Traditional vs. SelfTraditional vs. SelfPublishing: Which isPublishing: Which isBetter for You?Better for You?Laurel Downing BillLaurel Downing Bill

Table OfContents

Traditional Publishing Pros

Traditional Publishing Pros

Traditional Publishing Cons

Traditional Publishing Cons

Self Publishing Pros

Self Publishing Pros

Self Publishing Cons

Self Publishing Cons

Quiz: Is Traditional or Self Publishing Better for You?

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Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Traditional Publishing Pros

A team of professionals help you

When an author inks a deal with a publishing house, his book is assigned toa team of professional editors, proofreaders, formatters, cover designers,marketers and others to bring the book to life. The author pays nothingupfront to have this team working for him.

No upfront costs

Traditionally published authors don’t have any upfront costs to publish theirbooks.

Cash advances

Once an author signs a book deal, he typically will get an advance as long ashe fulfills his contract requirements. That means he is guaranteed to earnthe advance regardless of how well his book sells once it’s published.

Advances are usually between $2,000 and $15,000.

Greater visibility and reach

It is easier for authors to get their books into major bookstores, negotiateinternational book deals and go on book tours when they go through atraditional publishing house.

They also may grow their careers faster than self-published authors.

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Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Traditional Publishing Pros

More time to write

Since traditional publishing houses take on the responsibility of taking anauthor’s manuscript and turning it into a full-fledged book, the author hasmore time to write.

More opportunities for acclaim

Traditionally published authors have more opportunities to win bookawards, earn great reviews and get on bestseller lists.

Marketing assistance

Traditional publishers don’t market like they used to, so the author will stillhave to market his book. But that author will have the opportunity toorganize marketing plans with experts at the publishing house.

Less stigma

There has been a misconception that self-published books are not as highquality as those that come from traditional publishers, so the traditionallypublished author has a leg-up in perceived value.

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Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Traditional Publishing Cons Lower Royalty Rates

Authors who choose the traditional publishing route get less per book sold.And they won’t actually begin earning royalties until the publisher makesback what they paid the author in advance.

So if the house paid the author $5,000 in royalties in advance, the book mayhave to sell more than $50,000 in profit before the author will beginreceiving royalties, which is between 5-10 percent on physical copies and 30-40 percent on eBooks.

Drought between payments

Publishing houses usually only pay royalties twice a year.

Loss of creative control

Once an author signs a book deal, the publishing house then has the finalsay on the book’s cover designs, title, blurbs, etc. The editors also can add oreliminate parts of the text – that means issues can arise between the authorand editors.

Long publishing process

After an author signs a book deal, his book is placed at the end of thepublishing house line-up. It can take anywhere from one to three years forthe book to make its debut. Longer if editors change jobs and your book fallsinto an abyss until another editor picks it up and starts the process rollingagain.

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Tough to get deal

It is difficult to break into the traditional publishing world. With hundreds ofthousands of books being pitched to the houses each year, very few breakthrough the noise and get noticed then chosen.

Loss of rights

Authors give away the rights to their work once they sign a traditional bookdeal. Usually for a specified period of time.

Complicated contracts

The tricky nature of legal contracts may cause complications. Authors needto make sure they understand their rights before they sign on the dottedline.

Ever-changing industry

The publishing industry is fluid because market trends shift, editors comeand go, and professionals in traditional publishing houses turn over. Thesedynamics can leave authors in a lurch and disrupt their plans to get theirbooks published.

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Traditional Publishing Cons

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Complete creative control

Authors have total control over a book’s text, cover design, title, back blurband where it will be sold.

Higher royalty rates

Self-published authors keep almost 100 percent of their book’s profits,whereas traditionally published authors may see 10 percent or less inroyalties after their agent and publishing house take their cuts.

Choose publishing team

Self-published authors can hand pick the people that work on their books,including editors, cover designers, publicists, and so on.

No deadline stress

While traditional publishing houses work on deadlines, a self-publishedauthor sets his own timeframe to get things done. If a family gatheringsprings up, he can adjust his calendar.

Quicker publishing process

Whereas the traditional publishing process can take up to three years to geta book to market, a self-publisher can get his finished book into readers’hands as soon as it is ready.

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Self Publishing Pros

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Frequent paydays

Traditional publishing houses pay authors royalties only twice a year – self-published authors get monthly payments from distributors, as well as fromongoing sales they make themselves.

Maintain rights

Self-published authors retain 100 percent of their rights.

Opportunities for niche publishing

It can be difficult to get your book published by a traditional publishinghouse if it doesn’t fall into the genres that the house deems lucrative. Butself-publishers don’t have to worry about market trends and can publishwhat they want, when they want.

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Self Publishing Pros

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Upfront costs

Publishing a book can be expensive. A self-published author must payeditors, formatter, cover designer, proofreader and any other professionalswho help him put the book together. The average cost for these professionalservices range from $1,000 to $5,000.

And unless it is an eBook, the self-published author also must pay upfront toget his book printed. The cost per book depends on several factors, includingthe number of pages, the number of books ordered, the binding andwhether the book is in black text or has color pages.

Need for a publishing team

The weight of finding the right people to get a book ready for market fallssquarely on the author. He must find reputable companies/freelancerswhose work he can trust and afford. There are many scammers on theInternet, so a self-publisher must be wary.

Chance for financial loss

Since a self-published author assumes the entire financial burden for gettinghis book onto bookstore shelves, he may lose what he has invested if thebook doesn’t sell enough copies to recoup expenses.

Stigma of self-published books

Some people view self-published works as lower in quality than thosepublished by traditional publishing houses. And some people think self-publishers probably couldn’t get book contracts so chose the self-pub routeto appease their vanity (that’s where the term vanity presses came from).

Self-publishers must work hard to prove their credibility.

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Self Publishing Cons

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No agent support

Traditionally published authors have literary agents who help authors bymotivating, encouraging and offering advice. They also fight for their authors’financial and legal rights and negotiate good book contracts. A self-publishedauthor does not have that support so he must be self-motivated, create abusiness plan and do what an agent would have done for him.

Book marketing

The job of marketing falls directly on the self-published author’s shoulders.Authors must build their brand, choose their platforms and grow theirreadership.

Self-published authors must definitely think like authorpreneurs, not merelywriters.

Treat writing as a business

Running a small business is not for every writer. But if an author feels he/shecan handle the responsibility of producing books, building the brand,marketing and taking care of finances, then it is much more profitable andself-fulfilling to self-publish.

Difficult to get into bookstores

One of the biggest roadblocks for self-published books is getting them intobookstores and online marketplaces. Especially if the author hasn’t builtplatforms prior to the book launch.

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

Self Publishing Cons

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Quiz: Is Traditional or Self PublishingBetter for You?

Circle the items that are most important to you below. Count how manyitems you circled from each column.

If you circled more items in Column A, traditional publishing might be foryou.

If you circled more items in Column B, self-publishing might be for you.

COLUMN A

Total from Column A _____ Total from Column B _____

COLUMN B

A team of professionals to help youNo upfront costsCash advancesGreater visibility and reachMore time to writeMore opportunities for acclaimMarketing assistanceLess stigma

Complete creative controlHigher royalty ratesChoose your publishing teamNo deadline stressQuicker publishing processFrequent paydaysMaintain rightsOpportunities for niche publishing

Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which is Better for You?

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