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I've completed a novella and understand that it will fare better if it comes out in hardcover first. Indie publishers usually produce paperback and ebook versions. Does it make sense to self-publish the hardcover and later get a publisher to take over for the paperback, ebook, and audiobook? Truthfully, I'd prefer not to even get involved with self-publishing, but I am concerned that since this is a debut novella, I stand a better chance marketing it as a hardcover first. (Waiting six months(?) to a year after that to come out with the paperback, ebook, and audiobook will give me a second chance to really boost sales, but I do want to get this out there already into a publisher's hands, which puts me in even more of a predicament.)

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated.

Claudia
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  1. Most publishers will not touch a book that has been published before.

  2. In traditional publishing, commonly all the marketing decisions are made by the publisher, including what formats to publish a book in for maximum returns.

Traditional publishing includes a clear labor division. You write, the publisher takes care of everything else. If you want control over what cover your book gets, the paper it is printed on, and for what price your book is sold: self-publish. If you want to write and not think about anything else: publish traditionally.

In my opinion, self-publishing a hardcover book is a sure way to keep your book unread and lose lots of money, unless you have a brilliant marketing plan and know how to get it reviewed and placed into physical book stores. Even self-publishing ebooks requires that you have some idea how you will get readers to notice your book. More than 6,000 self-published books appear in the US every day! How will you get noticed in all that noise? Self-publishing without marketing only works in erotica and sometimes in romance, all other genres require a tremendous marketing effort.