Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Is Right for You?

If you’re wondering about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll look at a few different aspects of each path so you can decide whether independent or traditional publishing is right for you.

Topics Covered in “Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing”:

Which Publishing Track Is Right for You?
     Upfront Cost
     Compensation Structure
     Industry Support
     Creative Control
     Printing and Binding
     Distribution Options
     Marketing Plan
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing—The “Right” Path Depends on You!

Which Publishing Track Is Right for You?

Self-publishing shouldn’t be just a fallback if traditional publishing doesn’t work out. To be successful, both tracks require a plan, a professional product, and a team of industry pros. Let’s consider the pros and cons of each of these paths to publication.

Upfront Cost

Traditional publishing companies don’t charge fees to publish. Publishing houses take on the cost and responsibility of book production and hope to recoup their investment through sales. They typically pay authors an advance on their royalties based on how many books they believe will sell. 

Independent authors are in charge of assembling (and paying) their own editors and book designers. They are also responsible for any necessary artwork or font licenses. This means the cost to self-publish depends on who authors hire and what design choices they make.

Compensation Structure

Book advances vary significantly based on several factors, including the size of the publisher and the author’s name recognition. (One resource cites between $5,000 and $50,000 for a first-time author.) Then, when books are sold, author royalties are withheld until the publisher recoups its investment. After that point—assuming it is reached, which is never a guarantee—authors are paid a royalty. (According to another resource, the typical paperback royalty is between 5% and 7.5%).

Here’s the good news for independent authors: self-publishing royalties tend to be higher per unit than in traditional publishing. And because there’s no publisher to recoup its investment, self-published authors only have to share their proceeds with the distributor. Depending on the method of distribution, self-publishers typically receive up to 70% royalties.

Industry Support

A traditional publisher will have a built-in network of professionals, including editors, book designers, and marketers. While this support varies from publisher to publisher, traditionally published authors typically do not assemble their own production teams.

Self-publishers either go it alone or build their own self-publishing team. From editing to book design to proofreading to marketing, publishing consists of specialty tasks that often require a professional touch. This might mean hiring individual contractors or working with a company that manages a team of contractors.

Creative Control

In a traditional publishing scenario, authors surrender at least some degree of creative autonomy. Publishers often have market preferences, a publishing calendar, and a certain type of book they know they can sell, and the books they take on must align with those publisher goals.

Self-publishing offers authors full creative control. This means authors can shape every aspect of their work, from content to cover design and everything in between. That’s why it’s so important for independent authors to hire professionals with publishing experience. Creative control is an important benefit of independent publishing, but guidance from experienced pros is often necessary to produce a marketable and high-quality book.

Printing and Binding

With traditional publishing, books are printed via offset printing. Offset printing requires large print runs (typically 1,000 or more) and warehousing, both of which can be costly. Offset printing also gives authors (and their publishers) more control over the composition of their books. For example, a book with mostly black-and-white pages might also contain a section of glossy pages for full-color photos.

Self-publishers commonly use print-on-demand (POD) technology. The production cost per unit is higher, and POD does not allow for the level of customization traditional authors enjoy. However, since books are printed per order and no warehousing is required, most independent authors prefer to use POD.

Distribution Options

Traditional publishing offers established distribution networks and wider access to physical bookstores. These existing networks can help new authors reach more readers than they might be able to on their own. This is one of the greatest benefits of traditional publishing.

Self-publishers also have the option to make their books available to bookstores and libraries (often referred to as “publishing wide”). However, most independent authors understand how difficult it is to get self-published books into physical stores. Because of these challenges, self-publishers often ignore this potential “benefit” and choose to focus on online sales.

Marketing Plan

While traditionally published authors can certainly benefit from their publishers’ marketing strategies and budgets, this benefit is limited. Publishers tend to market new releases only for a limited time before focusing on a new wave of books. This means that even traditional authors often do much of their own marketing, especially after the three-month window following publication.

With self-publishing, authors can treat their book release as less of a sprint and more of a marathon. They can “price-pulse” to find the right list price for their books, and they can devise any promos they want. If you think of publishing as a long game, you don’t have to consider yourself a failure if your book doesn’t perform well immediately after its release.