Best Laid Plans by Annette Dashofy

This post was supposed to celebrate the upcoming release of my new book. Alas, that release won’t be happening for a while now. My publisher decided the week after Christmas wasn’t the best time for a launch. I agree. Most of us are a tad low on funds at this point. But I suspect there were more internal considerations to the change in plans. 

For instance, while I have galley proofs, beautifully formatted, I do not yet have a title or a cover. Those things are kind of important. I know my publisher has had some staff turnover in recent months. I totally understand how that interferes with schedules. 

Besides, there isn’t anything I can do about it. 

Here’s the thing about publishing. Unless you self-publish, which I have done twice now, you’re at the whims of your traditional publisher. My late agent, Dawn Dowdle, always told me, “There is no perfect publisher.” If you’re a writer aspiring to get a trad publisher, print those words of wisdom on a sign and hang it above your desk. 

I see the appeal of indie-publishing. I do. I completely understand the allure of being in complete control. You choose the title, the cover, the font, the release date, the promotion…not to mention keeping the bulk of your sales earnings for yourself. You are the publishing house, the publishing house executive, the head of sales and marketing. Oh, and the author. 

For me, though, I prefer being part of a team. I really suck at sales and marketing. I dread battling with the mighty Amazon to get my work uploaded. I want someone who knows what they’re doing to handle that part. 

My first ten books were released by a small press. I could jump on the phone or send an email or text, and my publisher/editor would get right back to me. My royalty rates were lower than indie-publishing, but the publisher did a good job of promoting my books. At least at first. But the rest is a topic for a private conversation that includes adult beverages. 

Then I indie-pubbed a novel and a short-story collection mostly for the experience of having done it. Next, I signed with a mid-sized press for three books. And then I signed with a smaller imprint of a Big Five publisher. 

The Big Five provided all the sales and marketing support I’d longed for. They had a team to design beautiful covers and come up with titles meant to hook anyone shopping for a new read. But unlike the small press, getting to talk to my editor is more of a task. I also get a smaller percentage of my sales. (Sales are higher, though, so it does balance out.) 

The one thing I’ve been lacking throughout it all, however, is distribution. Sure, all of my books are available online. Brick-and-mortar stores can order most (not all) of them. But the only way I can find one of my books on the shelf of a random Barnes & Noble store is if I’ve talked to the manager and arranged for them to carry it. 

My new agent has programmed me to focus on that one word going forward: Distribution. So while I wait on the small imprint of the Big Five to determine a new release date and come up with a title and cover, I’m working on something new. Something geared toward a bigger publisher that will put my book on real shelves. It’s an exciting prospect. And a terrifying one. 

Here’s the takeaway: I have no control over any of it. I hear you indie-pubbed authors luring me back to your world (maybe someday), but you still don’t have control over whether the book will sell, whether readers will like it, whether they’ll come back and buy more if they do… No matter what, the only thing you have control over is your writing. Write the next book. Write the best book you can. And after you send it out into the world, type Chapter One and write the next one. 

Everything else is just our best-laid plans.