The world of publishing can be broad and complex because the options and rules are
constantly changing. I have personally pursued both self-publishing and traditional publishing and have learned (sometimes the hard way) the challenges and rewards of both options. Here they are:
Self-Publishing Pros
- You keep control over all of your rights.
- Individual book cost is low, resulting in a higher profit margin when you sell books yourself.
- Distribution is available on Amazon and other online bookstores, making it easier than ever to reach a broad audience since the majority of us are buying books online anyway.
Self-Publishing Cons
- You have to do all the work: establish a publishing company, purchase an ISBN, get the cover created, lay out the text, get listed with distributors, etc. (unless you hire a custom publisher for assistance).
- Startup costs can be high since you typically have to purchase a large quantity of books if you do it all yourself, or invest in custom publishing services.
- Revisions can be expensive if you haven’t yet sold the bulk of your initial inventory (beware of ordering more books than you can sell).
Traditional Publisher Pros
- Added credibility when your book is published with a major press—for some organizations, this makes a difference.
- Broader distribution is more likely available vs. publishing yourself.
- Your book is likely to appear on bookstore shelves (though it will be pulled quickly if the book doesn’t sell and the majority of consumers buy books online).
Traditional Publisher Cons
- Unless you make the best seller list or leverage your book to grow your business, you aren’t likely get rich. Publishers typically pay authors around $1.00 per book sold!
- Book advance checks are lower than ever: averaging around $5,000 to $10,000—and you must earn that back, $1.50 at a time, before you will see any additional royalties.
- You will lose control and many of the rights to your work. For example, most publishers require exclusive rights to the e-book version of your book, meaning that you can’t sell or distribute it to anyone.
With all of this said, I personally decided to abandon traditional publishing. I don’t want to give away my rights, have my book title changed, earn pennies per book, or be at the mercy of a big corporation that isn’t truly invested in my success. What about you? Are you going after a publishing contract or taking back control? Any experiences you can share here?
The world of publishing can be broad and complex because the options and rules are constantly changing. I have personally made it a point to pursue both self-publishing and traditional publishing and will continue to leverage both for their distinct pros and cons. Here are some to consider:
Self-Publishing Pros
ü You keep control over all of your rights.
ü Individual book cost is low, resulting in a higher profit margin when you sell books yourself.
ü Distribution is available on Amazon and other online bookstores, making it easier than ever to reach a broad audience since the majority of us are buying books online anyway.
Self-Publishing Cons
ü You have to do all the work: establish a publishing company, purchase an ISBN, get the cover created, lay out the text, get listed with distributors, etc. (unless you hire a custom publisher for assistance).
ü Startup costs can be high since you typically have to purchase a large quantity of books if you do it all yourself, or invest in custom publishing services.
ü Revisions can be expensive if you haven’t yet sold the bulk of your initial inventory (beware of ordering more books than you can sell).
Traditional Publisher Pros
ü Added credibility when your book is published with a major press—for some organizations, this makes a difference.
ü Broader distribution is more likely available vs. publishing yourself.
ü Your book is likely to appear on bookstore shelves (though it will be pulled quickly if the book doesn’t sell and the majority of consumers buy books online).
Traditional Publisher Cons
ü Unless you make the best seller list or leverage your book to grow your business, you aren’t likely get rich. Publishers typically pay authors around $1.50 per book sold!
ü Book advance checks are lower than ever: averaging around $5,000 to $10,000—and you must earn that back, $1.50 at a time, before you will see any additional royalties.
ü You will lose control and many of the rights to your work. For example, most publishers require exclusive rights to the e-book version of your book, meaning that you can’t sell or distribute it to anyone.
Hello, I have a completed manuscript ready to submit to an agent or publishing company. My book is a children’s story so the genre is quiet competitive. I contacted a Christian publisher online and have received two phone calls from their company trying very hard to get me to submit to them for guaranteed publication.
Their company offers packages from 1,000 bucks to 6,000.
All the research I’ve done on Author’s Guilds, Agents Guilds and Associations all say ‘run – run away as fast as you can’ from this type of marketing.
The company hasn’t presented me with any of the arguments you have posted on this blog.
So, as yet undecided, what types of questions should I be asking this company? How many copies would get published? How much money would I make? How long until I start getting paid? The questions are limitless.
Anyway, for some reason I am actually considering self publishing with this company, or possible another.
What are your suggestions?
Regards,
Tammy
Hi Tammy,
It sounds like you are dealing with a custom publisher, which means that you will essentially pay them to help get your book published. If you haven’t had much luck finding a traditional publisher, then this may be a good option for you. Authority Publishing is a custom publisher, though we don’t work with children’s books. As you move forward, you should beware of certain terms that may be involved. Please see my previous post on 8 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Custom Publisher. Good luck!
This is a very comprehenisive article. As I have 2 manuscripts ready to be published I value the comparison in this post.
This industry is going through radical changes. As a business going through a publisher doesn’t make sense unless your book has mass appeal and you have deep pockets to promote your brand.
I would love to have seen a third comparission with print on demand.
Thanks
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your feedback. The biggest differences with print on demand (POD) are that up-front costs are lower because you don’t have to order large quantities at once and you don’t have to store a palette of books in your garage! I am a big fan of POD publishing–it’s something we do here at Authority Publishing.
With true self-publishing, the author must handle all the details–find the right people to handle editing and book design, purchase an ISBN and barcode, get quotes from printers, set up distribution to Amazon, Ingram, and other retailers. And in order to keep printing costs down, you would most likely need to purchase 1000 or more books with your initial print run. The price of those books might be slightly less than the rate for print on demand books, though you will spend several thousand up front for that order. And is the small savings worth it in the long run? You need a place to store those books securely. It may also take several years for a new author to sell through 1000 books. What if you decide you want to add a new chapter or change the book in some way? Then you have a big dilemma.
