Nothing beats the pleasure of seeing other people enjoy your creative work. Therefore, in your journey as a writer, you must have asked this question: Do I self-publish my book on Amazon or consider traditional publishing? Even budding writers with no book ready to be published yet ask this question as it prepares them to hit their creative goals.
The truth is that every book has its own unique needs. While it may seem confusing to choose a publishing route, it is important to appreciate that these publishing options are available to us today. This makes it possible for every book’s unique need to be met and, hence, its maximum potential to be explored.
This blog post is going to be self-publishing vs traditional publishing. We present you with the pros and cons of each publishing route and also attempt to help you identify the unique needs of your book. If you read through till the end, whether as a writer with a book ready to be published or a writer still nursing a book idea, you will be armed with the necessary information needed to make a clear and right decision for your book.
Let’s get into it.
What Exactly are Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing?
As the name suggests, self-publishing is the process of publishing a book without involving a publishing team or firm. In this publishing route, the author must take care of all the creative processes involved in publishing a book, from editing to marketing, or outsource the professional services he requires for a fee.
However, in traditional publishing, an author leaves their work to the care of a publishing team. This expert team then handles the entire creative process including editing, book covers, printing and even marketing. Traditional publishing frees up the author to do what he enjoys and does best.
Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing: The Factors to Consider
The question of which publishing model is better, self-publishing or traditional, depends on the book to be published, the resources available to the author, and the author’s preference. Both self-publishing and traditional publishing offer authors some perks and some challenges. These must be well understood before a decision on what publishing model to take is made.
Pros of traditional publishing
Support of a professional team
Traditional publishing offers authors a team of professionals who work at every stage of the publishing process to bring out the best in their books. Taking the traditional route also means that authors get to work with a literary agent who guides them through the industry and gives them the momentum they need to thrive in their careers. In simple terms, when an author signs a deal with a traditional publishing firm, he can be sure his books are in safe hands and thus he should have more time to do what he loves, write.
Wider distribution
Traditional publishing firms use their large connections to ensure that your books are found in large bookstores worldwide. They help the author secure international book deals, and schedule interviews or readings. This gives an author a boost of visibility and credibility, enabling him to grow his career as an author more quickly than self-publishing.
No upfront payment
Unlike self-publishing, traditional publishing requires the author to make no upfront payment. The royalties entitled to the publishing firm when a book is sold cover the expenses for the publishing process. This advantage is great for writers without a lot of capital.
It must still be noted that some authors who use the traditional publishing model still use some of their money to fund some of the creative process to give their book the necessary extra boost. This is because traditional publishing houses work with a budget. It’s business, after all. They have a budget assigned for each publishing stage of a book. Therefore, if an author is working with a resource-constrained publishing house, the book may not get the best service unless the budget is supported.
Advance payment
This is a key appeal of traditional publishing. While self-publishing requires authors to pay in advance before their manuscript is published, traditional publishers pay their author, in instalments, a signing bonus. This is the amount which an author can expect to realize from his books regardless of the outcome of its marketing. A first-time author may expect from $1,000 to $10,000. However, this bonus depends on the popularity of the author and how much the firm wants to publish your book.
Prestige
Taking the traditional publishing route gives an emerging author the credibility he needs to take a stand in the industry. It opens up opportunities for awards and bestselling tags.
Cons of traditional publishing
Loss of creative control
By signing a book deal with a traditional publishing house, writers give up their creative control. In this model of publishing, writers may have to compromise and end up making changes they do not entirely agree with publishers' push for what they think would sell. This also plays out in other stages in the creative process, from the cover design to marketing. Publishers tend to assign more budget to popular books of the season and then publish some books with little or no promotions. Unlike in self-publishing where the author calls the shots.
Lower royalties
In this model, authors can expect 10 to 15% of the retail price per book sale, which is much lower than what the self-publishing model offers.
High rate of rejection
To take the traditional publishing route, writers must first seek to land a business deal. However, even that entry point can prove to be very difficult, with about 99% rejection of submitted works.
