Traditional publishing

Definition

Traditional publishers are large companies that design, print, and market books.

Basic Facts

The most recognizable traditional publishers are known as the Big Five: Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. The benefits of traditional publishing include an extensive budget to print and advertise books, connections to experts in the publishing field, and the capability to distribute copies throughout large geographical ranges. Some cons to going the traditional publishing route include less control over the cover design process, lower royalties for copies sold, and a slower overall process for getting books from the manuscript to the shelf. These downsides look unattractive for many current authors, thus they favor indie or self-publishing. However, traditional publishing offers a team effort approach to publishing books. Every step of the process is carried out by vetted experts instead of the authors themselves. This prevents authors from making poor, beginner decisions in marketing or design. Ultimately, whether traditional publishing is right for any given author depends on that author’s goals and level of publishing experience.

Effects on the Publishing Industry

The Big Five’s standards of professionalism and prestige have led the traditional publishing industry to become very competitive. As each publisher vies for higher sales, they make contracts with higher and higher profile authors to try to guarantee the highest level of readership, and thus profit. Critics of traditional publishing’s business structure argue that this goal to chase profit can overshadow each author’s individual vision and needs, or even devalue niche literature. When a publisher seeks to publish material that is guaranteed to sell, such as forever popular backlist titles, books in popular genres, and books by well known authors or celebrities, it can leave less space for new authors to get a hold. Proponents of self publishing or smaller, less profit oriented publishers often argue that traditional publishers see books as more of a business than an art, since the main objective is to gain money and influence rather than to faithfully and committedly publish deeply meaningful work.