Myths about Book Publishing, Debunked

Think you need an MFA or a six-figure deal to succeed? Let’s set the record straight on these common publishing misconceptions.

This blog post is for writers who feel that publishing is a scary maze they must navigate or are tired of all the confusing and opposing advice online. 

I’m generally opposed to making writers feel like publishing is an impossible, scary beast that can’t be conquered. Publishing is hard, but it’s not impossible. (We just debunked our first myth!) It’s true that the industry can feel opaque at times, but I want to remind you that there’s a wealth of resources out there from reputable sources that can help you unpack this industry. Emphasis on reputable sources, here! Don’t take everything at face value. Anyone who is anyone can go on the internet and write something that isn’t necessarily true or speak to their experience as though it's a common fact.

So today, I thought I’d tackle some of the most common misconceptions I see on the internet. Without further ado, here are five myths about book publishing, debunked:

. 1: You need an MFA to be a successful writer. 

One of the most common myths is that you need an MFA to become a published writer. This is simply not true! And I’m not bashing MFAs here; MFAs and writing programs have endless value. MFAs help you hone your craft, meet people and network, build community, and learn how to give and receive feedback. But MFAs are not a requirement to get published or be a successful writer. In fact, I encourage you to look at your bookshelf and really pay attention to the author bios on the books you own. Many published and successful writers don’t have MFAs.

That said, I think it’s incredibly important to study the field you’re in. Good, successful writers read books and study the craft, whether through workshops, writing groups, or otherwise. There are both paid and free resources for you to do this. One size does not fit all here!

Now that we’ve unpacked this, let’s also settle the score on some follow-up questions about MFAs: Does it matter to literary agents that a querying author has an MFA? Does an author with an MFA turn my head? Would I pay extra attention to their query letter? The answer is no. Literary agents are not drawn to authors with MFAs more than authors without. When I’m reading a query letter, the only thing your MFA tells me is that you’re committed to studying the craft. And again, there are many other ways to do that.

2: You need to have a platform to get a book deal.

 To this, I say: not true! You don’t need a platform if you’re a fiction writer. If you’ve got one, that’s great. It’s a bonus. It means you have a built-in community that you can tap into to market your book. It makes the publisher’s job easier, but it’s definitely not a requirement for publication or literary representation. In fiction, the story and writing always come first.

What about nonfiction authors? Let’s set the record straight. There seems to be confusion on the internet about what a platform actually entails. “Platform” doesn’t necessarily mean a social media following. Having a platform really means a reachable audience. You can have a platform through your publications in news outlets, your speaking gigs, your newsletter, or yes, through social media. In nonfiction, who you are matters, so publishers want to see that you’re an expert in your field and that people want to listen to you. Does that mean you need 2oK or even 2K followers on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok? No. In her Substack, Kathleen Schmidt recently published an excerpt of Ariel Curry and Liz Morrow’s book, Hungry Authors where the authors looked at the numbers: it turns out, a lot of nonfiction bestselling authors have a small social media following. How can this be true, you ask? Because their platform lies elsewhere; social media following is only one aspect of measuring an author’s platform.

3: No one reads books anymore

There’s an interview out there where Cate Blanchett talks about how much she hates leaf blowers as an invention and how even the thought of them makes her homicidal. That’s how I feel about this statement. “No one reads books anymore.” No, that’s not the truth, Ellen! According to Publishers Marketplace, the year-to-date trade publishing revenue as of July 2024 was sitting at $4.587 billion. These are earnings based on the first three quarters of the year only. Which is to say, trade publishing is a billion-dollar industry. And if you follow trade magazines like Publishers Marketplace, you’ll see the numbers. They are out there. According to industry reports, book sales have been more or less steady (on average), increasing in some categories and decreasing in others.

 There are also folks who say this: “Publishing is dying. People just want to watch Netflix instead of reading books.”  That is also not entirely true. There could be a case to be made for reading rates, I’m sure. But as an industry, publishing is alive and well. It’s true that books are competing for readers’ attention with other media such as streaming services, TikTok, video games, or otherwise, but publishing as an industry is not going anywhere. It’s providing content, just like other media industries are. And the need for content will always remain. Here’s another way to look at it, too: So many blockbuster shows and films are adapted from books! We’ve got The Summer I Turned Pretty, Bridgerton, Daisy Jones and The Six, The Perfect Couple, and The Three Body Problem, as examples, and some of these have been renewed for multiple seasons. And on the film side, we’ve got major films like Dune, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Poor Things, and Foe, to name a few. And those are all just some recent releases off the top of my head. That alone is a sign that there is still money to be made for both authors and publishers. Books are a form of content: publishers are still acquiring books, and licensing deals are happening every day. Publishing has adapted and will continue to adapt to changes in the media landscape. Will it do that perfectly and always capitalize on opportunities at the right time? Probably not. But there’s money in this game, so it will.

4: Publishers don’t market books anymore.

It’s a myth that once you sign a deal with a traditional publisher, you’re still left to market your book alone. I often see writers talk about how publishers won’t spend money on marketing and publicity, especially if you don’t have a six-figure book deal. Here’s the deal: Have there been stories of this happening? Yes. Is it a general rule of thumb? No. It’s misleading to say otherwise. Publishers still invest time and resources into marketing, and, yes, they’re especially incentivized to do so if you have a bigger advance. They want to earn their money back!

There is always a marketing and publicity plan for an acquired book, even if it’s small and includes only the bare-bones minimum. Publishers will work to get your book out onto the shelves. They will send out ARCs. They will reach out for reviews. But the reality is that in today’s publishing landscape, marketing and publicity is a team effort between the publisher and the author. The marketing and publicity department will be able to do more for authors who are more open to participating in that effort. Does this mean they’ll do nothing for you, and that they don’t care about selling your book? No. That’s a misleading statement.

5: Self-publishing is easier (or traditional publishing is easier).

This is nonsense! The truth is that none of it is easy. If you think otherwise, then you might be experiencing a case of “the grass is always greener on the other side.” Both self-publishing and traditional publishing come with their own set of challenges that we’d need a whole blog post to discuss.

In self-publishing, the author is responsible for everything. That’s a lot of work and a lot of hats to wear. It’s the author’s responsibility to edit, design the cover art, do the quality checks, market the book, and arrange the distribution if you want it in bookstores and can get it stocked on shelves. Self-pub authors also bear all the costs, though they do make all the profit. In traditional publishing, you share both the responsibilities and the profit with the publisher. Still, traditional publishing authors have their own challenges too. How much control do you get as an author? What do the profit splits look like? Are you being compensated fairly? Is the team you’re working with going to be there for your next book? Neither path is “easier” than the other and looking at it this way limits us from considering why both still exist today. It’s really more about the individual author’s preferences and skills. One might be “easier” (or perhaps more worthwhile) to an author based on what skills they have and whether they can utilize them to get where they want to be in their career. For example, if an author isn’t skilled at project management or marketing, then maybe traditional publishing makes more sense for them.

Now that we’ve debunked some myths, I want to end by emphasizing this: publishing is not an industry where one size fits all. To succeed in this industry, I truly believe that writers need to be both resilient and informed. Seek trustworthy information and sources, but even then, continue to use your critical thinking skills!