As part of our “When it comes to publishing–First things first” series, today we continue discussing our first topic in answering the question “What’s the difference between online self-publishing and traditional publishing?”

1. “I’m published!” vs. “You’re what? “–Recognition, stigma, and obscurity.

Last time we focused on the exciting “I’m published” side of traditional publishing. The stars are aligned, your ship has come in, it’s a wonderful world, and your future is bright. If you’re fortunate enough to have your book accepted by a publisher you’re off to a very good start, but the truth is that only a small percentage of authors (especially new authors) will ever have their book published this way.

If you haven’t been picked up yet, however, don’t despair.  As a matter of fact, you can rest assured that many talented and famous authors had their books rejected multiple times. You’re in good company!

From http://www.selfpublishingresources.com/Booknews.htm:
Publishers turned down Richard Bach’s “Johnathan Livingston Seagull” no less than 140 times; Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” received 38 “no’s,” while Stephen King’s “Carrie” was turned down 30 times. J. K. Rowling’s original work was pooh poohed by 12 publishers…guess who’s kicking themselves now that they passed on “Harry Potter”?

Wow. These celebrated authors–just like you–faced rejection. The challenge for you is how to deal with this rejection. It used to be that an author’s hands were tied because the traditional publishers controlled the printing and distribution channels that enabled an author to reach their audience and sell their books. As I mentioned in a previous article that’s no longer the case. Fortunately, today’s author isn’t dependent on a traditional publisher to make or break their path to success. More than ever before, there are more options available to today’s author to take ownership and control of their publishing destiny.

It won’t be easy, however. First of all, you’ll also have to get past your ego, as I mentioned in my last post. I’ve talked to many an author that has, and will continue to, blindly follow the traditional publishing path for their entire lifetime without considering other options that will get their book published and in front of an audience.

Although a traditional publisher, for various reasons, may not accept your book for publication, are you willing to accept their decision as final? Or, do you believe in the potential of your book? Are you willing to invest in your success? If so, you owe it to yourself (and your potential readership) to not let the rejection from traditional publishers stand in your way. As we’ve been discussing in the posts about online self-publishing sites, the free publishing tools are out there and waiting for you. Otherwise, you’ll face the obscurity I discussed in one of my first articles.

Secondly, you’ll have to get past the perceived “stigma” of self-publishing. Many authors still stick up their noses to the self-publishing option. The truth is, however, that many self-published authors have achieved success. From Wikipedia:

Many works now considered classic were originally self-published, including the original writings of William Blake, Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, William Morris, and James Joyce.

• Spartacus by Howard Fast (during the McCarthy era when he was rejected by previous large scale publishers)
• The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
• A Choice, Not An Echo by Phyllis Schlafly^[8]
• The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer
• What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles
• Poems by Oscar Wilde
• In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters
• Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
• The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
• Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte
• Contest by Matthew Reilly
• Eragon by Christopher Paolini (The book was later published by Knopf)

Other well-known self-publishers include: Stephen Crane, E. E. Cummings, Deepak Chopra, Benjamin Franklin, Zane Grey, Rudyard Kipling, D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Paine, Edgar Allan Poe, Ezra Pound, Carl Sandburg, George Bernard Shaw, Upton Sinclair, Gertrude Stein, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Mark Twain.

Think about it. Recognition, stigma and obscurity can be real or perceived. If you have faith in your book and its potential you can look beyond traditional publishing–especially if it hasn’t worked for you yet. There’s never been a better time for you to publish, and next time we’ll continue with Topic #2 that talks about getting your book in the door, both through traditional publishing and online self-publishing.

Thanks again, and till next time–Keep publishing!

Henry