When Do You Want to Get Paid?

One of the factors that you should consider when choosing a publishing option is when do you want to get paid? This is because not all options pay the same way or in a similar time frame.

For example, traditional/commercial publishing generally pays on a quarterly or semi-annual schedule. Sell a bunch of books in January? You won't see the money for several months. Some fee-based/pay to publish options work this way as well. If you independently publish but you use a distributor, you may hit a similar schedule.

You have to figure this into your publishing plan because if you need to make money relatively quickly, the two options above may not suit your needs. The quickest way to be paid is to sell books yourself directly to your buyers. This might mean you need to independently self-publish, or it may mean you'll buy books from your publisher at a discount in order to sell them at an event where you appear in person for example.

As you are researching your best option, "pay day" is definitely not something you want to leave up to chance or whatever happens happens, unless monetary reward is of little importance to you.

In order to make this decision, here are two questions to ask:
1. What is the pay schedule with this option?
2. When do I need to be paid/make money?

If the two answers don't match well, you'll likely want to move on to another option or reconsider your goals.


Good Writing & God Bless,
Cheryl Pickett