In the Digital Age, the ability to complete almost any task with the push of a button has revolutionized nearly every industry, and none more so than the publishing industry. Gone are the days when an author spends half a year waiting till he’s even out of the slush pile. Now aspiring authors can publish their own works, free of the tyranny of evil publishing conglomerates to gobble up our profits, and become an over-night millionaire selling e-books on Amazon. The day of the lone author-publisher has come at last, the print house’s death knell has been rung, glory hallelujah, amen. Or rather, this is the myth that the advent of online publication has created.
In truth, traditional publishers are no more a bad guy to authors than self-publication is a short cut to becoming a successful author. Like most things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to both options.
Self Publication
Pros
- Control- Perhaps the most appealing advantage self-publication holds for authors is the increased control that it gives the author. With traditional publishing, editors often will try to change aspects of your work. The publishers make decisions about illustrations and design, who gets the rights for film or television rights. The author can certainly make recommendations, but it’s the publisher who gets the final say. Not so for the self-published writer. All control belongs to the writer, who is free to fulfill his full artistic vision.
- Time- Traditional publishers always have a back-log of submissions, and it can take months for a writer’s work to be even up for consideration of publication. The self-publisher can crank out hundreds of copies of their work in just a few months, or in a day if they are publishing online.
- Money- Even famous authors don’t see more than a portion of the profits their books make with the traditional route. For the self-published author, one hundred percent of the profits goes to the author.
Cons
- Money- Every wondered why traditional publishers take such a big percentage of sales? It’s not greed. Even with modern technology, publication is an expensive endeavor, and the publisher takes on all of the financial risk. When you self-publish, it’s the author who takes on that risk. In the United States, self-publishing a first novel can cost as much as $1500, covering design costs, ISBN purchasing, business licensing, marketing and numerous other costs.
- Marketing- After spending that $1500 getting your book out, now you have to earn that back, and that means letting people know about your book. While a large publisher won’t go on a huge advertising campaign for any but the most prolific authors, they have more resources at their disposal for getting the word out. A self-publisher has to rely on word of mouth and web presence for sales, and foot the bill for ad space, trade reviews, and signing tours.
Traditional Publication
Pros
- Experience- You know all those pesky editors telling you what to cut out of your book? Telling you need to write the scene differently, or pointing out errors in grammar and punctuation? It’s not the Man trying to stifle your creativity, it’s because the editors have years of experience in the book business and they want to make your book the best it can be, because it makes money for both of you. What is lost in control is made up for with the collaboration of many professionals who know how to make your work look the best it can.
- Distribution- Most physical book retailers (what’s known as brick and mortar stores) won’t sell self-published works due to the reputation of low-quality that self-publication tends to hold. With a traditional publisher, your book can be sold in many locations all at once, and with far better resources to advertise. And as of 2012, print books still hold 80% of the market. Even online, traditional publishers have more resources to advertise your book, providing a much larger potential audience.
- Money- Even with the heavy percentage publishers take, the average self-published author doesn’t actually make that much more money than one that takes the traditional route. Initial publication costs are going to eat up a lot of your profit for publishing physically. However, traditional publishing allows for more sales over a shorter amount of time, with the addition of trickle-in later on from online sales, whereas the self-publisher has to rely on trickle-on from the get-go. Also, self-publication doesn’t give advance pay.
Furthermore, the publisher assumes all financial risks. This means that the publication process costs you very little even if the book doesn’t sell.
Cons
- Loss of control- As stated above, traditional publishers give the writer less say in how the book will be printed. They also buy the publishing and distribution rights, meaning television, film, and audio-books as well. If you don’t like the illustration on the cover or who is narrating on the audio book, you’re tough out of luck.
- Time- Traditional publishers have to juggle many books and thousands of submissions at once, and publication this was is a very lengthy process. Between going through the submission process, several layers of editing, marketing and distribution, most books take about two years to hit the shelves. However, topical books dealing with current events (such as the death of a celebrity or the latest political scandal) will often be rushed through the process and can be published in a fairly short amount of time.
Conclusion
In point of fact, there really is no right way to go about publishing a book anymore. Both paths offer their own set of risks and advantages. You may not even have to choose at all. Many writers make a comfortable living as “hybrid,” authors, publishing work through both venues. What it really all comes down to what you feel is best for your book.
Videos:
– Self Publishing with Print on Demand
– A self publishing enthusiast speaks
– Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing
– Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
Sources:
– Scribendi: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing
– Nathan Branford: Self Publishing vs. Traditional- Some Straight Talk
– Nathan Branford: The Real Skinny About Indie Publishing (with Tracy Marchini)
– Nathan Branford: Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing and Control
– Self Publish or Not?
– Amanda Hocking’s Blog: Some Things That Need to be Said
– The Blog: Should You Self-Publish Your First Book?
– Keith Martin-Smith: Self Publishing versus Traditional Publishing: An Author’s Guide
– Writer’s Digest Shop: How to Publish a Book- An Overview of Traditional and Self-Publishing
mkurtz0 