Pros of self-publishing
Higher royalties
This is one of the biggest appeals of self-publishing. Authors get to earn a lot more per book sale than they would if they went through traditional publishing. Typically, an author can get from 35% to 70% of the retail price per book sale which is about 25% to 55% more than what traditional publishers offer authors.
At face value, this is great. However, remember that these royalties depend on whether a book is sold or not. This advantage of self-publishing can only be exploited if the author has the necessary resources and patience for marketing and brand building which can be very profitable in the long run.
Full creative control
Creative control means that the author has the final say on what happens to the book. The author does not need to change any part of their story to satisfy a publisher’s preference. With this creative control, you get to tell your story and display and distribute your story the way you want to do so.
Quick publishing
Self-publishing is made possible with platforms like Amazon KDP, Okadabooks and so on. Thanks to these platforms, it takes less time for a book to go live compared to traditional publishing. With Amazon KDP, your book can go live within 3 - 10 business days.
Access to a global market
Self-publishing platforms also make your work available for a wider audience than traditional publishing. Thanks to tools like ebooks and print-on-demand, readers from all over the globe can read your work and request a hard copy if they need one.
Cons of Self-Publishing
Upfront cost
Though self-publishing means that you are not working with a publishing firm, you still don't have all the skills you need to implement the various services your manuscript needs before publishing. There will be a need to seek out professional services for some stages in the creative process.
While traditional publishers do the gruesome work of editing, proofreading, designing and even distributing and only get their pay when your book is sold, self-publishing requires you to pay for the professional services you can’t render for yourself upfront.
This can be a huge challenge for people with little or no capital. Yes, thanks to technological advancement, tools like Canva make it possible for authors to execute the creative processes themselves. However, professional input is still required to ensure your book comes out at its best.
Marketing challenges
In self-publishing, you would have to figure out and implement how to market and promote your book. This usually requires time, financial resources and expertise. It is an important challenge to consider as the high royalty incentive of self-publishing is tied to selling your book. Indie authors typically use social media to market their self-published books. You should try it too.
Limited distribution in bookstores
If one of your dreams of becoming a writer is to see your book in a brick-and-mortar bookstore, then self-publishing may not be the best route for you to take. Usually, bookstores prefer books recommended by traditional publishers. This could be because of the prestige attached to a book that passes through the rigorous and trusted creative process of a popular traditional publishing firm. While it is difficult for self-publishers to get bookstore visibility, it is not impossible. It only requires putting in your best work, a lot of time and building grassroots connections.
The solution to the self-publishing challenges
A careful look at the challenges of self-publishing reveals that known authors will not face any of those challenges if they decide to self-publish. Yet, self-publishing seems like the best route for budding writers who find it difficult to find a literary agent. Therefore to solve the challenges of self-publishing, new writers need to find a way to breach the gap and get their name out there. Wingless Dreamer Publisher offers that breach.
Wingless Dreamer Publisher offers writers the opportunity to get their work published, alongside others, simply by participating in monthly contests. This publishing firm does the editing and proofreading of works that win the contest, then compiles the works into a book. The firm covers the design of the book and its marketing too. Imagine a new writer consistently gets his works published with Wingless Dreamer, he/she will have the boost he requires to get his name out to an audience, an audience he can sell to when he is ready to self-publish.
Conclusion
Choosing between self-publishing and traditional publishing boils down to the unique needs of your book and your goals as an author. A story that demands full creative control or quick publishing might thrive in self-publishing, while a book requiring professional polish and wide distribution may benefit more from traditional publishing. Consider factors such as your budget, marketing expertise, creative preferences, and career aspirations when deciding. Ultimately, both publishing routes offer incredible opportunities to share your story with the world—what matters most is finding the path that best aligns with your vision and maximizes your book’s potential.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Akpadolu Chioma is a writer who strives to use the power of words to heal, inspire and give value to her readers. When she is not lost in the world of writing, you can find her engrossed in mystery novels, enjoying a good movie, cherishing moments with family or deepening her Christian faith.
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