Forget Self-Publishing Stigma, Make the Choice That's Right for You
Four often overlooked aspects of the publishing-route decision
Today’s Write City Blog had an excellent post by B. A. Durham debunking myths of independently-published books.
Durham countered the top pervasive myths of self-publishing and noted my top pain point on this topic: how many in the author and publishing community still look down on those who go this route.
I am not one of them.
Looking down on self-publishing, IMO, only shows a lack of understanding of the current publishing landscape and the costs and benefits of different options.
I am often advising new and established authors on best publishing routes and, beyond debunking myths, I think there are four additional things that should come into one’s decision to self-publish or not.
1) You can begin the self-publishing process today and get your book out in a matter of weeks or months; the publishing journey thru agent or publisher can take 18-24+ months, then you typically wait another 8-14 months for your first royalties check. There are opportunity and income costs to all this lost time.
2) The learning curve for self-publishing is steeper than many imagine. If you choose this route, you need to commit to learning—from Google, from AI, from others, from Reddit, from books, from workshops, etc. Don't underestimate how hard it can be to be new at something/learn from scratch as an accomplished adult successful in another field.
3) Regardless of what publishing route you go—self publishing, hybrid publishing, and traditional publishing, the burden of sales and marketing is on you. The sooner you start the better. The more you're willing to do, the better. The biggest advantage that a publisher brings in the sales/marketing arena is their distribution system.
4) Small and independent heavily lean on big in the book ecosystem. Small, independent bookstores rely on the big NY publishers and their best-sellers and brand-name authors to stabilize their income and small, independent authors and publishers often depend on Amazon for their income stability.