Among the many advantages self-publishing presents authors over the traditional model is content control. Case study. I spoke with a published author at a recent conference about her experience with her traditional publisher. She handed me her book and paused. “You see my name’s on the cover,” she said. “But none of that is mine.”
Aside from changing even the title, the published pulled a full two-thirds of the submitted content for final publication. Talk about an incarcerating publishing experience.
We throw around the term non-exclusive quite about when talking about self-publishing contracts. A non-exclusive contract, in short, means that one person is in charge of the book – the author. Most self-publishing options hold non-exclusive contracts, but not all.
I was working to help one author transition publishers recently, and found this in his contract:
“While Section Six (6) of your Publishing Agreements states, ‘If I cancel, <publishing company> will have the non-exclusive right to produce, market, and sell my Title for one year following receipt of my cancellation notice,” <publishing company> has chosen not to exercise this right.”
This self-publisher’s contract maintains the right to sell your book without paying you, but then they tell you it’s not good enough to do that. Talk about insult to injury. But be sure to carefully read and understand your contract. Ask your publishing consultant if you have questions.
In the meantime, have fun and keep writing.
– Karl
Self Publishing Advisor 
It’s really a shame to put forth a tremendous effort in constructing a novel, going through innumerable rewrites, while at the same time working for a living and mowing the lawn, and then be at the mercy of an industry that is simply doing its best to chew and spit authors as though they are by-products.
I’ve long since given up the notion that I must hold fast to my “art” and not “sell out”. However, at my age, a married homeowner with no youthful delusions about ars gratia artis and would relish a legitimate published novel if ONLY to get some kind of an “in”. I am confident that I could promote myself in a fashion conducive to future success as well as the control that should come with financial success.
I have self-published two books on lulu.com and have the gratification of seeing “books in print”. But I don’t know where to go from there: keep on self-publishing or attempt the legitimate publishing world.
H.B. Berlow