Publishing with a commercial publisher vs self-publishing
Research has shown that the commercial publishers of today receive anything from 1 to 10 manuscripts per day, but only select and publish 10% of them. The publisher will assess the manuscript based on merit, market demand and financial viability. This can take anything up to 3 months before a publisher gets back to you simply because of the sheer volume of proposals most publishers receive. If you are not selected, then this is where you start the process all over again – finding the next publisher, and so on. If you are one of the lucky ones, then a contract will be negotiated and signed and the publishing process begins. This could take anything from 5 to 12 months depending on the individual publishing process, the amount of work the manuscript requires and the ideal time of year to publish that particular book.
One of the dilemmas facing major publishers is that in order to do a large print run to keep unit costs down, the author needs to be quite well-known so that the publisher has at least a chance of selling enough books to cover costs.
With Print-On-Demand technology book publishing has had to diversify in ways that were not previously thought of. What this means is that publishers that rely on bulk printing and distribution deals are not able to fulfil the range of ever-increasing niches cost-effectively. Into this environment comes a series of smaller publishers who have chosen to concentrate on smaller and smaller niches and concentrate their efforts with publishing and marketing on that specific interest group. This is where New Voices Publishing Services sees an ever increasing unfulfilled market. Unpublished authors – frustrated by the publishing process of today! They wish to have their work published, now, and are willing to pay a set-up fee for this service with the author taking the lead role in marketing his/her own book.
With twenty years experience, Barbara at New Voices Publishing Services has positioned herself as an independent publishing service dedicated to creating better opportunities for unpublished South African writers. Through the cutting-edge technology of Print On Demand, New Voices Publishing Service can create a professionally bound book using the finest materials with an attractive, custom-designed cover that can stand up amongst the best on the bookshelves – in a matter of weeks – not months!!
New Voices Publishing Services’ commitment is to give you the opportunity to earn your place in the market. The initial set up costs are affordable and you, the author, RETAIN the copyright, giving you the freedom to follow your dreams of sales, and possible movie rights and translations. If you hit the big time, you are encouraged to pursue any marketing opportunity. Isn’t it ironic? To be noticed by a conventional publisher, you need to be published!!! We believe in empowering the author to follow his or her creative vision.