Many industry professionals, readers, and even authors look down on self-publishing as amateurish and unprofessional. Yet a number of writers are finding considerable success as indie or self-published authors. Today, we’re diving into the pros and cons of self-publishing to determine whether you should give your second choice for publication a second chance.
So what is self-publishing?
Self-publishing refers to managing the publication of your own manuscript. Instead of submitting your work to a publishing house, you are solely responsible for your publication process, including editing, cover design, marketing, and production. You maintain the rights to your book, so you receive a larger percentage for each copy of your book sold.
Self-publishing's bad rap stems from several serious cons, including...
Quality control falls on you
Authors who self-publish should expect to shoulder all the work involved themselves and/or hire others, like a graphic designer, to complete this work. Any lack of professionalism, including poor editing, cover design, or marketing, will make you look bad and can negatively impact your sales. Yet the time and money required to do all these tasks independently can make self-publication a challenge.
More expenses upfront
Traditional publishing is free for the author—the publishing house pays for services such as editing, production, and cover design. In contrast, self-published authors must pay for all of these services out of pocket… and the necessary expertise and time investments these services require makes hiring an expert fairly expensive. Here’s a few pricing averages for a 60,000 word manuscript, according to the freelance publishing platform Reedsy:
Service | Average price |
Hiring an editor (for one round of developmental editing plus a combination of copy editing and proofreading) | Between $2,400 and $3,400 |
Hiring a cover designer | $750 |
Hiring a professional formatter | Between $250 and $750 (Free tools also exist for authors looking to format their books themselves.) |
Purchasing promotion slots online | From $15 to $120 per promotion slot |
These are just a few of the expenses indie authors may encounter. Unfortunately, self-publishing can require a lot of out-of-pocket expenses for the author, and there’s no guarantee that the author will make this money back.
Less access to prizes
Prestigious literary prizes and respected lists tend to reject independently published works. Still, there are a few literary prizes open to both traditional and indie authors, as well as many indie specific prizes.
Lack of recognition
Since anyone can self-publish, there’s a much wider level of professionalism amongst self-published books, leading to negative stigmas about the quality of such books. Without the backing of an established publisher, indie authors can struggle to arrange signings in bookstores or even get their books on store shelves. According to freelance writer and traditionally published author Rick Lauber, “self-published authors may also receive the cold shoulder from media refusing interviews, literary agents offering marketing help, and contest developers offering prize money.” With more and more indie authors finding success and making names for themselves, self-publishing’s negative stigma continues to lessen every day… but it’s certainly far from gone. For those who care primarily about recognition and prestige, self-publishing may not be the best fit.
However, self-publishing also has many "second chance" worthy pros, including…
Higher royalties
According to Reedsy, “traditional publishers tend to give you 5-20% of the book’s selling price after any advance given to you has been accounted for.” In contrast, self-published authors can keep every dollar earned from books sold. Even if you sell some of the royalties, depending on the book format and the printing or distribution platform you use, you’ll usually keep a much higher percentage: about 50-70% royalties, according to Reedsy. In short, you take all the financial risk in paying for your book to be published… so you get to reap the reward!
Complete creative freedom
Unlike in traditional publishing, self-published authors maintain control over everything: their story, production, title, cover, marketing, and more. You choose who you work with, and you get the final say in creative decisions.
Keeping the manuscript rights
With traditional publishing, authors are usually required to sell most or all of their manuscript rights to the publisher. New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author Joanna Penn notes that “many traditionally published authors have sold World English rights for all formats and yet have barely sold outside the usual country markets because their books aren’t even available in most places in the world. Many have also sold audiobook rights but the books have not been produced.” With self-publishing, you maintain ownership of all the rights to your manuscript. Whether you choose to pursue other markets and formats yourself or auction these rights off to the highest bidder, owning these rights allows you to maximize your revenue.
A faster publishing process
With self-publishing, you don’t have to spend months or years querying, nor do you need to wait on in-house experts to finish working on other manuscripts. By bypassing industry gatekeepers altogether, your timeline will depend solely on how quickly you, and the experts you hire, can get the work done. Many self-published authors can get their manuscript to market within just six months, shaving months or even years off the timeline offered by traditional publishers.
Working in your niche
Traditional publishing is a business. Literary agencies and publishing houses are only interested in books they think will sell well, which usually means appealing to a general audience as opposed to a niche one. According to Reedsy, “genres like poetry or short story collections are particularly tough to publish the traditional way, since most publishers don’t see their market appeal… especially when they come from debut authors.”
With self-publishing, you don’t have to deal with genre gate-keeping. Even if the market size for your niche isn’t big enough to attract a major publisher, it may still generate meaningful sales for you as an indie author… especially since, as Penn notes, you can “price [niche books] as you like" since "chances are that your book will appeal to a very particular reader who might pay higher prices.”
A longer shelf life
According to Lauber, indie authors who get their books on store shelves can actually keep them visible for much longer than the typically short shelf life of traditional publishing. However, such shelf life requires continual effort and promotion on the part of the indie author, and traditional published authors are much more likely to get bookstore distribution in the first place.
Building a name for yourself (prior to traditional publishing )
If you’re interested in a traditional publishing career, self-publishing can actually help you sign with an agent or publisher. According to Penn, “if you self-publish and do well, agents and publishers will come to you”… not to mention that “the empowered indie can get much better deals than a first-time author with no evidence of sales.” In other words, self-publishing could be a perfect stepping stone to a publishing deal.
Final Thoughts
Some people see self-publishing as a second choice, one with less prestige and more wide-ranging quality than traditional publishing. But this lack of literary gate-keeping actually makes self-publishing worthy of a second chance for many authors. Self-publishing may be the right fit for you if…
You want complete creative control. Of course, self-publishing should and likely will involve receiving outside feedback, as you work with beta readers and editors to ensure that your manuscript is up to publishing standards. But with self-publishing, you always have the final word. If you feel strongly about making every decision, from selecting the cover to overseeing each line of edits, then self-publishing will give you the freedom to ensure your book comes out exactly the way you want.
You’re a self-starter. Indie authors are responsible for every aspect of their publishing process, from editing to marketing, and must either shoulder the work themselves or hire professionals to do it on their behalf. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, then traditional publishing may be a better fit.
You have a budget or relevant expertise. Industry professionals are essential for publishing a high quality book. They’re also expensive. If you already have a budget, or if you have extra experience or skills that limit how much outside help you need, then self-publishing may be more feasible for you.
You have a niche manuscript. Self-publishing lets you get your book to your audience, regardless of whether that audience is large enough to attract a traditional publisher.
You already have a platform. While having an audience isn’t a prerequisite for self-publishing, if you already have followers or email list subscribers, you’ll have a much stronger starting point for your marketing and sales efforts!
You’re on a tight timeline. If you want to publish your book as soon as possible, without having to wait on queries or general bureaucracy, then self-publishing will offer you the fastest turnaround to publication.
You’re struggling with querying agents or traditional publishers. Some authors may decide to work with an industry professional to adjust and perfect their query materials, but querying is still a difficult, time-intensive process. Self-publishing allows you to publish your story regardless of your ability to network, compose an intriguing pitch, or, frankly, get lucky. Successful indie authors may also have an easier time finding an agent or publishing deal, should they choose to pursue traditional publishing down the line.
If self-publishing sounds like a good fit for you, consider looking into early stage editorial options such as writing coaches, beta readers, and developmental/content editors. Just keep in mind that you’re responsible for the entirety of your book’s cost. It’s important to do your research, plan ahead, and be smart about how you budget. I always tell people: the more you can strengthen your manuscript on your own with free feedback, the more you’ll save when you’re ready to hire professional editors!
Or, if self-publishing still feels like a second choice, check out my editorial article on traditional publishing and come back next month for one on hybrid publishing.
Just remember—there’s no one “right” way to publish. It’s all about what’s right for your manuscript and your needs as an author!
Still have questions?
Let me know! I'm always happy to answer comments, or you can reach out to me at my contact page.
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