The modern age of the Internet has made publishing a book possible for anyone who manages to write one. Gone are the days of trying to get past the gatekeepers of publishing and impress an agent whose job it was to sell you. Self-publishing comes with its own challenges, as the success of your published book rests on what you do or do not do. There are no additional resources available to help push your book out into the world and no easy path to the shelves of book stores. But what are the basics of self-publishing versus traditional publishing?
What is self-publishing?
Self-publishing is the process in which the author of a book takes on the responsibilities associated with publishing a book. When an author self-publishes, they are in charge of the book’s editing, cover design, arranging an ISBN if they choose to use one, marketing, and releasing the book. Some authors will do all of these things themselves, while others will hire services or individuals to complete certain tasks for them, but these expenses are the burden of the author.
What is traditional publishing?
Traditional publishing is the process in which the author of a book works with a third-party publisher to release the book. In traditional publishing, it is the publisher who takes on the responsibilities of ensuring that editing, design work, and marketing are done in preparation for the book’s release. Traditional publishers will release the book through their imprints and pay the author a percentage of the royalties. Essentially, the author trades some of the ownership of the book to a publisher in exchange for having everything taken care of. However, traditional publishers must first be convinced to publish your book in the first place, which is where many authors face difficulties.
So why do people choose to self-publish?
- Creative freedom! With self-publishing, it is the author who decides everything for better or for worse. There are no topics off the table; you can decide the structure of your book and maintain options regarding collaboration, editing, and the design of the book itself. Traditional publishers are businesses that will consider if they think a book will sell and will often push back on aspects of a book that they think may limit its audience. These could include things like the diversity of your characters, themes, settings, and topics.
- Ownership rights! A self-published author maintains all rights to their work as there are no contracts or special deals that they need to worry about. Traditional publishing is built on the author exchanging some of the ownership of their book to the publisher in exchange for their services. Depending on the traditional publisher, an author can find themselves under contracts that control the rights to reprint, make film adaptations or merchandise your product. For some authors, this isn’t an issue, but if maintaining full control appeals to you as a writer, then self-publishing may be the way to go.
- The book will be published. The old saying is that “if you want something done right, do it yourself.” Now, as a first-time self-published author, you will likely make some mistakes, but with self-publishing, you will be sure that you are getting your book out into the world. If you want to make sure that your book is published, then the only path that absolutely guarantees it is to self-publish.
- Royalties are yours! Self-publishing cuts out the middle man and usually increases the percentage from each book sale that an author will see. Online platforms that print on demand or sell ebooks take a certain percentage of the sale, but it is a flat rate that you can track.
Why did I decide that self-publishing was the way to go with the Iron Soul series?
- One of the key reasons I decided to self-publish The Iron Soul series was that I had structured the books of The Iron Soul series in a distinct way that allowed me to tell the story how I wanted. The books are all set up with both a present and past storyline. Every third chapter tells a story from the past that relates to the present story but also stands on its own. As a result, a third of each novel is effectively its own story. However, this also resulted in every book of the series being at least 100,000 words long, which is over the usual word count for mass-produced books. While it didn’t immediately disqualify the books from traditional publishing, I was aware that convincing publishers to accept such a long book which would be a hurdle.
- Second, I was a brand-new writer and was starting out with a series of thirteen books. Bluntly, if I was a publisher, I’d have concerns as to if the series would actually be completed. With no history of published books to my name and limited experience as a writer, my series would look like a potential risk to a publisher.
- Third, my book series takes place in the modern era. In truth, I did delay self-publishing for a few years and tried the traditional publishing path. But as each year went by, the technology referenced in my book had more and more of a chance of becoming outdated and awkward. Additionally, my own experience in college and familiarity with slang was growing ever more distant as time when on. I didn’t want to risk the books becoming outdated before they went out into the world.
- Fourth, I was honest with myself regarding what I needed. Ideally, I would love to be a well-known author who makes a living writing full time. That is what I want even now, but what I needed was to send my story out into the world. Self-publishing gave me a way of making sure that the books were published, even if no traditional publishers were interested. I was able to make sure that the story was out in the world for those who wanted it.
Self-publishing is a remarkable option for writers in the modern era. It provides a way to send our book out into the world without needing to first gain approval from publishers. This isn’t the right path for everyone. The process of editing, designing, and releasing can be a difficult one. I made plenty of mistakes along my way, and there are errors that made it past me that make me want to scream.
When considering self-publishing, the key is to be honest about what you NEED from publishing. Determine what matters most to you as a published author and make an informed decision from there. Even after my mistakes, I do still feel that the self-publishing path was the right one for me, but every author will need to decide their path for themselves.
Check out these resources to learn more about traditional and self-publishing:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/traditional-publishing-vs-self-publishing
https://blog.reedsy.com/self-publishing-vs-traditional-publishing/