In an earlier post, I told you about Angela, an author who came to Scribe after her traditional publisher put Angela’s image on her book’s cover, even though she wanted a different look.
I also told you about Robert, whose audiobook’s narration didn’t reflect the voice and tone Robert wanted for his book.
Both authors envisioned something different for their books, but by going with traditional publishers, they gave up creative control.
As a new author, you may not realize that when you sign a book publishing contract, you may be giving up much more than you realize. Depending on how well you and your agent negotiate the details of your contract, you could have very little say about the final product—your book!
A traditional publisher chooses the cover art for your book. They often change the title and even the table of contents.
They choose the interior artwork, if there is any, and the design of the book. They want the “look and feel” to match their brand, not yours.
A traditional publisher sets the word count for your book too. They can make you cut or add thousands of words.
If you don’t satisfy the requirements of your contract, the publisher can cancel it and ask for their money back—the advance they gave you a long time ago, which you probably already spent.
Your traditional publisher can dictate the marketing you do for your book. They can prevent you from publishing parts of your book in other places. If you want to publish a chapter of your book on your website, you have to ask permission
Your readers don’t know this. Most of them think that you, the author, chose the cover art and the title. They think you had complete creative control over your book, so if there’s anything they don’t like, they’re going to blame you for it in their reviews. What are you going to say? “My publisher made me do it”? Not likely.
How Scribe Is Different
When you publish with Scribe, you have full creative control. We work with you on your book’s title, cover design, and content, as well as the narration of your audiobook, but you always make the final decision.
You’ll work with our skilled, in-house cover artists and graphic designers to create a beautiful book you’ll be proud to put your name on. From the very beginning, we help you create a cohesive brand for your book, with a consistent voice, tone, look, and feel that reflects you, not the publisher.
Our job is to give you excellent options. We’ll make sure you publish the most polished, professional version of your vision. If you make bad decisions, we’ll tell you. We’d rather hurt your feelings than let you publish a bad book. It’s like bowling with bumpers—you throw the ball, and we’ll keep you out of the gutter!
But ultimately, the final decisions are yours because you will live with them, and we don’t want you to have any regrets. You also own all the rights to your book, so if you want to update it or create new editions, you can.
Your book represents you. It will outlive you. Don’t hand over the most important decisions about it to someone whose choices serve them, not you. It’s your book. At Scribe, we help you to make your book, your way.
