A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: About Asking a Traditional Publisher to Re-publish Your Self-Published Book

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

Today's topic addresses a topic that comes into my in-box on a regular basis, at least once or twice a week: a self-published author (either thought self-publication would provide more control and money or was unable to land a traditional contract) does not like the self-publication results and would like a re-do, i.e. start over again with a traditional publisher/contract. To cut to the chase, this is the content of the typical response I send to these queries:

1. Thank you for your submission. We have a policy of not re-publishing previously        published books, so your book would not be of interest to us. 
2. Of the data available from Amazon, it looks like your books is selling only occasionally. You have already tested the waters, and the market has not responded. This is a primary reason we would not be interested -- and a serious issue with republication.
3. Your better approach might be to set up better marketing, rather than looking for another publisher. All publishers need authors who can market their own books capably and not just depend on the publisher to do all the work.

So, let's parse these elements:

Policy of not-republishing previously published books. There are good reasons for this:

• If a book has not fared well in self-published sales, it probably will not do well for a publisher, either. The topic might not have traction. The book may not be well written. The author may be unwilling to put in the effort to bring about good sales. It takes a lot of effort that rarely pays off to determine why a book is not selling, and if there is a fixable reason, to fix it. A publisher generally fares better starting from scratch with a well-written book on a topic that will likely sell.
• Sometimes an author may think that showing a good sales volume for a self-published book will entice the author to take the book on. Sometimes, a publisher might want to do that. It is rare. It can also be a risk. If a book has sold well, it may have exhausted the potential reader pool, and this may be a risk that a publisher does not want to take.
• With a large number of new books available, it is a lot of work to analyze and make a determination about an already-published book. It is easier, given the large volume of authors knocking at the door for publication, to begin at the beginning with a new author, and simply set an easy-to-follow policy on re-publications. That said, of course, exceptions can be made to any policy. We never have, but we have, upon occasion, explored the possibility before deciding that, yes, our policy is a good one for us.

Sales of author's books. We do not simply send a pro forma letter. We do the research (briefly, anyway).

• Typically, we quickly find out through Book Scan or Amazon/B&N rankings that a book is not selling well; in some cases, it is not selling well. 
• We let authors who approach us for re-publication know that we have done our research. We feel it important that they realize that our policy is not simply an unexamined practice, but that we actually have a data-based reason for saying no.
• If a book is selling well (we generally don't get those), we would acknowledge that and suggest that in terms of net revenue, the author might be better served staying with a self-publication unless the author could get a contract with a big 5 publisher, which would provide a lot more resources for marketing. Re-publication with a small publisher would not be a better bargain, IMHO.

Marketing matters. Of course, marketing and promotion matter, and often low sales are a result of poor marketing and promotion.

• Often, the author seeking re-publication did not realize that part of writing and publishing is marketing. Many do not like to do that; many are not equipped to do that. Having failed at marketing and promotion on their own, they hope that a publisher will take this onus off them, but in today's world, readers want to interact with authors, not with publishers. The publisher will need the author to have a platform and contacts and a waiting public in order to promote the book.
• Sometimes, the authors have an incorrect image that authors write, and publishers do the rest. This is not true, and if authors are not committed to a concerted effort week after week to sell their books, publishers (even the big 5) are not going to get the sales that anyone like.
• Yes, of course, publishers have better connections and networks for promotion and more extensive opportunities for marketing, but tying oneself to a publisher's apron strings and hope those strings will not become untied for the author's weight is not wise. Wiser is to learn the ropes of marketing and promotion. We recommend that to self-published authors; after all, at one point, they wanted the advantages of self-publishing. If they put in the effort to learn all aspects, not just writing skills, of book production, they may well be better off than turning over control to a publisher with hope of getting better sales and greater recognition.

That is our take on it at MSI Press LLC. There are hundreds of publishers. There may be some who will re-publish a self-published book. The effort to find that particular publisher -- on that will re-publish and has publication lines into which your book falls -- can take a very long time to reach fruition. The advice to learn to do it yourself still stands. 

Bottom line: In our experience and opinion (others may disagree), self-publoished authors chose self-publishing for a reason. Having made the commitment, authors' time may be better spent in improving their book promotion activities and platform, rather than chasing what they may perceive as the gold ring of a traditional publisher. 

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Be honest about why you chose to self-publish and proceed from that honesty. Better yet, make the decision carefully in the beginning, realizing that a decision to self-publish may commit you to self-publication (for that particular book) permanently, But, hey, you can write another book -- or you can revise, update, and vastly improve your book and try to sell it to a traditional publisher as a second edition. Some of the republication cautions apply but not all, so you  may have a better chance at traditional publication of new and improved product.

See more Publisher Conversations with authors HERE.

 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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