Commercial Publishing

Commercial Publishing is the easiest and least expensive for the author. It is also the hardest to obtain, especially for a first time author, pays the least return, and separates you from your work.

You may hear about someone who sold their first book for six figures and was an instant best-seller. Keep in mind that this happens about as often as your high school's best basketball player becomes a star in the NBA. The main thing to remember about Commercial Publishing is that it is a business. If a book will not sell enough copies to make a good profit for the publisher, it will not be published no matter how well written it is.

The main characteristics of Commercial Publishing are:

The publisher pays all the expenses of publication.
The publisher buys the rights to your book. In return, the publisher pays you royalties on the wholesale price.
Once a commercial publisher signs a contract for your book, you work with an editor who will suggest changes to make your manuscript more saleable.
The publisher will decide on the title and cover art for your book.
Major publishers only accept book submissions through a recognized literary agent, so first challenge you have to find an ethical, experienced agent to represent your work. This can take from a few weeks to several months or more.
From the time your book is accepted by a publisher until you have the first copy in your hands, it will be 12 to 24 months. This is in addition to the time spent finding an agent.
Smaller publishers may be approached directly, without an agent. They can be just as successful for you as a larger publisher, but their budget for advances is much smaller or nonexistent, and they have few resources to help with promoting your book.
The publisher sells your book to bookstores and other outlets through one of the major distributors. The selling price is not the list price printed on the book – it will be discounted up to 50% or more depending on the purchaser.
You may receive an "advance" – a sum that the publisher estimates the book will earn in royalties. As a first-time author it probably won't be more than $5,000. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to the time and effort you put into writing the book. And remember that your agent will take 15%.
Marketing your book will be up to you in large part, and you can expect to spend your advance, if any, on this.
After your book has earned back its advance in royalties you will receive a check once or twice a year for any additional earnings.
The quality of your finished book will be probably be good, but it may not end up being the book you thought you wrote.

In summary, the pros and cons of commercial publishing are:

PRO – Commercial Publishing	CON – Commercial Publishing
The author pays nothing up front to either the literary agent or the publisher.	You will need to find a literary agent to represent you in order to be published by a major commercial publisher; this can take several months. Your agent will take 15% of any advances or royalties you receive.
Commercial publishers have strong distribution networks that make it easier to get your books into major bookstores.	There is at least a 12 to 24 month lag from when your manuscript is done to when you have a published book in your hands.
There is prestige in being published by a commercial publisher which can make selling future books easier. Or not.	You do not have any control over the title or cover design of your book, and an editor may have you change the content.
	You will be expected to do most of the marketing for your book.
	The payment you receive for your work is relatively small per book, so you need to sell more books to see a decent return.
	Commercial publishers rarely publish books that have a small niche market, even if the book can be successful in that niche
	If your book does not sell well in the first six months, many stores will stop carrying it to make room for newer titles.