Is a big publisher always better than a small or mid-sized one? Not necessarily. Utsudo found that big publishers don’t always pay higher fees, and she even encountered an exclusive buyout contract with a fixed term. Their resources mostly go to top-selling authors. Big publishers have many authors and a finer division of labor, so editors mostly communicate by email; smaller publishers have fewer resources, but each editor handles fewer authors and often takes better care of them. Every size has pros and cons, and personal luck plays a part too.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

I used to believe the bigger the publisher, the better—more resources, so it’s easier to become famous. But my experience over these years has taught me that isn’t necessarily true.

Big publishers don’t necessarily pay more

First, fees. Since I hadn’t built any presence online, even after publishing books I basically only counted as a newcomer, and I didn’t dare make demands for fear of losing the contract.

Don’t assume big publishers always pay more. One big publisher’s offer left me dumbfounded. I also ran into an exclusive buyout contract for a fixed term, something I never encountered with small and mid-sized publishers.

When I saw it was a “buyout” contract, I was a bit shocked, but they said it made later processing easier. Thinking about it, that makes sense: big publishers handle so much that calculating royalties every time would be a hassle, especially since most authors never sell out a first printing. It does save them lots of time and manpower.

Resources go to top authors first

And there’s a reason publishers allocate more resources to top authors: they have to keep operating to have the capital to publish smaller authors. If they kept losing money and couldn’t even feed themselves, how could they publish newcomers?

It’s harsh, but I have to tell you: every dream has to be built on reality.

That’s the real world. If you don’t want to always be a supporting act, you have to find a way to climb up.

How editors at big publishers communicate

Big publishers also have more authors and a finer division of labor. In that situation, editors tend to communicate with authors by email rather than messaging apps or phone calls; phones are basically only for emergencies.

Otherwise, imagine having twenty authors under you all contacting you at once—what chaos. Just picturing it is enough to make you break down XD

The advantages of small and mid-sized publishers

Back to the point. Although small and mid-sized publishers have fewer resources, their editors handle relatively fewer authors, so they may be closer to the editor you imagine—someone who chats with you, listens to you, discusses your work and gives advice.

They’re still very busy, though. Editors at small publishers usually wear many hats. It’s tough QQ

Every size has pros and cons

Whatever size of publisher you’re with, there are pros and cons, and it also depends partly on luck. So, fellow creators, besides putting your heart into your work, burn some incense and pray—maybe heaven will send you a handsome or beautiful editor.

I haven’t met one yet, though. I want an editor—I mean butler—like Sebastian too! Alas, that only exists in fantasy.

I’ve only seen contracts from commercial publishing, so I won’t discuss literary publishing. Generally, literary publishers take good care of their authors, but you should still pay attention to the key points of your contract.

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #153: A Way to Gain Fame and Earn Money—A Must for Creators
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.