Updating this again after a break because this is important and please share with fellow author friends: Publishers should never ask you to pay for anything.
Publishers who take a percentage of your book sales are supposed to do all the work of publishing your book. As an author, yung book na sinulat mo? Yun na yung work at obligasyon mo.
Editing, printing, design, distribution, marketing, at training/coaching/mentoring para maging mas magaling ka na writer (kung sila rin naman ang magpa-publish ng susunod mong libro at pagkakakitaan rin nila yon) ay gastos dapat nila. Hindi ka dapat pinagbabayad o sinisingil ng kahit magkano para dito.
May mga nagtatanong sa akin tungkol sa "self-publishing companies" at gusto ko lang pong ipaalala na "self-publishing" means ang author ang publisher. Walang ibang pwedeng tawaging publisher ng libro mo. So when you work with a "self-publishing company" what you did was work with a printer, and/or an editor, and/or a design team -- pero ikaw na author na nagbayad sa serbisyo nila ang publisher. Hindi sila.
Marketing should also be free, because publishers are supposed to sell your book and do their best to let more readers know about it. Kung mas maliit ang reach nila sa iyo, paano pa sila naging magaling na publisher? What can they offer you after their years of experience and practice selling other books? Why charge you for distribution and selling events and opportunities? You are not supposed to pay for anything. Publishers that do this are not your publisher, they are your service provider. Do not call them publishers. :(
*May mga exception to this kung aware naman ang author at gusto niyang maging partner sa gastos at trabaho ang service provider pero iba ito, at mas malaking concern yung ginagamit ng mga publisher ang lack of experience at knowledge ng mga author to charge you fees that you should never have to pay.
BINABASA MO ANG
Publishing and Self-publishing: Advice for Writers
Non-Fiction[FILIPINO/ENGLISH] Advice for writers based on my experience self-publishing (more than 20 novels as of now) and traditional publishing (more than 10 novels with a traditional publisher, and consulting for other fellow authors). Read and learn, but...
