The 5 Key Questions to Ask Before Picking a Publishing Partner
With the onslaught of publishing partners popping up all over the internet, finding one that’s the right fit for you can be overwhelming and difficult. It makes taking that big leap in publishing your book, a moment which should be exciting, incredibly daunting.
But not to worry! We’ve compiled a list of the five most important questions you should be asking potential publishing partners before signing a contract for your upcoming book.
1. Do I keep all royalties?
If you are fully funding the publication of your book and your publishing partner is not investing any of its own resources (financial or otherwise), then the answer you want to hear is “yes.” Unless your publishing partner is actively hawking your book at their expense and getting it into brick-and-mortar stores, there really isn’t any justifiable reason to want to share royalties with any provider.
2. Who will own the ISBNs associated with my book?
Unless you are entering into a contract with a traditional or hybrid publisher that is bringing something of value to the partnership, as an indie author, you want to own your own ISBNs. Why? Because it leaves you in control of your work and its publication.
3. Do you use print-on-demand platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, and, if so, will I have access to my accounts with such platforms?
If you have access to your own publishing accounts, this means you a) are directly receiving all your royalties and b) you remain in control of your work, even after it is published. Want to see the latest sales data? You can! Want to make changes to your synopsis? You can!
4. How customized is your cover design process?
The last thing you want is a book cover with the same stock photo that is already featured on twenty other books! Often, publishing companies will offer different tiers of customization, based on the cost of your publishing package. You want to make sure you receive a fully customized, high-quality cover design, because, yes, everyone does judge a book by its cover.
5. Will I receive all final digital book files?
As an indie author, having your book files is essential. Entering your book into contests, submitting your book for reviews, ordering a local print run, creating marketing materials featuring your cover—all of these pursuits require book files.
Here at the Aaxel Author Group, we believe in author autonomy and an author’s right to own all of their accounts, files, royalties, and to make decisions about their book even long after the book is published. We encourage asking these five questions while interviewing or researching potential publishing partners to help narrow down your list of prospectives and to make sure you’re making the right decision for you. We’ve seen too many authors who’ve lost control of their work and, in some cases, were no longer receiving royalties, due to their publishing partner becoming unresponsive or going out of business. We’ve had to completely recreate books from scratch for some authors due to these very reasons. Be careful out there.
To learn more about how to make this big decision, read our blog post How to Choose the Right. Publishing Partner, which dives deeper on the subject. Are you ready to have the Aaxel Author Group be your publishing partner? Schedule a Discovery Call and get all your questions answered!
