How Did I Land a Contract with Penguin Random House? Your Traditional Publishing Questions Answered
- Jenna Moreci
- 5 days ago
- 9 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
A while back, I asked you guys if you had any questions about my journey into traditional publishing, and I'm answering all of your questions today. There were a lot of questions, so it's going to be a long post.
For those who don't know, I am officially a hybrid author! That means some of my books are indie published and some are traditionally published. My upcoming writing craft book, How to Write Romantasy, is my first dive into traditional publishing. I've learned a lot about the industry in the process, and I thought I'd tell you all about my personal experience.
Please note I am going to be very direct and honest. There is no sugarcoating here. If you want the truth, I'm going to give it. Let's answer your traditional publishing questions right now.
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How did I get my contract with Ten Speed Press?
Ten Speed Press is an imprint of Penguin Random House. They published Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. And multiple books by Dolly Parton. I wish I could give you some tips on how I landed this amazing contract, but the truth is, they contacted me. One of the editors was familiar with my platform. She read The Savior's Champion and loved it. She saw that I was also a writing craft author, and was curious to see if I'd be interested in writing a writing craft book all about how to write romantasy, and if so, would I be interested in publishing it through Ten Speed Press.
I was actually already planning on writing a craft book about romantasy, I just hadn't started it yet. But obviously, this gave me a very clear incentive to do so. I followed the steps she listed in order to finalize the contract, including providing an outline of said book. I got an agent to make sure I had a professional to help me negotiate the contract. If you want me to cover the querying process in another post, let me know in the comments below. But that's how I landed the contract. It was easy because they approached me.
Now I want to make one thing clear. This situation is not the norm at all. This is not my way of bragging. I am telling you this for your safety. If a publishing house contacts you expressing interest in publishing your book, it is usually a vanity press. That means it’s a disreputable publisher that is going to charge you thousands of dollars to publish your book. You're not supposed to pay a publishing house. They're supposed to pay you.
And make no mistake, Ten Speed Press is not a vanity press. I did not pay them a dime. They are a legitimate and well-respected imprint.
But, Jenna, if this isn't the normal way to land a contract, why did they contact you?
Because I've sold a shit ton of books, and I have hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube. If you're a well-known author or if you have a recognizable and large audience, publishing houses may contact you, just like collabs, sponsors, and other opportunities may come your way as well. But if you don't have a following or you're not a public figure, it ain't happening.
Frankly, I'm still surprised that it happened to me. Ninety-five percent of the time, if you want to land a traditional publishing contract, you first need to finish a manuscript. You then need to query agents. You need to sign with an agent. And your agent needs to pitch your manuscript to different editors at different publishing houses.
Is self-publishing dead? You used to be a big proponent of it. What made you decide to go traditional?
Self-publishing is not dead. If it were, I wouldn't have multiple indie books available for purchase. Keep in mind, I'm a hybrid author. That means some of my books are indie and some are traditional. This has kind of been my goal for years, to be honest. Self-publishing is more popular than it's ever been, and I still recommend it for a variety of reasons. But both forms of publishing are valid, and they both have their pros and cons.
As for why I decided to go traditional, it's pretty simple. An opportunity was presented to me, and I took it. I've been vocal about the fact that the reason I didn't start my publishing journey the traditional way was for financial and marketing reasons. If you're a brand-new, unknown author, publishing houses are unlikely to give you a large advance, and they're probably not going to give you much marketing. They're usually going to save their funding and marketing power for more well-known authors, which makes sense. It's a profitable decision.
So I've said for years that if I was going to be treated as a priority, I would definitely consider going the traditional route. And that's exactly what's happening right now.
What are some pros and cons of publishing traditionally versus self-publishing?
Pro for indie publishing: Greater royalties. Indie authors can get up to 70% royalties per e-book, whereas with traditional publishing, it's closer to 25%. These figures, of course, can vary.
Pro for traditional: You can get an advance, which is a paycheck your publishing house offers to you upfront, usually split into 2 to 4 payments.
Pro for indie: You have creative control. You get to pick your cover artist, your editor, and your formatting. You have the final say on everything. Many authors who go traditional don't get to choose their cover art, or they may be encouraged to make edits they don't agree with. That was not my personal experience, but it is the norm.
Pro for traditional: You don't have to pay for any publishing expenses. You don't pay for your cover artist. You don't pay for your editor. You don't pay for the copyright. You don't pay for the format. Indie authors have to foot the bill for all of this, and it can get very expensive. But traditional authors don't have to pay a dime.
When publishing traditionally, is the editing up to them?
Yes. You will receive an in-house editor. The publishing house pays them. Nothing comes out of your pocket. You, of course, will be expected to work with the editor. You will be making edits with them, but you won't be choosing the editor, hiring them yourself, or paying them.
Is there anything that you used to consider a con of traditional publishing but now see as a pro, or at the very least a pro in regard to your situation?
One of the cons of traditional publishing is that you’re usually not going to get a say regarding your cover art. But that wasn’t my experience whatsoever. I was included in every step of the process. I chose the design direction. I okayed the final design, I chose the color scheme, and I was the one who approved the final cover at the end of it all. The only part I wasn't involved in was choosing the actual cover artist. And I was honestly relieved about that. I hate picking cover artists because I'm so afraid I'm going to choose the wrong one. Plus, the artist they chose was perfect for the job, and I hadn't heard of them before, so I would have never thought to hire them.
I honestly can't say enough positive things about the cover art process for How to Write Romantasy. It was so fun and stress-free. Ten Speed Press honestly made the process a blast. I was very fortunate to have a really good experience when it comes to traditional publishing and cover art.
When going through trad pub, are publishing trends and fads something you need to consider?
Yes. That's not to say you have to write whatever's trending. But publishing houses are here to make money, so you, at the very least, need to be able to convince them that what you're writing is marketable. When you query agents, they should be able to give you an idea of whether or not your story is marketable, and they might even give you suggestions on how to change the story to make it more desirable to publishing houses.
But long story short, if they don't think they can sell your story, they're not going to bother with it. Romantasy is one of the most popular fiction genres right now. That's why Ten Speed Press wanted me to write about it. If I were to pitch a writing craft book all about literary fiction, I don't think they'd be interested.
Are there any assumptions you made about traditional publishing that you found out weren't the case?
No. Let's make one thing clear: when it comes to my money, I don't make assumptions. I do my research. I've noticed several authors who self-publish a book, and then later on, it gets picked up by a traditional publisher. Is this a good route or a bad idea? It completely depends on the author's goal and the publishing contract. From what I've heard, nine times out of ten, it comes down to money and rights. If the publishing house wants to offer you a great contract and you retain the rights, that's fantastic. But if the publishing house low-balls you with a shitty advance, fuck them, stay indie.
As an indie author turned hybrid, could you describe the steps of going from indie to traditional? What was the transition like?
I received the offer from Ten Speed Press. They gave me detailed instructions on what they needed from me in order to present an official offer. Like an outline and author bio, my marketing contacts, that sort of thing. I followed those instructions. At the same time, I queried agents and landed my agent, who I adore. My agent helped me review and negotiate the contract. I signed it, and I wrote the book. That's it. There is no transition or complicated steps. You just do the thing.
Can an author with a zero following expect a more difficult or different path to publishing?
Yes. This is why I encourage all writers to create an author platform. The bigger your reach, whether you're going indie or traditional, the easier the publishing process will be. It's always harder for an unknown to land a contract. It's certainly not impossible. It happens all the time. But you really gotta shine during the querying process and write a marketable manuscript that appeals to your agent.
As a first-time author, would you suggest going traditional or self-published for your first book?
It depends on your goals as well as your strengths and weaknesses. Do you want to network with agents and publishing houses? Do you want someone else to handle your copyright, your book formatting, your book cover? Are you okay with potentially lower royalties in return for less responsibility? At least at the onset. If all that sounds good, go traditional.
Are you business-minded? Are you willing to learn the publishing process in order to earn higher royalties? Can you afford to hire an editor and cover artist? Do you want to take advantage of resources like Kindle Unlimited? Do you want full creative control? If that sounds good, go indie.
But it's important to note that no matter which path you choose, you are going to be expected to market yourself. There is no choice that lets you off that hook. Sorry about it.
What were your goals for going hybrid?
Taking advantage of the best of both worlds. Greater networking and connections. Expanding my readership reach. And of course, income.
If going traditional only matters via a large advance, does that make smaller presses obsolete in the face of self-publishing?
Once again, it depends on the writer's goals. If a large advance were the only reason for publishing, then most authors would never publish because most authors do not receive large advances. The average advance from a debut author is around $10,000. This includes advances from major publishing houses. A large advance isn't the goal for everyone. Everyone has a different path and objectives.
How has your view of traditional publishing changed now that you've gone through it?
My view hasn't changed. What has changed is my trajectory. I've always said that if I were treated like a priority, I would absolutely go the traditional route. I just didn't realize I had reached that point in my career until this happened. So now I feel much more comfortable and confident in the idea of entertaining traditional publishing for future projects depending on the genre and my goals.
So that's all I've got for you today!
How to Write Romantasy is out now! If you want to grab yourself a copy, you can find it right here! It’s been a wonderful experience working with Ten Speed Press, and I’m proud and excited to finally say I’m a hybrid author. If you have any more questions you’d like me to answer, drop them in the comments and I’ll see what I can do!
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