Is working with a small press the right choice for you? Well, I don’t know for sure, but as an author who has published six books with two different small presses, I can speak to my own experiences and give you an insight into the pros and cons of choosing this particular publishing path.
One advantage of small presses is that you can submit directly to most of them without an agent. Some are open to submissions at all times, while others have set reading periods in which you can submit.
Most small presses don’t offer an advance. This can be seen as a positive or a negative – on the one hand, a lot of authors who receive advances never earn back that amount and never see any money beyond the advance. Without being paid an advance, an author gets paid a percentage of the royalties from day one.
How big a percentage varies from publisher to publisher, but from my own experience, anything between 30% and 50% is pretty standard.
For their share of the royalties, the small press will (or should, if they are worth their salt) take care of all the production side of the publishing process – the layout, cover, ISBN, copyright registrations etc and make your book available to retailers. Some small presses only publish electronically, so do your research. If you’re a writer who wants to see their book on library and bookstore shelves, an e-book only publisher is not going to see you realize your dream.
My current publisher does physical books as well as e-books, but they are print-on-demand and therefore it’s on me to get them into stores and libraries myself. I live in New Zealand, and by the time I add in the cost of freight and customs fees, plus the store’s commission, I lose about $10 on every book I sell in a physical bookstore. So… I don’t.
I’ve had two rounds of edits on each of my small-press published books, but they are not substantial edits. I’d consider them primarily copy-edits to ensure the book follows the publisher’s style guide. I have certainly never had any significant developmental feedback, but I do have a fabulous group of critique partners and beta readers, so my books tend to be pretty well self-edited before they get sent out. But, having been agented for a few years, and knowing the level of editing my agent required before they would consider taking a project out on submission, the amount of editing I get with my small press is minimal.
On the plus side, I get a lot of input into the cover. I’ve been sent covers I really disliked and sent back feedback and examples that have led to covers I love and am proud to have my name on.
Marketing and publicity is still largely in my hands. I negotiate the release date with my publisher to make sure I have ARCs and cover art at least three months prior to the release so I can start getting reviews and building buzz. If I accepted the release dates they suggest, I wouldn’t have that lead time. The publisher might do a few social media posts on release week, but in my experience, they don’t do a lot of publicity for any single title. That said, in recent weeks there has been a lot more social activity on their pages, so I suspect they may have someone new working for them who has fresh ideas. Watch this space…
At the end of the day, whether to publish with a small press is your decision. I like that I don’t have to worry about the practicalities of publishing a book, but there are definite disadvantages too – for example, my latest book ended up with completely crazy keywords including non-fiction and sci-fi & fantasy. I write contemporary YA novels! And because I’m not the publisher, I can’t change them.
Kate Larkindale is the author of YA novels Standing too Close, Chasing the Taillights, An Unstill Life, The Sidewalk’s Regrets, My Murder Year and Stumped. She lives and writes in Wellington, New Zealand where when she’s not writing, she works for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and teaches spin classes at the gym.
One advantage of small presses is that you can submit directly to most of them without an agent. Some are open to submissions at all times, while others have set reading periods in which you can submit.
Most small presses don’t offer an advance. This can be seen as a positive or a negative – on the one hand, a lot of authors who receive advances never earn back that amount and never see any money beyond the advance. Without being paid an advance, an author gets paid a percentage of the royalties from day one.
How big a percentage varies from publisher to publisher, but from my own experience, anything between 30% and 50% is pretty standard.
For their share of the royalties, the small press will (or should, if they are worth their salt) take care of all the production side of the publishing process – the layout, cover, ISBN, copyright registrations etc and make your book available to retailers. Some small presses only publish electronically, so do your research. If you’re a writer who wants to see their book on library and bookstore shelves, an e-book only publisher is not going to see you realize your dream.
My current publisher does physical books as well as e-books, but they are print-on-demand and therefore it’s on me to get them into stores and libraries myself. I live in New Zealand, and by the time I add in the cost of freight and customs fees, plus the store’s commission, I lose about $10 on every book I sell in a physical bookstore. So… I don’t.
I’ve had two rounds of edits on each of my small-press published books, but they are not substantial edits. I’d consider them primarily copy-edits to ensure the book follows the publisher’s style guide. I have certainly never had any significant developmental feedback, but I do have a fabulous group of critique partners and beta readers, so my books tend to be pretty well self-edited before they get sent out. But, having been agented for a few years, and knowing the level of editing my agent required before they would consider taking a project out on submission, the amount of editing I get with my small press is minimal.
On the plus side, I get a lot of input into the cover. I’ve been sent covers I really disliked and sent back feedback and examples that have led to covers I love and am proud to have my name on.
Marketing and publicity is still largely in my hands. I negotiate the release date with my publisher to make sure I have ARCs and cover art at least three months prior to the release so I can start getting reviews and building buzz. If I accepted the release dates they suggest, I wouldn’t have that lead time. The publisher might do a few social media posts on release week, but in my experience, they don’t do a lot of publicity for any single title. That said, in recent weeks there has been a lot more social activity on their pages, so I suspect they may have someone new working for them who has fresh ideas. Watch this space…
At the end of the day, whether to publish with a small press is your decision. I like that I don’t have to worry about the practicalities of publishing a book, but there are definite disadvantages too – for example, my latest book ended up with completely crazy keywords including non-fiction and sci-fi & fantasy. I write contemporary YA novels! And because I’m not the publisher, I can’t change them.
Kate Larkindale is the author of YA novels Standing too Close, Chasing the Taillights, An Unstill Life, The Sidewalk’s Regrets, My Murder Year and Stumped. She lives and writes in Wellington, New Zealand where when she’s not writing, she works for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and teaches spin classes at the gym.
