rejection rate.

However, if you want complete control over the book publishing process, cover design of your choice, marketing campaigns with your inputs, you should probably self-publish your book. We covered the topic in more detail in our blog Traditional vs. Self-Publishing.

In case you want to know more about self-publishing, download our guide and discover how you can publish, promote and sell your book at your convenient time.

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