Self-publishing a book: Is it better than traditional publishing?

Have you ever thought about writing a book? Chances are the traditional publishing route is what probably comes to mind. This is the image of a writer that’s sold to us through movies & tv shows like Sex and the City where a book is “chosen” or picked up by a publishing house and the author is offered a lucrative book deal.

Although this is still a plausible & profitable option for authors to get their work published, thankfully due to technology it’s no longer the only way to profit from your writing.

Enter self-publishing.

Self-publishing allows you, the author, to take the writing and publishing process into your own hands and removes the idea that you have to wait to be chosen by someone else. This is a very beneficial option for those who have their own business, as it gives you the ability to publish work that is complementary to your niche or service.

Traditional vs self-publishing - what’s the difference?

The main difference between traditional & self-publishing is that when you self-publish you remain in control & ownership of your work. It’s up to you, the author, to create a finished product and make it available for purchase which means you are responsible for all of the costs and tasks associated with finishing your manuscript, getting a final version online and marketing the book. If you don’t plan to do everything yourself this also includes things such as hiring an editor, designing the cover and promoting the book through social media or paid ads.

Big publishing houses have teams for editing, designing and marketing so in the traditional publishing route all of those tasks are handled for you, and the costs are covered. In exchange, you relinquish the intellectual property and creative control to your publisher and receive royalties of the book sales.

Pros & Cons of Traditional Publishing

One of the biggest benefits of traditional publishing is the hands-off aspect of getting your book on shelves after turning in your manuscript. You save time trying to source talent to edit & market your book yourself and enjoy the support of an experienced team. Oftentimes publishers will also offer a book advance which means that you can get paid while you write.

A little-known con to accepting an advance, however, is that you will not receive any royalties until that amount is paid back. For example, if you receive a $60k advance and make $3 per book you won’t be paid any royalties until at least 20,000 copies of the book are sold. In order to pay for the team behind your book, the publisher takes a pretty big cut of the royalties, leaving you with between 6-15%.

You also agree to relinquish the intellectual property meaning the publishing house owns your work, not you. This can impact the creative control you have over final manuscripts, cover design and even marketing of your book. Smaller authors don’t always receive big marketing budgets from publishers as well, which means that your book might not even receive the PR it deserves.

Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing

As a self-publishing coach and multi-bestselling self-published author, I truly believe there are many benefits that come with self-publishing. For one, you retain all the rights to your work which means you can even pursue other means of publishing it in the future. You also retain total creative control over all aspects of the publishing process from the title to cover design and beyond.

When it comes to getting paid with self-publishing you get a higher percentage of royalties. You keep 100% of your entitled royalties after the platform takes a cut, so on average, you’re making between $8-12 per book. So even if you sell fewer copies in the beginning, you’re making more per book than you would with a traditional publisher.

As I mentioned earlier since you maintain ownership over your work you also maintain the responsibility of creating a finished book and making it available for purchase. If you’ll be outsourcing some of the tasks such as editing, interior and cover design you’ll be required to make an upfront investment. The good news is that because you make a sizable amount per book it’s not hard to make that back fairly quickly.

The hardest part of self-publishing for most writers is actually finishing their manuscript. Most publishers will set deadlines for their authors, forcing them to be accountable and finish writing. When left to your own devices, that can mean manuscripts collecting virtual dust for a lot of writers.

Final Thoughts

There are obviously benefits to both traditional and self-publishing, it just comes down to what is best for you as an author. If you’ve never considered self-publishing before I would highly recommend checking out some of my other content (such as this YouTube video, or my Tiktok channel) and researching if this avenue could benefit you.

If you are considering writing a nonfiction book or journal, have a specific idea for one or are in the midst of writing your manuscript and need the accountability to finish I have the perfect solution for you! WriteHer is a group writing program to help you write your damn book already, and enrollment is open now. Check it out here.