# Getting Published



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'm thinking of selling my music to a publisher for piano teachers to use in their lessons. 

1. What programs can I use that I can plug in and play and the music will be written?
2. What are the next steps to take after that?
3. I'm thinking most of my work is beginner and intermediate, no advanced.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm thinking of selling my music to a publisher for piano teachers to use in their lessons.
> 
> 1. What programs can I use that I can plug in and play and the music will be written?
> 2. What are the next steps to take after that?
> 3. I'm thinking most of my work is beginner and intermediate, no advanced.


First, you do not "sell" your music to a publisher. They offer you a contract and pay you a certain percentage per piece sold. And often that percentage is low (like 10%) and often that percentage is off the wholesale price rather than retail (wholesale is often 50% of the retail). So that means publishing is not going to be about making money. It becomes more of an acknowledgement of your ability. For example, I had a piece for a unaccompanied instrument published over 40 years ago. It's retail price $10. Wholesale is $5 so I get 50 cents. It's still in print and still gets played. It sells from 10-50 copies per year. You do the math. You make more money if you belong to performance rights organization like ASCAP or BMI for if they survey a performance of your work they pay you. That's where you make more money.

Now of your three questions, #1 is the most difficult, because unless things have changed, most programs that convert what you play into notation are prone to being so precise that the slightest variance of tempo and/or rhythm of the player will result in ridiculous looking rhythms that are really laughably wrong. And even if they were to produce the exact rhythms you played, you still must use a notation program to clean up the score which means you (or an engraver you hire) will spend time making everything look right.

#2 is do your homework. Internet search publishers that do sell piano music and especially the level and style (yes, the styles the publisher has already issued has to be similar to what you write). Many publishers (especially the big, famous ones) will not give you the opportunity to submit the works to them at all. They only accept new composers by their strong reputation or recommendation by other well published/established composers.

#3 is not a problem. There's a market for all levels.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Vasks said:


> First, you do not "sell" your music to a publisher. They offer you a contract and pay you a certain percentage per piece sold. And often that percentage is low (like 10%) and often that percentage is off the wholesale price rather than retail (wholesale is often 50% of the retail). So that means publishing is not going to be about making money. It becomes more of an acknowledgement of your ability. For example, I had a piece for a unaccompanied instrument published over 40 years ago. It's retail price $10. Wholesale is $5 so I get 50 cents. It's still in print and still gets played. It sells from 10-50 copies per year. You do the math. You make more money if you belong to performance rights organization like ASCAP or BMI for if they survey a performance of your work they pay you. That's where you make more money.
> 
> Now of your three questions, #1 is the most difficult, because unless things have changed, most programs that convert what you play into notation are prone to being so precise that the slightest variance of tempo and/or rhythm of the player will result in ridiculous looking rhythms that are really laughably wrong. And even if they were to produce the exact rhythms you played, you still must use a notation program to clean up the score which means you (or an engraver you hire) will spend time making everything look right.
> 
> ...


Sounds like it is just impossible to make money in the music industry. I've heard how hard it is to make money off albums, and now on sheet music.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Sounds like it is just impossible to make money in the music industry. I've heard how hard it is to make money off albums, and now on sheet music.


To make a living? Yes, it's very tough.

But if you want a shot at getting a higher percentage of money off your music sales, you might look into self-publishing (assuming you can figure a way to get your music looking right). Right now, I know some composers that are doing OK with *J. W. Pepper*. Pepper sells all kinds of styles by all kinds of publishing houses (both big and small) but a few years ago branched out into allowing composers to sell their music directly through the Pepper website.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Vasks said:


> To make a living? Yes, it's very tough.
> 
> But if you want a shot at getting a higher percentage of money off your music sales, you might look into self-publishing (assuming you can figure a way to get your music looking right). Right now, I know some composers that are doing OK with *J. W. Pepper*. Pepper sells all kinds of styles by all kinds of publishing houses (both big and small) but a few years ago branched out into allowing composers to sell their music directly through the Pepper website.


I need to hire someone to notate my music and perhaps try for Pepper!


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

...............


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## E Cristobal Poveda (Jul 12, 2017)

you're honestly better off learning to write music yourself. Auto-notation software are garbage. I tried to use them before I learned how to write and they just don't create presentable scores at all.


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