How to get a book published? 3 publishing industries (and choosing the right one)

7 mins read
Book proposals
November 20, 2024
academic, audience, book contract, book deal, getting published, nonfiction, publication

If you’re here and thinking about publishing industries, that probably means that you’re on the right track with your book idea. Congratulations! Once you know what your nonfiction book is about, and you are clear on its structure (whether or not you have already written your book), this is a great time to start thinking about where to send it. And this choice is more important than you might think! Even if you write a book that can be very popular among your target audience: you still won’t be picked up if you submit to the wrong types of publishers!

That’s exactly why in this blog post, I’ll talk you through the three main publishing industries: educational publishing, academic publishing, and trade publishing. And then, I’ll help you choose the right one for your project. This post will be especially valuable for academics who are writing a book, though any nonfiction author might benefit. So without further ado: let’s dive right in!

The three main publishing industries - what you should know

People often talk about the publishing industry, as though there is only one. But actually, there are three main ones, and there are big differences between them! Not only do they differ in the types of books that they publish, but they also sell their books to different types of customers! Here’s what you need to know about each of these publishing industries.

Educational publishers

Educational publishers do not simply publish anything that is educational. Rather, they are publishers that publish books that are used in educational institutions: schools and universities. The books they publish are mostly text books, but also indexes, study guides and online programs. Because of this focus, the main customer of an educational publisher is not Joe from next door. Instead, they sell their books mostly directly to schools and universities.

These publishers, therefore, are less interested in your social media marketing plan. Instead, they want to know that you’re an expert in your field (you know what you’re talking about), with bonus points if you have contacts with schools and organizations that will result in them adopting your materials for their programs.

Academic publishers

An academic publisher does not necessarily print books for specific educational programs. Instead, they take a slightly broader view, where they publish mostly edited volumes and monographs written by academics, for academics. However, that does not mean that they sell books directly to academics! Many academic publishers actually sell their books for such a high price that your average academic can barely avoid them. Sounds like a terrible business model, doesn’t it?

Well, actually, no. And that is because academic publishers mostly sell their books to university libraries. As a result, these publishers don’t really care about your social media marketing plan either. What they trade on mostly, is reputation. If you have a strong reputation in your field as an academic, this reputation rubs off on the academic publisher that publishes your book. And if they have a stronger reputation, not only will they attract more highly valued academics – this will also entice libraries to buy bundles of books from them. And that’s how these academic publishers make their money.

Trade publishers

But, of course, I’ve saved the best for last. Trade is the most well-known and common of the publishing industries. Trade publishers are those who sell directly to individuals. That does not mean they don’t publish anything that’s educational or written by academics! In fact, a lot of trade publishers love publishing the more accessible books written by academics and educators. The main difference, then, is that instead of writing for an academic audience, these academics are writing to a “general” audience.

So this is the industry with a big focus on your own platform: the ways you personally have to inform large numbers of people in your target audience of your book. Your reputation, of course, will help you in this industry. But it’s not as important as it is for the other publishing industries. It’s less important that you have a degree, and more important that large numbers of people have shown that they are interested in what you have to say on this topic.

Factors to consider when choosing between publishing industries

So how, then, do you choose between the three publishing industries when you’re thinking about pitching your book? Here are three major factors to take into account.

Purpose of your book

The first thing to take into account when you’re choosing between the publishing industries is the purpose of the book. I’m sure you want to change the world. But do you want to change adults’ lives (trade), how a subject is taught (educational), or would you rather change how people think about a certain topic in your field (academic)? Each of these topics is valid and commendable, but they each will lead you to a different choice in terms of publishing industries.

Audience

If your book’s purpose doesn’t lead you to a conclusive conclusion, audience might help you figure out which of the publishing industries is right for your book. You can approach this question in two ways. In the flow chart below, I’ve shown how to take the standard approach, of imagining who will be reading your book: students and educators in a specific course, academics, or “general readers.”

But there is a second approach. As I explained above, each industry sells to a different “audience” – educational publishers to schools, academic publishers to university libraries, and trade publishers to individual consumers. Determining which of these three will be most likely to buy your book, therefore, will help you figure out in which of the industries your book would have the best chance of getting published.

Platform vs Reputation

The third way of choosing between the three publishing industries may be the easiest. Simply ask yourself: what do I have more of, platform or reputation?

If you have ways to inform large numbers of people who are the ideal readers for your book about the publication of your book (e.g., through your email list, social media following, blog readership or large personal network), you will have a good chance of finding a trade publisher interested. If not, you need to lean more on your reputation to convince an academic or educational publisher that their reputation will benefit from having your book on their list (e.g., through publications, awards, and speaking engagements).

Choosing between the publishing industries

Knowing what you know now, it should be a lot easier for you to decide which of the publishing industries to send your book proposal to. But to make it even easier, I thought I’d make things visual for you. The following flow chart will help you make a decision by asking you the main questions that I have found have helped people choose a publishing industry for their book.

What's next?

Now that you’ve made a decision on which publishing industry to submit to, it’s time to put your book proposal together. You see, if you want to submit a nonfiction or academic book to a publisher, you don’t need a complete manuscript. Instead, you need to put together a package with materials that will convince the publisher your book will be a good investment for them. And as a book proposal consultant, that’s exactly what I specialize in!

So if you want to learn more about book proposals, make sure to read my other blog posts about book proposals (this one should be a good starting point) or check out the book proposal services I offer.

Passionate Writer Coaching