How to choose: Indie or Traditional publishing? Part 2: What is Traditional Publishing?

I believe one can make the best decision for themselves if they're informed of the choices. I rarely go with a gut feeling and always try to research options before I decide.

Book publishing wasn't an exception to this.

Let's see a summary of both publishing methods, so you can compare them and make your choice. Here is a post about Independent Publishing, also known as Self-Publishing.

Traditional publishing

In the English-speaking word, it usually goes like this: you write the book, polish it to the best of your abilities, then start querying literary agents. Once an agent decides to represent you (this is usually a slow process with lots of rejection letters involved), they will query editors at publishing houses.

This is where I need to mention (for the first, but not the last time!) that book publishing is a business, so even if you wrote something brilliant, if they think they can't find a market for it, they won't pick your book. So sometimes it's not the writing, but the marketing. Don't be disheartened.

Once an editor loves your book (again, this is oversimplified here), then comes the contract, the agent negotiates on your behalf (the agent will get paid out of your advance/royalties, so you don't pay anything upfront), then you start working together with the editor at the publishing house.

Traditional publishing usually offers an advance, which varies, and you need to earn out before they start paying you actual royalties, which are usually a smaller % than in the indie publishing world. The publisher has control over the cover, the title and yes, they can even tell you to change certain parts of your book if they think that works better for the market. You give up most of the creative control.

They might help you a bit with marketing/promotion, but don't think that, as a debut author, you will get a marketing team with a big budget supporting you. Unless you're a celebrity or already a big name in your field of profession.

In other countries, you might go directly querying publishing houses and their editors. It's good to do your own research how things work in your country.