Not a few writers or aspiring writers want their written work published. Who wouldn’t want to see the fruits of their labor seen and hopefully appreciated by the public? It is but a natural desire. So what are the ways of having a book published?
The Traditional Way
The traditional way of publishing a book has always been limiting since the decision to publish would depend on publishers. Authors will have to find an agent who will essentially act as the go-between. This would necessitate going through an established industry procedure which has an end goal of having the book published for public readership.
This option when agreed upon by the author and the publisher confers upon the latter the right to publish while providing the former the advantage of being paid royalties from the sales. Since it would be the publisher who will be shouldering the expenses for publishing, the usually rigorous process that has to be undergone by the author to have his work published is readily understandable. However, there is another option available for authors which is to self-publish.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing or the option to publish a book or any written work minus the traditional publishers’ route has many variations. The author can choose to shoulder the expenses for publishing while retaining ownership of the book and the right to receive profits from it. It can also be a half-half deal wherein an established publisher and the author agrees to pay their respective portions for the expenses in publishing the book. There are other options in between but one thing is clear. Self-publication requires that an author has ready funds to finance the book publication or at least have access to actual financing.
There is one option for authors who have exceptional material in their hands but have been effectively blocked by lack of funding. There is a platform called the Kickstarter which aims to bring together innovative creators of projects related to art, comics, dance, design, fashion, film and video, food, games, music, photography, publishing, technology, and theater and possible financial backers for projects. For authors, the publishing category should be of special significance.
Getting that Funding
The primary obstacle to hurdle here is the creation of a worthwhile project which can be seen by financial backers in the same light. There are no strict criteria except perhaps for having the potential to be appreciated by the public. One of the more successful publishing proposals submitted to Kickstarter in terms of obtaining financing goals is the “To Be or Not to Be: That is the Adventure” Project. It basically makes use of the title’s ready association to Shakespeare and then mixes it up a bit to become a choosable-path adventure.
The more interesting part of projects like this is that successful proposals will most likely result to published works. The public will have the chance to buy Kickstarter products through various outlets including Kickstarter store of ForeverGeek for example. In more ways than one, having a book published through Kickstarter provides advantages to the author.
Originally posted on November 15, 2014 @ 6:47 pm