10 Reasons I’m Not Giving Up On Traditional Publishing

I’m diving into the e-book waters. I’m not just getting my feet wet. Nope. I’m plunging headfirst into the deep waters. I recently uploaded my first original ebook online, 101 Writing Tips. And that is just the start.

Yet before you think I’m one of these authors who is turning his back on traditional publishing, let me share ten reasons why I’m not.
#10. Traditional publishing is not going away anytime soon. Yes, ebooks are on the rise, and yes, the landscape of publishing is changing. But the publishers you know and trust are still going to be around for a long time.
#9. There are many talented people at publishers who know more than I do. A lot more.
#8. Traditional publishers have resources in place that I will never have, even if I become a bestseller and have unlimited funds at my disposal (and if that’s the case, those funds are going toward college and weddings and dresses and …)
#7. Some of my favorite people in this world work at publishing houses (like Karen Watson, Barry Smith, Becky Nesbitt, Don Pape, and Ken Petersen just to name a few).
#6. Nobody likes paddling a boat alone. It’s a lot harder work. And let’s face it: it’s not that much fun either.
#5. One day, a big name publisher is going to write me a bigtime check. I can’t give up on them before that happens, right??!!
#4. If Stephen King can publish the good, old fashioned way, then so can I (and by the way, we share the same publisher in Simon & Schuster!).
#3. Many publishers are adapting and changing with these crazy times.
#2. I really want to do more collaborations since my first two went really well. I’m excited to see what doors might open next.
#1. For me, it boils down to telling the best story I can. If that story only gets published in an electronic format, that’s fine. But I’ll be honest–nothing quite beats getting that package and opening it up to finally hold your book (your baby) for the first time.

2 Comments

  1. I'm not giving up on it either — but the change it's going through is something else. The internet (i.e., Amazon) has transformed and (often) eliminated the traditional bookstore. Amazon is now much to make over the publishing industry. The industry will survive, but it's going to look a lot different.

  2. I just checked out "The Watermark" from my local library on my Kindle. Never heard of you but the book sounded great. I love it!

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