"Small Press, Big Dreams: The Realities of Publishing with a Traditional (But Tiny) House"

After parting ways with my second agent, I queried a new novel and was thrilled to have multiple offers of representation.

This is it, I thought. My breakout book! I imagined an auction, a six-figure advance, editors currying my favor while I pondered each offer.

But reality didn’t match my grandiose daydreams. The “not-for-my-list responses rolled in, and, after six months, both my agent and I agreed that my manuscript had perished on submission.

Not long after my novel’s funeral, I attended a book fair and ran into an author friend who had just released her novel with a small publisher. Her book was selling spectacularly— she’d even made the USA Today Bestselling list— and her cover was gorgeous.

I met the founder of the company and got great vibes from her. She was interested in my “dead” novel as well as my backlist. I emailed her the manuscript, and a few days later, she offered to sign me. I stayed with this press for several years and experienced many positives that are common with small and medium-sized publishers, but there were also some downsides. Here’s some of things you can expect if you sign with a smaller publisher.

FURTHER READING: the pros and cons of signing with a large publisher.

PROS

Accessibility

I can’t count how many times I shot the breeze with the CEO of my small publisher. He and his co-publisher were always available for my questions and concerns. When I grumbled about the effectiveness of my covers, they agreed to an entire redesign.

The CEO was aggressive in getting my audio rights back and selling them to another company, earning me a healthy check. If I didn’t like a clause in my contract, he’d pluck it out.

I’ve talked to other authors with several different small publishers, and accessibility is one of the most appreciated qualities in their smaller publishers. When mistakes are made on an Amazon page or in an e-book, they’re easily fixed. Questions aren’t dodged; they’re welcomed and respected, and the author is treated as a vital member of the team.

What’s more, you can usually submit to a small publisher without an agent, eliminating one of the most daunting steps to getting your book published.

They prepare the book for publication at no cost to the author

Developmental edits, copy edits, proofreading, covers, interior design, ISBN numbers and more all cost money, but if you’ve signed with a small traditional publisher, none of that is your concern.

But here’s the rub: The quality of these services will vary widely. An author friend who signed with a small publisher discovered that the first published version of her novel was an unholy mess. In addition to making formatting errors, they’d accidentally published an earlier unedited file of her book, causing her much embarrassment and distress after her book launch.

Also, some small publishers produce covers that look like the first clumsy efforts of an inexperienced indie author: hard-to-read fonts, amateur artwork, and genre-inappropriate design.

Marketing support

When I signed with my small publisher, I received a detailed author handbook that offered thorough and effective marketing advice. The company’s marketing plans worked well, landing several authors on bestselling lists.

Sometimes they paid for Bookbub promos, or they’d offer to split the cost. They also ran Facebook ads, and aggressively marketed their brand on social media as well as at in-person festivals and conferences.

But marketing support varies widely among small publishers, and sometimes you’ll get next to nothing.

Higher royalties and more frequent checks

My e-book royalties were 40 percent of the net and rose to 50 percent after a certain amount of time. That’s more than twice the royalty of a large publisher, and those checks came quarterly instead of once or twice a year.

Some prestige and recognition

Certain small literary presses like Graywolf or Tin House are synonymous with prestige, and any author would be proud to name them as publishers. But even if you’ve signed with the tiniest and most obscure traditional press, you’ve still managed to pass muster with at least one gatekeeper who has decided your work is worth investing in.

As for the average person, he or she doesn’t likely know the difference between Joe Schmoe Books and someplace with more heft like Alcove or Source Books. In most people’s eyes, you’ll have hit the big time simply by getting a traditional book contract.

Trade reviewers like Publishers Weekly and Kirkus often review titles from smaller publishers, and your local media will likely be happy to cover your book.

If you’re interested in doing a book signing, and your publisher’s distributor allows returns, your local indie or Barnes and Noble will probably be happy to host you.

A feeling of belonging and appreciation

Every Christmas, my publisher sent boxes of cookies to all their authors. Come pub day, the staff would go out to lunch and celebrate the launches on social media with infectious excitement. When my book won Georgia Author of the Year, my publishers beamed and crowed so much they could have been my parents.

I knew everyone’s name on the staff, and they were all friendly and warm. The publisher also fostered a feeling of collegiality among their authors. Over ten years later, I’m still in touch with many of those writers and a few are dear friends.

The financial rewards of partnering with this publisher were generous, but I valued their genuine appreciation even more.

CONS

Small or zero advances

Small publishers either don’t pay advances or they only pay small amounts, likely under a thousand dollars or even much less.

Distribution

Small publishers don’t typically have a sales team to service bookstore accounts, so your book won’t be in bookstores across the country. But it’s possible that farflung friends and families can order your title from their local bookstore.

Greater opportunity for author exploitation

Most authors who sign with large publishers have agents who are trained to sniff out exploitive clauses in contracts. But with small or medium publishers, the author usually has to vet their own contract.

Sometimes small publishers will try to grab film rights which almost always remain with the author. Other times their reversion rights might be too restrictive, meaning that it’ll be difficult for you to get your rights back. The Author’s Guild has some valuable advice on reading publisher’s contracts.

It's also easier for small publishers to fudge on royalties. Few authors have the funds to pay for an audit of the publisher’s books so a dishonest operation can usually get away with irregularities.

More likely to go under

Simon and Schuster isn’t likely to shutter its doors any time soon, but if Pete of Pete’s Publishing Press hits too many financial snags, he might not endure, and your books will no longer have a home.

Judging by the professional way my small publisher conducted business, I imagined a long and robust life for them, but I was wrong. After several years, the annual Christmas cookies failed to arrive, and eventually they quit acquiring books. I don’t know why their model failed but it’s a common story.

Publishing is a tough business with low profit margins. Most publishers rely on backlists to pay the bills so if they can’t manage to survive until they have that cushion, they’re more likely to fail.

Your sales record might take a hit

Some writers see a small or mid-size publisher as a stepping stone to bigger literary conquests, but sometimes your relationship with them could work against you.

Many agents and most publishers subscribe to BookScan, a company that has access to an author’s print book sales. If your book doesn’t do well with a small publisher or if the majority of your sales were ebooks, your manuscript might look like a risky venture.

As literary agent Anna Sproul-Latimer said in her latest Substack post: “As recently as 2-3 years ago, it was not hard for me to sell most books by talented authors whose previous work hadn’t sold that well. It’s a lot harder now—not impossible, but a lot harder. No amount of rhetorical flourish or canny positioning can replace a number in NPD Bookscan…”

OVERALL ADVICE

Nothing replaces research. Begin with the company’s web site. Is it professional? Do you like the covers of the books they pulish? Is it geared to readers instead of writers? Check out the authors and contact a couple of them.

Also, one of the best ways to gather info on a small press to is search for it on Amazon. All of the publishers books will come up, and you can examine individual book pages. Are the descriptions enticing? Are there a lot of customer reviews and are they generally positive? What about editorial reviews? Are prices competitive? What’s the sales rank? Check out the e-book’s interior design using Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature.

Before signing, order one of their books to see what the package looks like.

FURTHER READING: SMALL PUBLISHERS YOU CAN APPROACH WITHOUT AN AGENT

WHAT ABOUT HYBRID AND VANITY PUBLISHERS?

Hybrid publishers partner with the author to publish a book, and, to some degree, they vet those manuscripts. If yours isn’t up to snuff, they might offer paid editing services to elevate its quality. If your book is selected, you’ll be expected to pay a fee, sometimes $10,000 or more and for that price, you’ll get various services: covers, distribution, ISBN, proofreading and more.

Some hybrids don’t make authors pay but they’re required to purchase a certain amount of books, as much as 2,000 copies, which can be extremely expensive and you’ll have to find a place to warehouse them.

Marketing is typically the responsibility of the author although some companies offer services for another hefty fee. Keep in mind that marketing that novel might be tough, no matter how much you pay. In a recent Substack note, publicist Kathleen Schmidt said, When you choose hybrid, you REALLY need to have a platform [because] traditional PR is a challenge for that kind of book “

Hybrids often take a cut of the profits so the chance of an author recouping their investment with book sales are extremely slim, and for that reason, I don’t recommend working with a hybrid unless you’re just in it for an attractive book and don’t mind paying a lot of money for services that can be found much cheaper on your own.

Here’s an interview with an author who used a well-known hybrid and her experiences with it. Also, The Independent Book Publishers Association provides a checklist that helps authors distinguish between a hybrid and a vanity publisher.

The term hybrid has gained some legitimacy over the years as a viable publishing option. As a result, a lot of predatory companies call themselves hybrids. Be sure to check out any company in Writers Beware and be wary of any “publisher” that approaches you out of the blue.

Vanity publishers don’t vet authors. Simon and Schuster opened a vanity publishing company called Archway which offers packages ranging from $2,000 to as much as $25,000. Their marketing materials tease the possibility of being chosen as a “real” Simon and Schuster author but the odds of that happening are probably less than winning a million-dollar lottery ticket.

Publishing guru David Gaughran weighs in on the company’s undesirable business profile, saying they prey on people who don’t understand how publishing works.

Questions? Concerns? Leave them in the comments.

Next week: a look at self-publishing.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If I can’t name at least ten editors who might realistically be for something similar, then I might not be the right person to represent it.”~literary agent Eloy Bleifuss Prados from Delivery and Acceptance’s literary agent roundtable discussion.

THIS WEEK IN PITCHING

Where I look at my favorite Publishers Marketplace pitches

THE GREAT OUTDOORS, about a woman who signs up for a wilderness expedition to prove just how chill she is after being dumped for being "too high maintenance," and the guide who never gets involved with his clients.

It’s hard to be fresh in the romance space, but this pitch shines. A heartbroken, hothouse flower protagonist who’s struggling in the wild promises plenty of humor. I’m getting strong Legally Blonde and Private Benjamin vibes; if I was a film agent my ears would be perking.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Honest Editor discusses the process of choosing a book cover.

Have celebrity book clubs reached their sell-by date?

A novelist learns the hard way that her first pages need work.

Speaking of which, I can’t tell you how many times I start reading a client’s work and discover that their novels truly take off on page ten, twenty-five or fifty. For the month of May, I’m offering an evaluation of your first ten pages for $25. I don’t usually offer this service separately, but becasue it’s so important that I’ve decided to do it periodically. Only five spots will be available. Here’s a list of my other services.