With POD, you can order a small quantity of books, and do so at any time. In most cases, a POD book might cost you around $.50 more than it would if you ordered a large quantity from a printer. But you also keep the flexibility of potentially modifying your book and not wasting cases of books (or worrying about where and how to store them).
I remain a fan of POD, primarily because it is much more flexible and makes good economic sense. I hope this helps!
My name is Imani and I am a junior high school student. I’ve been working on this book I’m writing and I really want to get it finished with and try to start publishing before I start college. What will be the BEST steps I should follow to obtain my goal?
Hi Imani,
Is your goal to get a book deal with a traditional publisher or to publish the book yourself? If you want to pursue a traditional publisher, then I would recommend that you start building a platform for your work. You can do that by launching a blog and using social media to build an audience. Having an audience will be a tremendous help in landing a traditional book deal. You can locate literary agents via http://aaronline.org. You will need to start by sending a query letter to capture their interest. Then, if requested, you will need to send a complete book proposal. Michael Larsen wrote a great book called “How to Write a Book Proposal” which you can pick up at the library.
If you want to self-publish, then you have lots of options. There are dozens of custom publishers (including us at Authority Publishing!) that can help you produce your book for a fee. Here is a previous blog post with questions to ask when choosing a custom publishing firm.
I hope this is helpful. Best of luck on your publishing journey! You’re getting an early start so your future looks very bright!
@ Imani – In addition to Stephanie’s advice, I would suggest you consider getting some honest and critical feedback on your book – this is an important part of the process and most writers go through several drafts before they start submitting proposals/drafts to agents or publishers. Writing groups are a good way to hone skills because the political dynamic is more open to constructive criticism – something that can be problematic if friends and family members are reading your work. You could also consider writing shorter pieces and submitting them to magazines – it will give you a taste of what it’s like to go through the acceptance/rejection cycle and give you some feedback on the strengths and weaknesses in your writing.
Another avenue to consider (in traditional publishing) is approaching publishers direct (as opposed to going through agents). Some smaller presses still allow this, but you need to take care to follow their guidelines for submission. No editor wants to receive a full draft through the post when their guidelines clearly ask for a 1-page summary or a first chapter and outline. The thing to do here is research your market carefully and choose publishing houses that have established lists in the same genre as your book. Some of the larger presses have specialized imprints that may me more fitting for your work.
Whatever route one takes, doing your homework thoroughly is the best first step and ensures you don’t waste your valuable time!
More generally…
On the self-publishing side of things, Stephanie makes some excellent points. Self-publishing avenues have certainly democratized the market. On the cons side, though, if you do decide to do it all yourself, rather than paying a custom publisher to support you in these functions, then you have to remember the following: you’re no longer just a writer – you’re a publisher, sales person, marketeer, warehouse manager, marketing director and distribution agent – and that is a lot of hats to wear. And it’s difficult to wear all those hats well!
Well said, Louise!
Great article, Stephanie. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to re-introduce myself at the San Francisco Writers Conference this past weekend. You moderated a great session on designing an on-line promotion plan … something I’m thinking about a lot as I contemplate the possibility of self-publication.
Thanks very much, Steve. That online promotion plan will come in handy whether you self-publish or not! Best of luck to you!
I know the last post was over a year ago but just in case your still here, I’m writing my first book, it’s a non-fiction westen book about the gunman & outlaws of the wild west.
Do you believe there is still a market for history type books out there?
Thanks!
Hi John, There is always a market for history-type books! Best of luck to you!
Hello,
Glad I came across this site/comment section. I am currently looking into finding an Agent. Not to help in promoting my book per se, but to help me in acquiring paid speaking engagements/lectures/book readings/signings. I self published with Balboa Press. Can I say that? Mention my publishing companies name? If not then edit it out. After some reading about the pros and cons between self publishing and traditional publishing, I honestly feel blessed. The company I am working with has been greatly helpful and does much of the work I normally would be required to do if I had chosen a different self publishing company. No doubt I am paying them to do such. For me I feel it to be worth it. My book went live this year in August. It is my first published book and I am currently working on my second one. My books are spiritual self help books for body mind soul spirit.
I would like to ask what do you think is the best way to find a Public Speaking Agent? I have googled this and get a lot of information. Can be daunting to say the least. I read that it could take a year or more to actually have one. Would I send them a Querry Letter too? Is it okay to call them to set up a meeting/interview? Or is the beginning step always going to be through a Querry letter? Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Barbara
Hi Barbara, There are speaker’s bureaus that help speakers get booked, though you usually have to have a solid track record to get signed up with them and even if you do sign with them, there are no guarantees they will get you any bookings. I’d suggest that you read “The Wealthy Speaker” by Jane Atkinson to get a better understanding about the speaking business. Also, “Speak and Grow Rich” by Dottie Walters. I’m a member of the National Speakers Association (http://nsaspeaker.org), which is another good resource. Lastly, I think your best bet would be to hire a savvy virtual assistant who can help you get booked for speaking engagements. See http://ivaa.org and submit a proposal to find an assistant. Hope this helps! Best wishes with your book!
I am a new author. My Genre is Children’s book. It will be a series of books.
I have several written (not published) so far. Can you recommend companies for both traditional, self and custom publishing? Do I need to copyright my books myself?
If I decide to self/custom publish how do I find an illustrator? Are there workshops/groups I can attend to get assistance? I appreciate your assistance.