Coffee steam slinks to the ceiling as I twirl my pen in my hand. A man sits across from me, his hair thick and gray, a smile plastered on his face. My grandfather Stephen is a kind man, always willing to help his family.
Recently, I met with Stephen to ask about his publishing process with his book about the Grace House.
“Your most recent book is about your journey with the Grace House, and it is an incredible story. What was the hardest part of the publishing process?”
Stephen takes a sip of his coffee. “I think the hardest part for me was making the decision if I wanted to go the route of finding a mainstream publisher in my professional area of expertise, or to self-publish. I have had two professional books previously published in the early part of my career, so I was fairly familiar with that process. It is a lengthy and time-consuming process, fraught with a high rejection rate for manuscripts. When I published my first two professional books. One was on alcoholism counseling. The other, however, was how to approach drunk driving and the treatment that goes along with that habit. The publishing cycle was about nine months to one year. When I looked into publishing my third book, a part memoir, the time cycle for mainstream publishing houses in my field was well over two years. Since I am much older now, waiting for a publishing house to accept my manuscript didn’t seem a practical choice to make. So I chose to invest in learning about the self-publishing business.”
“You’re saying that the decision of choosing the publishing route is the hardest part because of the possible rejection and the for sure waiting. That means there are consequences to walking down both paths. But which one is more rewarding? Or does it depend on the situation? Would you recommend self-publishing or going through a publishing house?”
“I would recommend trying the mainstream publishing houses first. If you happen to get interest from one of them, they could launch your writing career with credibility. They won’t accept your manuscript unless they think it is marketable for them. But if they do, the big advantage is that they will pay for most of the marketing costs. They give you instant credibility. As a young author, that can mean a lot. Also, you can always self-publish your next book.”
“Do you believe that first-time authors should go with publishing houses because of the name they build for you and the resources they have? Even though they may hate your book(s)? This seems reasonable. But is it expensive? Or does self-publishing make more money?”
“Self-publishing is more expensive for the individual author. It could range from $6,000-$12,000. You would have a cost for a typesetter, editor, proofreader, page layout, graphic artist for your book cover design, and/or marketing person/company, to name some of the costs the author has to bear. When you sign with a publishing house, most, but not all, of these expenses are paid for by the publisher. It will cost you much less if a publisher signs you to a contract. But you are bound by that contract. The most you likely would make with a publishing house/organization is around 6-10% of sales. You may have to pay some of your expenses. It depends on what the contract says.”
“Hmmm, so does that mean self-publishing gets you more money since you don’t have to give up some of the sales money?”
“It all depends on whether your book has a lot of sales. If it does, you keep most of the money. But you also bear all of the expenses. It’s very hard to make enough money to pay for the expenses when one self-publishes. But, if one is fortunate enough to make enough sales to cover the expense, the author gets to keep all of the profit.”
“So it is true that you can earn more money, but it doesn’t add up to much because of the amount used. What was the most rewarding thing about publishing?”
“Finishing the book, and knowing that it was a meaningful piece of work for some,” Stephan says with a nostalgic expression on his face.
I nod in agreement. “It must feel so great. Which brings me to my next and last question: Would you do it again?”
“Yes, in fact, I am contemplating a second edition of my Grace House book. There are many factors to consider. It is a huge undertaking. Yet also very meaningful.”
“It is very meaningful. When I read your book, I discovered a part of you that I wasn’t aware of. I never got to see you working with patience and grace as you helped push people into recovery. I was too young to understand before you retired. Now I know about the legacy you have passed down to me and I will happily continue helping the world.”
His only answer is a smile. A smile that is equal to a thousand words.
“Congrats! You made it through the interview.” I joke and he laughs. “Thank you, Papa, for participating.”
My grandfather is a good man, and sharing his life with the world is a present to others. This is what I want for aspiring authors; I want writers to feel like their work matters.
There are many ups and downs with the process of creating a world through words, but both my grandfather and I want writers to know that it is possible. Memoir, realistic fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, all the genres deserve a spotlight. So I hope this article helps others to feel encouraged to publish their work. I know it did for me.
