Years ago traditional publishers ruled the industry and it was every authors goal to obtain a book publishing deal. With the emergence of new online marketplaces and print on demand processes, book publishing has changed and self publishing is now a viable option for many authors, at any stage in their career.
Years ago traditional publishers ruled the industry and it was every authors goal to obtain a book publishing deal. With the emergence of new online marketplaces and print on demand processes, book publishing has changed and self publishing is now a viable option for many authors, at any stage in their career.
As you write your book, you may be wondering which is the better option for you. I’ve done both and I’ve learned they each have pros and cons. Let’s look at six reasons why you might want to self publish your book.
1. Maintain control of your work
When you publish with a traditional publisher you sign a contract that gives them rights. This may include the copyright of your content, the rights to decide when, where, and how to publish your content. How long will your book be available for sale? That’s up to the publisher. Will they invest in a second edition or re-release? Again these details are determined by the publisher. And when you write your next book? Your publisher may have rights to publish that one too, which could be a positive or a negative depending on your first experience with that publisher.
2. Create at your own pace
An author who self publishes gets to decide when their book will be published. You can negotiate with this timeline with editors and printers. By comparison, when you work with a traditional publisher you are at the mercy of their timeline. You will first have to obtain the attention of a publisher which could take months or even years. Then you will have to negotiate the contract before you even get to the real work of writing (assuming your book is still being written). Once the ball gets rolling you’ll need to be available at anytime to meet deadlines for writing, editing, and reviewing the book.
3. Learn the publishing process
As a naturally curious person and lover of being my own boss, I self published my first book as a way of learning the process and understanding how the industry works. If you know how and why something works you can make better informed decisions.
4. Build a platform and a brand
How visible are you? Do you have a tribe of followers who will buy your book? A traditional publisher may require that you to have a platform or a recognizable brand before they will publish you. How do you build your platform? With a book! As a self published author you can use your book to engage and grow your audience
5. You have to market your book either way
Something surprising I learned when publishing a book with a traditional publisher was that I was required to do most of the marketing on my own. Sure a traditional publisher will have the ability to get your book into large book stores, but who will buy it when it’s there? You need to build a tribe of followers as described in #4 above, and to do that you will have to market your book.
6. More money per book
As a self published author you have the freedom to price your book at whatever price you like (within competitive standards if you want to sell any copies). Depending on where you have your book printed and distributed, you could earn as much as 70% as royalties
