Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Why I Prefer Self-Publishing
I’ve published two-and-a-half books so far. My most recent book, Six-Figure Freelance Writer, was #1 on Amazon for New Releases, and it’s part travel memoir and part how-to book that details everything I’ve learned finding freedom as a freelance writer over the past seven years. I’ve gotten such an outpouring of love and support for this book, including the below review on Goodreads:
So what are the other 1.5 books I’ve put out into the world? My very first book was Freelancing for Creatives, which teaches creatives (actors, writers, etc.) how to monetize their skills. I’m also currently writing a thriller novel Let Me Be Your Ghost chapter-by-chapter on the platform Substack for everyone to read. It’s still in-progress (new chapters coming soon!) hence my count of “2.5 books.”
Not only have I self-published my own books, but it’s generally a path I recommend to my clients, as well. As a book ghostwriter and developmental editor, I’ve seen many parts of the publishing world from the perspective of famous people, newcomers to the book scene, and established writers. I’ve also heard firsthand what the current state of the traditional publishing industry is like, and it’s not… great.
Self-Publishing/Independent Publishing is Growing: By the Numbers
Let’s start with some data:
The global publishing market is expected to grow at 1% CAGR per year, whereas the self-publishing market is expected to grow at 17%.
30-34% of all ebooks sold are self-published.
300 million self-published books are sold each year.
$1.25 billion worth of self-published books are sold each year.
Amazon pays $520 million in royalties to self-published authors each year.
More than 1,000 self-published authors made $100,000 last year from Amazon.
Of authors who have published their first book in the last 10 years:
1,200 traditionally published authors have earned $25,000+ a year
1,600 self-published authors have earned $25,000+ a year
These numbers match up with what I’ve been seeing in my work as a memoir ghostwriter and as an author in the book world. Book publishing is a competitive industry no matter how you publish, but when done right, it can create an unforgettable experience for readers and a source of satisfaction and passive income for authors.
The Benefits of Traditional Publishing
When I talk about traditional publishing, I’m discussing the industry standard way you’re probably familiar with when it comes to publishing a book:
You start by writing the book, or a book proposal (you almost always have to do the former, as I’ve seen famous personalities not be able to sell a book off of just a proposal)
You then query agents to go out and sell the book to top publishers, and pay a portion of your earnings to your agent
If you’re lucky, a top publisher picks up your book and you negotiate the contract
You then start a two-year process to publish your book in which the publisher edits, designs, and pushes your book out into the world
The main benefit of traditional publishing is securing an advance, which is upfront money against future book sales. Additionally, publishers handle all elements of the process for you, from book design to marketing.
These behemoths in the book world seem to hold a lot of power, but in recent years their market share has been reduced by — you guessed it! — self-published and independently published authors, whose books are becoming indistinguishable from those who went the traditionally published route.
The Drawbacks of Traditional Publishing
If you still decide to go down the traditional publishing route, you might see some cash upfront as an advance, but you’ll be giving away portions of that advance to your book agent (a requirement of traditional publishing) and you’ll also be signing yourself up for an at least two-year process to see your book become real.
Anecdotally, I’ve also heard that traditional publishers expect authors — particularly new authors — to do most of their own book marketing. I’ve also heard that publishers have cut budgets for things like book cover designs, lowering the bar of quality for finished products.
I’ve also heard that traditionally published authors might only see a few thousand copies of their book sold — even those with large social followings.
So while traditional publishing can give you a bit of a shine of status, it’s a lengthy, bureaucratic process where you give up power, ownership over your book, control over the process, and end up waiting years to see your book hit shelves.
All of that may still be worth it to some authors, but I much prefer independently publishing my books.
The Benefits of Self-Publishing/Independent Publishing
I use the term “self-publishing” and “independent publishing” interchangeably in this article because “self-publishing” can sound like it’s just an author putting out a book by themselves without any help.
In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Most successful “self-published” authors these days employ the following:
Book cover designer
Interior book designer for interior formatting and icon design
Kindle e-book formatter to create custom CSS so your book shows up properly on Kindle devices and other e-readers
Book PR person and/or marketing team
Copywriter to write your book description, Amazon Author Page, and other promotional blurbs
Developmental editor
Line editor and/or proofreader
Publishing a book that has a chance at being commercially successful takes an entire team. I hired all of these people for my own book to ensure it looked and felt professional, and I recommend all my clients do the same.
This is why what some consider “self-publishing” is truly just “independent publishing.” You may have also heard the term “hybrid publishing” where an author retains the rights of self-publishing and independently hires a company to help with publishing services.
…again, just another form of independent publishing.
No matter what you call it, independent publishing offers a lot of benefits:
You retain 100% of the rights to their book
Publish your book in months instead of years
Retain control of your book design, book marketing, and join the growing industry of independently published authors
These are all the reasons why I will always publish independently for the rest of my career as an author, and why I generally recommend my clients do the same unless they see more value in the traditional publishing route. Some people do: getting the stamp of approval from a Big Four publisher can be a big pull, and I completely understand why people still choose to go that route.
At the end of the day, it’s all about what your goals are for your book.
You can also choose to query book agents and send your manuscript out to traditional publishers as a first step of the process, and depending on what happens with that process, you can then choose to go the independent publishing route if you’d like.
Or, you can decide to just dive into the independent publishing process as a first step.
I encourage you to do your own research and to read articles written by traditionally-published authors as well. While I’ve seen both processes up close as a book ghostwriter, I have my own biases and experiences that color my perspective when it comes to what authors should do.
How I Can Help Publish Your Book
Outside of my book ghostwriting and editing services, I also offer book publishing support. I’ve partnered with a small team of graphic designers, book editors, and book proofreaders who specialize in high-end, bespoke publishing services.
We take book publishing seriously, going so far as to design custom fonts for book covers and create launch strategies that give our clients their best shot at hitting bestseller lists.
Our clients retain 100% of their profits and own the rights to their books and their intellectual property. They just pay for the service of book design, book launch strategy, and all of the deliverables that go along with independently publishing your book on Amazon, all of which I coordinate directly with our clients so they don’t have to wrangle 6 or 7 separate book publishing professionals.
Because our services are meant to create artisanal, highly customized book covers, designs, and launch plans, they are priced on the higher end of what’s out there.
At the end of the day, I want to help authors who want beautiful books, and consider their book an investment worth making. In return, I work tirelessly with our team to ensure every piece of the book design and book launch process are cared for and thought about to the highest extent.
See you on the bookshelves!
-Amy
