For anyone looking to publish a book, this an all too familiar argument. But what is truly better? In this age of the internet and easier marketing, will the self-publishing industry ultimately take over? Or, will the time-tested system of traditional publishing win out?
If you're mulling this question over, here are some things I'd suggest you think about.
Pro's to Self-Publishing
- The money is all yours. There's no agent, no company withholding some of your profits, it's all yours.
- Freedom absolute. Little things such as cover design and title are details you enjoy free reign over. There are no rights to negotiate, no agonizing wait over little details.
- No rejection. Every author that has traditionally published has probably had at least half a dozen rejection letters. It hurts, it sucks, and it wastes your time.
- No agents. With traditional publishing, you have to jump through a lot of hoops. One of those is the literary agent. You get to bypass this with the self-pub route.
- No wait. It takes a substantially shorter time to actually have your book in your hands after the initial completion.
- Even if you do self-publish to begin with, you can still have your book sold to a traditional publisher. Some authors, such as Christopher Paolini, have taken this route with incredible success.
- In traditional publishing, things such as size, content, and themes are all something that can make or break your deal. With this alternative route, it doesn't matter. Genre norms and size are just your own preference. There is no standard to meet.
The cons...
- It is all you. The marketing, the cash to actually have a cover designed and the books bought, and having the book edited is all your responsibility. These things are hard, especially if you don't have unlimited time on your hands or unlimited funds.
- You may have to deal with prejudice against the market. This issue is quickly changing, but is something that you may encounter. It isn't that a book can't be equally good either way. It's the seal of quality that you're looking at. That doesn't mean that every traditionally published book can even qualify as good, but you know it will be at least edited. With a self-published book, it's all chance in your reader's minds.
- It costs money. Off the top of my head, I can list quite a few expenses of self-publishing. The editor, the cover designer, and then the money it takes to actually purchase your own books to be sold. It's not cheap.
Traditional Publishing and it's pros,
- It doesn't cost you anything but time. All production costs and editing are covered by the company.
- While you do still have responsibilities for marketing, doors are already open in book stores and on the company website. Besides this, the company is trying to sell the product. Their success depends on yours.
- Screen rights for TV and motion picture productions are easier to handle.
The cons of traditional publishing,
- Not all profits are yours. On average, an agent alone earns 10% of profits. Then, a certain percentage is also property of the company.
- It requires a literary agent. Agents aren't a bad thing. They're the filter of this business. But, they are another step you have to take, and often a long and hard one to achieve.
- It's still your book, just not as much. When you traditionally publish, you are selling a product. That's what your book is. Details such as cover design and title often are not the authors final decision. How much say you have in other areas depends on the contract your agent has negotiated for you.
- Traditional publishing does not in any way guarantee success. It only means someone else is hoping for your success and willing to help you along. But this is also a rather bad thing. If your first book sinks, but you write a new, fantastic story that is bound to do better, it's likely that most companies will turn you away due to your already established reputation. You can assume a new name, and there is the off-chance you can make a comeback, but ultimately your career is riskier.
These things are just the basics. Whatever choice you make, research (and lot's of it) is essential. Different things are better for different people. Self-publishing is on the rise, yet traditional publishing is still going strong. This is a difficult choice, but one every writer must make.