In my writing career I've only worked with three publishers. However despite this I came to a realization that every writer needs to learn about the publication process. That change occurred because when I worked with my first publisher I made a lot of assumptions and took for granted many factors that I really should have checked into. Only after I had realized that I needed to make myself more active in the process could I really begin to appreciate that a writer needs to know more than just how to write articles and books.

Working with a publisher involves a lot for a writer. The obvious factors are deadlines for the manuscripts of the book, as well as doing a fair amount of marketing and promoting of your book. Sometimes a publisher will help you with the marketing and promoting, setting up a book tour, or giving you materials related to your book that can be used to promote it. However, more often than not, the onus of marketing lies on the writer. The two small publishers I've mainly worked with can't provide me a book tour, for instance. However the one person who can definitely provide me with a book tour is me. It is up to the author to network as much as possible and not just with fellow authors, potential agents, or even the magazines. You have to network with your audience and that often includes getting on as many e-lists as possible to find out where the latest pagan festival will be.

Even this is not enough. You have to get in touch with the organizers of the festival or event and arrange times to do workshops. More often than not you won't get a payment in cash, but you do benefit. Usually you won't have to pay to camp at the festival or stay at the event. And of course there is the chance that you'll sell your books there, too. And even after you have yourself a spot at the event it does not hurt to promote the event to people you know, and the event organizers will appreciate it. But to do all of this, you have to be motivated to do more than just write a good book. Writing alone won't get you into a festival, or find you with more sales for your books unless you learn new skills.

On the surface writing and marketing would seem to be enough, but as I realized in the fall of 2003, it isn't. I had published my first book, but hardly anyone knew about it and the first royalty check was only enough to buy me a single meal. Clearly, something had to change if I was going to be more than a vanity writer. I learned that the writer has to develop a business philosophy and plan that not only encompasses the writing done and potential projects to do and the marketing needed to get the book into the public spotlight. S/he also needs to understand the role that s/he plays in relationship to the publishing company and the role that the publishing company plays in the writer's business plan. The writer has to realize that s/he is her own best salesperson and that it's on hir to sell the book, and not just write it.

The owner of Egregore Publishing, which published my co-written book Creating Magickal Entities, once told me that the most frustrating part of dealing with writers is their lack of knowledge about the costs the publisher incurs to publish and distribute the book. And he is right in being frustrated, because far too many writers do not know the publishing side of the business. Now sometimes that is purposely done by the publisher, because the company prefers to maintain as much control over the process of getting the book published and distributed and even promoted. And many writers allow that to happen because it's convenient at the time for them. But that kind of attitude fosters an air of dependency on the part of the author. S/he is dependent on and has expectations of the publisher. Sometimes these expectations are met and sometimes not.

When they are not met the inevitable clash between writer and publisher occurs. Below are some suggestions for how that conflict can be resolved peacefully, in a way that benefits everyone.

First, the writer should know as much as possible about publishing and distribution of the product. The reason is because s/he needs to establish an equal role with the publishing company, becoming part of a business team that collaborates with the author to achieve maximum exposure with the least amount of effort needed. By knowing how publishing and distribution work an author can help the publisher and hirself sell the book. More importantly, the author can have a voice about aspects of the book such as layout, which can enhance the presentation of the book.

Second, it's important that the author is aware of the costs involved in publishing writing as well as the potential problems that publishers can run into with distribution. By knowing about distribution and cost issues, the author can realistically determine if the publisher can help with promotion or if it's up to hir to deal with it. For example, s/he can help with distribution and promotion by going to independent stores and promoting hir book to the owners. Not only it is an opportunity to teach a class at the store, but it shows that the author isn't above visiting the very audience s/he is writing for. Remember, publishers cannot provide the personal touch that an author can provide. After all you wrote the book and you better than anyone else know what that book is about and what it can offer readers. Check with your publisher to see how else you can help with promotion and distribution.

When I figured out my philosophy of writing as a business I realized that I had to learn everything about the writing/publishing industry. I work with my publishers as equals and in fact will not accept any role that does not entail full knowledge of the processes involved in not only getting the book, written, revised, and marketed, but also distributed. For instance I help handle the distribution of my books to independent bookstores as well as getting review copies to the appropriate people. Obviously the large scale distribution is handled by the publishing company. And with the marketing and promotion, again it is a team effort. I make suggestions to the publishing team and we work out a marketing plan that has me involved completely in it, right down to scheduling the festivals and events I want to go to. And surprisingly the amount of work involved is not great and even has the side benefit of strengthening the network I'm creating. Granted, I work with a small publisher, so there is more of a need for me to do this kind of work. Check with your publisher to find out where and how you can help and what you can do to learn about the publishing side of the business.

I realize too that many writers may feel they don't have time to learn the publishing side of the business, but all it really involves is a willingness to openly communicate with the publisher. When I started asking mine questions and making suggestions and even handling details such as the cover art for my upcoming book I showed that I wanted to be part of the team. I'm not just an author, I'm a publisher. And of course this is true of all writers, because the book you write is a product that you want to get out in the marketplace. I will add that while I write full time I also work a full time job as a technical writer, and edit manuscripts for my publisher. On top of that I travel frequently to festivals and conventions to present talks and workshops. I'm also a small business owner. Being a writer can be a demanding occupation, especially when you rely on other means of making money to support it.

If your publisher doesn't want you to get involved, that doesn't mean you can't learn more about the publishing process. Pick up books for instance on layout, and learn how to lay out books using programs such as Quark. Read up on small business and learn about how to treat your writing as a small business. Finally, talk to other authors and learn more about the publishers they work with and what they like or don't like about them.

You owe it to yourself to understand how the entire publishing industry works, because in doing so you make yourself far more effective and useful for the publisher and yourself and consequently become far more known and even make some money in the bargain (after all if you know how the publishing industry works you can make some great networking connections, which can pay off down the line. Your goal as a writer is to make your writing work for you, but first you have to work for it, by learning everything you can about the publishing industry and then applying it to the business plan you use to sell your book.

Site content © Taylor Ellwood and/or Lupa, 1998-present. Contact us. The Pagan and Occult Author Resource Page does not endorse any publisher, publication, school or other organization or individual over any other. We provide the information herein for information purposes only.