A traditional book publishing company buys the rights to an author’s manuscript. Buying rights from the author is how book publishers have traditionally acquired books. Usually an agent, representing the author, negotiates the deal with the book publisher and in return gets a percentage of any monies earned from the sale of the author’s book. Part of the arrangement includes payment of an advance by the book publisher to the author to secure the book deal. In return, the author, working with an in-house editor, is expected to finish writing the book in an allotted time – which is often years away. The advance is deducted by the book publisher from any royalties the author receives from the sale of the book. Royalties are based on a mutually agreed upon percentage of sales. The author does not receive any royalties until the advance is paid back in full. The book publisher budgets funds to promote and market the book – this amount varies greatly depending on the marketability of the book. The author is often strongly encouraged to hire a book publicist and to work aggressively to promote their book. The book publisher has the final say on every aspect of the author’s book, from editorial content to cover design to the number of books in the first printing. The book publisher makes the determination, based on declining sales, as to when to allow a book to go out of print – this could be as short as a year or even less. Authors beware – some traditional publishing houses are putting their out of stock or back-list titles into commercial print on demand systems so the book isn’t technically out of print and the book’s rights will never revert back to the author.
Each day, agents and book publishers receive a staggering number of inquiries and manuscripts. Ultimately, less than 1% of authors seeking to be published traditionally are successful. Thousands of authors and their books are rejected daily.
At Infinity Publishing, you own your copyright and all the rights to your book including movie, screenplay, radio, TV, audio book, e-book, and foreign language rights. If your book has movie potential, wouldn’t you want the right to make that deal? Many other book publishers keep certain rights and can exercise these rights without your input or approval.
You can stop the selling of your book by us at any time, for any reason, meaning that we will stop fulfilling orders for the book. Many book publishers require a 90-day notice and then hold certain rights for up to a year. Not having all the rights to your book can severely hinder your chances of landing a traditional book publishing deal.
Of course, there are those authors who prefer not to get involved with the traditional book publishing world. Many of them enjoy the creative control and hassle-free experience of self-publishing exclusively with us.
Call an Author Advocate for Details: 610-941-9999 Ext 63 or click button below to schedule a call:
