What traditional publishers don't want you to know

"Carol's website has 1 million unique visitors per month," I told my friend at dinner. "She doesn't need traditional publishing anymore. If anything, traditional publishing needs her, which is why she had five different book agents come to her in 2015, begging her to write a book."

My friend, a retired publishing veteran, slowly sipped her coffee and smiled at me, nodding in agreement.

It's time to talk about the big secret in traditional publishing

If you have an audience, you don't need a traditional publisher.

That story I told above is real, though Carol's name is changed. My friend is retired and most of her cohorts have moved past the publishing scene to the tropical waters of retirement. From the outside looking in, traditional publishers don't hold the sway they once did. When buyers could reasonably only buy a book at a bookstore, traditional publishers had a captive audience because the rules for getting on a bookshelf were (and still are) so damn complicated. With the emergence of digital and self publishing, things aren't what they used to be.

Another secret that traditional publishers don't want you to know is this: the culture inside publishing houses has historically been the least conducive to true creative, design and editorial work. Long hours, dark offices, angry managers, controlling publishing bosses -- because of these toxic, workhorse environments, publishing houses are losing their hold on creative talent and creative folks are seeking out alternative, independent publishers.

So, how's your audience doing these days?