Publish, Shmublish

Am I the only one a little shaken up by the increasing variety in publishing options? Self publishing, e-books, small and large publishing houses, finding an agent, all these these options have pros and cons that are not only somewhat confusing, but It's hard to know what might be the right choice for me and my book. I may be putting the cart before the horse here considering I have yet to finish my first draft, but publishing is a step I will have to take to accomplish my goal of being an authoress. And most resources suggest not to wait too long in getting the publishing ball rolling.
In my search for better understanding I have come across these helpful articles and web sites:

E-books' popularity is rewriting the sales story

"We're glad to be in the vanguard of what's taking place, even as the traditional forms of reading and book buying continue very widely," says Stuart Applebaum of Random House. "If some 20-plus percent of books we're selling in the U.S. are e-books, that still leaves 80% sold the old-fashioned way."

Bottom line, Jordan says, is that consumers will drive demand for multiple formats. "Some will like to have their hardcovers," she says, and "others like to have four books on their e-reader."

By Carol Memmott, USA TODAY


How to Find the Right Literary Agent for Your Book
(and still keep your pride, dreams & busy schedule intact)
by Debra Koontz Traverso
...What you do instead of looking for a publisher, is secure a literary agent to find a publisher for you. Except for children's literature (which is often sold by authors directly to publishing houses), literary agents sell about 92 percent of all books sold, according to Editor and Publisher magazine.

...So, how do you go about finding these "appropriate" agents?....What you do is go to the shelf where you are convinced your book would appear when it has been published. Take down all the competitive books and read through their Acknowledgments sections. When authors are happy with their agents, they often mention them in this section. If you find an agent's name here, then you know you have a potential agent for your book — one who has a track record of selling in your genre and one who has sold somewhat recently. Make as long a list of these agents as you can.

Is Self-Publishing for You

Pros

1. Control: Many people who self-publish do so because they want control of the whole process. Every decision is the author's.
2. The Market: Some people who self-publish do so because they have a niche market they know well.
3. Time: If you self-publish, you can get your book out much more quickly.
4. Money: (a)Many people are attracted to self-publishing because of the low royalties offered by traditional publishing...

Cons

1. Being Alone: In a traditional house a whole team of people are investing in your book.
2. Marketing Getting someone to open his or her wallet to buy a book takes both time and money. The fiction market in particular can be difficult to target.
3. Marketing Getting someone to open his or her wallet to buy a book takes both time and money. The fiction market in particular can be difficult to target.
4. Money: You have to spend money before you get anything. And there is no guarantee that you will ever get a return on your investment.

Writer's Helper

I hope you can find these helpful too in navigating this big publishing world.
~The Mythical Chick~