Working with Small Publishers

If you're losing the will to live after trying every literary agent in the world, you might now be considering whether it's better to self-publish or approach small publishers. 

I've done both.

I've signed contracts to write books for Pen and Sword's White Owl Imprint, and for John Hunt Publishing's Compass Books. Both did a great job with book editing and production. Pen and Sword paid an advance, which made their contract relatively attractive, while John Hunt Publishing operate on a royalties-only basis.

Neither publisher require an agent and both accept proposals directly from authors. JHP sometimes ask authors for a contribution, but they also offer traditional contracts, and that's what I signed.

Marketing and Distribution

The marketing has been similar. They both started enthuasiatically on social media, but that dropped off as new titles came out. Price promotions had little effect, and my books never made it into bricks and mortar stores, as far as I know. They were widely available on online platforms, but a trip to Waterstones never failed to confirm that I hadn't quite made it into bookstores!

I wrote articles, blogs, guest blogs, and did a couple of talks about the freelance writing book. There wasn't a lot of marketing input from the publishers. So the bottom line is that small publishers do a great job on production, but do check what they can offer in terms of marketing and distribution.

How does that compare to self-publishing?

Unless you're getting an advance, which is definitely worth having, I'd argue that self-publishing offers an attractive alternative. The royalties per sale are much better than a traditional publishing contract, and if you're able to do the editing, design and layout yourself, then it can be time-intensive but cost free! A lot of people don't have those skills however, so a small publisher can be an attractive proposition to get access to that skill set - and possibly for the publisher's wider reach and established audience.

Small publishers worth exploring

There are some exciting and agile small publishers around, so do your homework if you're thinking of approaching them. Look for quality book covers and happy authors on their books. You can often get a sense of how good they are just by looking at their website.

One worth exploring is Sapere Books who launched a few years ago. They pride themselves in their solid commitment to looking after their authors and marketing their books. Read this article in The Bookseller about their launch.

Bookoture is a Digital publisher, who seem to have a good reputation and a proactive approach to online marketing. 

Boldwold Books are similar and worth a look too.

Darkstroke Books will appeal to authors of dark genres and thrillers. They say, "You are in charge of the marketing and promotion. The process of publication, promotion and marketing requires an understanding of and experience with technology and social media. We ask that you consider if this is for you prior to submitting your work to darkstroke."

Inkitt offer a completely different experience of publishing, complete with sounds and visual effects.

Orenda Books are worth a look. 

Cynren Press come highly recommended by one of their authors.

If you're into non-fiction, Pen and Sword have a good reputation, especially on topics of military history.

For non-fiction or fiction John Hunt Books might be up your street!

There are of course, literally hundreds of small presses and these are only a handful that have come to my attention, but hopefully it'll help you think more about your publishing journey and whether a small press is right for you. 

Have you had experiences with a small press? Why not share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below?

Interested in reading more about my writing and publishing experiences? Check out my writing books on Amazon here.