Bridging the Gap

Photo credit: melanieburger via Flickr.

One of our goals at World Weaver Press is to bridge the gap between what traditional New York publishing has to offer and the self-published writer who doesn’t want to deal with New York.

The traditional publishing model as represented by the term “New York publishing” has a lot to offer writers — professional editing, professional copyediting, professional cover art and design, monetary advances, professional layout design, print and digital releases, placement on the shelves of brick and mortar bookstores, and (if you’re lucky) a publicist who builds a marketing plan for your novel.  Essentially, all the tools that render a quality final product.

But there are disadvantages to New York publishing.  The advance for mid-list and first time authors is usually small, and if you don’t earn out you might never be offered another contract with that publisher.  From the time the manuscript hits an editor’s desk, it could take three years before you see your book in stores — or see a check.  Money moves to the author slowly. To get in the door of New York publishing, you really need an agent.  Agents take a share of the profits.  But the agent herself isn’t an impediment — she’s most likely a font of knowledge — the biggest impediment in this publishing scheme it is the time it takes to get that agent, that editor, that book on the shelf.

---

Read More