If you’re a writer, you’ve probably thought about trying to get your work published. After all, it’s one of the best ways to put out your thoughts, ideas, and opinions into the world. But publishing isn’t a straightforward journey, and the industry can be cutthroat.

There are many paths to being a published writer. One such path, and one of the oldest, is through a publishing house. Let’s talk about what these entities do and discover whether they’re still a viable option in a world where everyone can publish a book.

What Is a Publishing House?

A publishing house, also known as a book publisher or publishing company, is an organization that takes a writer’s written works and makes them available to the public. They go beyond printing and selling books though.

You might imagine an editor pouring over a writer’s work, writing notes about possible improvements to the author. That’s only a small part of the process. From start to finish, publishers invest a lot of time, money, and manpower into developing quality books that as many people as possible can enjoy.

How Does a Publishing House Work?

Publishers are responsible for finding worthy authors, manuscript development, promotion, distribution, and management of sales. Each stage could take weeks to years depending on a lot of factors, including emerging trends and readership data.

1. Author Identification

How this works is that you, the author, find a literary agent who helps you prepare your work for submission. They’ll actively pitch it to publishers they think will be interested. You can skip this step and submit it to the publisher directly.

If the publishing house likes your work, they’ll buy the rights to your book. Contracts vary from house to house but you usually get an advance, royalty rates, and sometimes multiple-book deals.

2. Manuscript Development

Once signed, an editor is assigned to you to make your work the best version it can be. Their input goes beyond correcting grammar and spelling. Sometimes they’ll ask you to add or drop characters, change the plot, and even shorten the story.

Other people will be working on your book’s title, cover, copyright, and other stuff you won’t have to be preoccupied with. Most edits will likely depend on current trends and standards.

3. Promotion

The promotion of your work starts even before it is ready for distribution. The goal is to get as much attention as possible, so by the time of its release, your work will sell aplenty. This continues even after the book launch.

Publishing houses promote books in a lot of ways and in multiple channels. They’ll set up ads, post your work on their websites and socials, and submit your work for a possible award. You might even have to make public appearances.

This is where a big part of your author brand is established. Potential readers get to know the person behind the book, giving them more incentive to see what you can write.

4. Production and Distribution

Your publisher helps with the printing, illustration, and distribution of your books. This is where publishing houses have an advantage, as they have access to a wide distribution network.

From digital to physical stores, they make sure your work will be available to as many people as they can reach. Depending on how well they think your book will sell, they might focus on one medium over others. So they might opt to release e-books first, gauging if it’s worth the resources to create physical copies.

5. Management of Sales

Once a book is released, you mostly just wait for the paychecks to come in. Publishers are responsible for overseeing price and profits, giving you a percentage of the earnings based on your contract.

They’re also in charge of protecting your brand, from continuously promoting your work to shutting down bootleg copies. This is a huge part of how sales grow and continue to flow.

They do most of the work at this stage, but it’s good practice to look at reports (if available) and see how your work is doing. Looking at positive numbers is a nice boost of confidence, giving you the energy to continue writing.

The Big Five Publishing Houses

Over the last decades, five publishers have dominated the publishing scene. Being published by one of them almost guarantees successful sales and is a mark of excellence in the industry. Check them out and some of the most famous writers they’ve published:

• HarperCollins—J. R. R. Tolkien, Clive Barker, Paolo Coelho, Michael Crichton, Lemony Snicket, Agatha Christie
• Penguin Random House—Markus Zusak, John Green, Danielle Steel, John Grisham, Naomi Novik, Roald Dahl, Margaret Atwood
• Simon and Schuster—David McCullough, Ernest Thompson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, Dan Brown
• Hachette Book Group—James Patterson, N.K. Jemisin, Michael Connelly, Min Jin Lee, Emma Donoghue, Malala Yousafzai
• Macmillan—Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Rabindranath Tagore, Ayn Rand, Jack London, C.S. Lewis, Janet Evanovich

Beware the Vanity Press

Unfortunately, not all publishers have your best interests in mind. Predatory publishers, called vanity presses, charge authors to publish their books.

Legitimate publishers screen authors and only publish books they think will sell. They invest in these books, expecting them to sell well and make everyone a tidy profit. On the other hand, vanity presses will publish anything and anyone as long as they pay.

They do business by selling you as many services as possible for the highest price they can get. However, you don’t actually get your money’s worth. These services are outsourced to unqualified freelancers, leading to a poorly made product.

They don’t have to exert effort because they’ve already profited—from you! In the end, you’ll be left with an empty pocket and nothing to show for it.

Are Publishing Houses Still Worth it?

Technology has made it possible for anyone to write a book, publish it, and distribute it to the masses. With this kind of freedom, many think that publishing houses are no longer worth considering.

But while there’s certainly more competition, these publishing companies are quickly adapting to the times. They’ve quickly set up their own digital networks while maintaining their traditional ones.

They simply have the means to find and support talent, develop their books, and market them to a wide audience. Every process is already set, accompanied by experienced individuals ready to guide you to success. A person trying to self-publish won’t have that kind of support and reach.

Even with print-on-demand and in-store e-book sales, publishing houses still hold an advantage when it comes to print sales. Their physical distribution chains are still too large to be overcome.

It’s not easy to write, edit, design, print, market, and sell a book. To self-publish is to be a one-man publishing team. For some would-be authors, publishing houses are a better way to go in an industry where only a few make a living through writing.

Do you prefer to work with publishing houses instead of self-publishing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing: Pros, Cons, and Tips for Success
• How Traditional Publishing Has Changed and What That Means to a Writer Starting Out
• Is Self Publishing or Traditional Publishing Better Financially?
• Complete Guide to Small Press Publishing: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Small Presses for Writers