2014 Author Survey: Indie Authors and Others Prefer Traditional Publishing…Slightly

January 9, 2014 | Dana Beth Weinberg | Digital Book World

 

I have had a very positive experience in traditional publishing, but I know many authors who have not. In my research life, having a prestigious publication by a highly regarded academic publisher has made the difference between long-term career stability and unemployment. Moreover, I was lucky to work with wonderful editors who not only helped me make the book infinitely better but who also provided important guidance in building my career. Cornell University Press was committed to my book Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing, provided a gorgeous cover, and they continue, even ten years after publication, to promote the book in their list. Should I publish another book based on my research (I’ve tended toward articles), I would be hard-pressed to consider self-publishing.

My newest fiction project is another matter entirely. Later this week, writing as D. B. Shuster, I will self-publish the first installment of my serial thriller The Kings of Brighton Beach, a Russian mafia saga set in Brooklyn, NY. This publishing experience has also been a positive one—no rejection, no wasted time in the slush pile. Since I had to pay an indexer for my traditional book, the amount of money I’ve spent so far in both ventures has been similar with my current outlays for cover art and editing. I am enjoying the creative freedom to do this project my way and to have the final say and the opportunities that digital publishing offers for serials. As soon as I finish publishing this first installment, I will prepare to self-publish the next. I’m hooked.

Few authors share my enthusiasm for indie publishing, according to the latest data.


I recently learned this while analyzing survey results for the 2014 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest Author Survey. Among the authors surveyed who had completed manuscripts, surprisingly few expressed a preference to indie publish their latest ones. Among traditionally published authors in the survey sample, only 7.5% expressed a preference to self-publish rather than to traditionally publish, compared to 10.1% of aspiring, 35.1% of self-published, and 29.8% of hybrid authors. While interest in self-publishing was higher among those respondents who had tried it, few authors reported that they only wanted to self-publish their next book. (See chart below.)
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