Question for those in the know.
I have found a website that will do very small runs (1 book and upwards) and have ordered a copy of my book!
The website gives the option to sell the book which is tempting because i can point keen friends and family to the website if they want a copy, rather than me shouldering the costs of a run of printing...... but.... If I do that, does that count as me self publishing and will that stop me being able to submit the MS to publishing houses and agents?
What is industry best practice, should i keep the MS exclusive and out of the public domain until i have sent it to agents?
@ A Fox, Thank you, that link was incredibly helpful. I did read all the legal stuff when i printed a copy for myself. I retain all rights to my intellectual property. But I have decided against self publishing it now I have done some more research.
@ Johnathan Hopkins, I think I will play the lottery first. Perhaps working backwards from direct submissions, then try agents then self publish if nobodies interested. I can see a valid argument in publishers being interested in taking on a second book if the first is self published. You are already tried and tested so to speek, they will know your level of commitment.
A great response from the community once again. Thank you :D
It's not the same admittedly, but my mum knows somebody who self-published the scores of his music compositions at first, but was soon approached by a publishing house as they were such a success. They've now published the same scores themselves. I don't know if it's the same with book manuscripts, I'm afraid, but either way Jonathan's point above sounds wise.
Time was all publishers wanted 'first rights' and wouldn't look at a self-published book. That changed after a few self-pubs were plucked from cyberspace and became trad-pub bestsellers.
But to have that happen is akin to winning the lottery. A self-pub may give your writing exposure and a following that makes it attractive to a publisher, or it may end up a damp squib. That's pretty much a lottery, too.
My own view is that if you self-pub, a trad publisher isn't going to be interested in your first book. But they might be interested in the next, if the first sold a few copies. You just have to keep plugging away.