Support for Indie Authors discussion

If a publisher wanted to sign you and your already published indie book(s)?
Which would be better? Having the extra marketing help and reach in exchange for not having total control over your book? Having an advance plus royalties instead of just royalties but bigger cuts because it's all you?
And would you negotiate for keeping your ebook versions to yourself?
Sorry, the questions just sorta came to me and I'm not sure what I'd do if I got lucky like that.

It would have to be a very sweet deal.

For me-being broke, in debt and not selling books as an indie, given the help with promotion and covers etc that the publisher is supposed to give I'd take the deal. I'm not great at graphics, I have no money to pay someone to create covers for me and I would love to have someone else who knows what they're doing point me in the right direction promotion wise and take on the organising of it-I'd pay some future royalties for all that.

I agree with Alex.

I would take an offer with a publisher at least once, and then depending on how well that went would determine whether I'd do it again. Despite loving being indie, and having control over my works, I've done that and have the bills to show for it.

I'm not saying that the money I spent for my cover artist and editor wasn't worth it, because it most certainly was. But on average I've spent about $2000 per book just for those two things alone (a lot of it because I wanted unique, custom covers, and that's not cheap). I'd rather have someone else put out that money for me now.

I would negotiate to keep the rights for any possible TV/movie deal though.

I wouldn't hesitate. I'd like nothing better than to turn everything over to a publisher, regardless of the terms of the deal.

The amount of control a publisher has over your work is the amount you allow though the contract you sign. So negotiate for any rights you want to keep. Like once the print run is over will you have to pay to regain the right to print your own copies or even publish as an e-book? Hopefully your book will be a success so there'll be many print runs but just in case . . .

The first thing I would do is find an agent/attorney, if I were seriously considering a deal with a publisher.

I'd only accept such a deal under terms no publisher would ever agree to.

I think this is the problem most of us would love to have...and the questions most of us would be asking.
To add to the other advice...have you researched this publisher? Do they have a good reputation and success rate? Are any of their authors contactable for advice?
Good luck and keep us updated with your progress!

S. wrote: "The amount of control a publisher has over your work is the amount you allow though the contract you sign. So negotiate for any rights you want to keep. ..."

Unless things have changed a lot since I dealt with publishers, the terms they offer -- especially to new authors -- are rather, if not completely, inflexible. In general, new authors line up to try to get publishers to accept their work. Publishers don't compete to buy new authors' work. Once an author becomes a bestseller, they might gain some substantial leverage. For the rest, it's pretty much take it or leave it.

I would think if a writer is approached by a publisher, the latter is probably thinking the writer's work is profitable. I would want to share in that profit as much as possible. Hiring an agent to help me through, what I would call "muddy waters," would be paramount.

I'd take it for sure. Any publicity is good publicity.

Having total control of my work is exactly why I went Indie. I doubt any publisher would give me a deal I'd be happy with.

If you're selling like hotcakes on your own, stick with it. If not, try the publisher. Maybe you can be hybrid (both self and trad pubbed).

Provided the publisher in question would be willing to meet my demands, I could be alright with it. The way I see it, if a publisher comes to you, you hold all the cards. Clearly what you have is strong enough that they noticed it without being solicited, so that puts you at an extreme advantage in negotiation.

db

Hypothetically, it's a dream come true. It's what you're working for. More exposure and payoff with less effort.

If it ever happens I'll let you know. For now I'd like to think my inde principles would hold firm. But if Mammon knocks....