The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing Your Fiction
Think you might like to self-publish your book? Great!
There are many valid reasons to opt out of the traditional publishing industry in favor of sharing your work independently. But to truly ensure that self-publishing is right for you, it’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both publication paths.
In today’s article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of independent publishing, the chosen path to publication for millions of writers worldwide. You can also click here to check out the pros and cons of pursuing a traditional book deal. All set? Now let’s dive in…
The Advantages of Self-Publishing Fiction
Just as one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the pros and cons of traditional and independent publishing can be subjective. Nevertheless, here are nine reasons that many writers are drawn to the idea of self-publishing their work.
#1: Complete Creative Control
Traditional publishing is an industry, which means most publishers are far more concerned with a book’s marketability than with its author’s creative vision. Often, this leaves traditionally published authors with little to no say over their book’s title, cover design, or back cover blurb. A publisher may even insist upon manuscript revisions that authors aren’t comfortable making.
This is an understandably appalling reality for many writers. No author on earth wants their literary drama wrapped in pink glitter or their favorite emotional sub-plot cut for the sake of slicing off more zombie heads.
Thankfully, independent authors don’t have to worry about sacrificing their creative visions for misguided marketability. Writers who choose to self-publish retain full control over the content and presentation of their stories.
#2: A Hand-Picked Publishing Team
Speaking of creative control, self-published authors have the responsibility of hand-picking their publishing team (i.e. the freelance editors, cover designs, and formatters who will work on their book).
While some writers might see this responsibility as a burden, others will sleep better at night knowing they have full control over who they work with to bring their story to life.
#3: Higher Royalty Rates
Traditionally published authors typically take home 15% to 25% of their book’s revenue after the book earns out (i.e. after sales exceed the initial advance) — and that’s before their literary agent takes a 15% cut.
When all is said and done, a traditionally published author may earn as little as 12.5 cents for every dollar their book rakes in. It’s no wonder many writers are drawn to the 60% - 80% royalty rates that self-published authors enjoy.
#4: Little to No Deadline Stress
Publishers maintain fairly strict publication timelines via deadlines by which authors must submit completed drafts of their manuscripts. And while it isn’t uncommon for authors to request deadline extensions from time to time, the stress of consistently producing work on deadline regardless of extenuating circumstances can be exhausting.
Self-published authors enjoy much more leeway. The only deadlines they ever have to meet are the ones they set for themselves — and even then, they can always readjust to accommodate for any curve balls that life (or the creative process) throws their way.
#5: A Much Quicker Publishing Process
Despite strict deadlines, the traditional publishing process can actually be quite slow. After inking their book deal, an author may not see their book on shelves for another two to three years. Talk about a frustrating wait.
Self-publishers, on the other hand, can list their books online as soon as their files are ready to go. Editing and production may take a few months, but the ability to hit submit and see your book on shelves within 48 hours? Priceless!
#6: No Gatekeeping or Rejection
Most traditionally published authors spend years querying their manuscripts before landing an agent and/or a book deal, making that long publication timeline even longer. Never mind the emotional toll of so much rejection.
It’s no wonder that many writers are drawn to self-publishing. The ability to publish what you want, when you want, with no questions asked is infinitely attractive to those who simply want to get on with the business of writing.
#7: More Frequent Pay Days
Most traditionally published authors receive royalty payouts twice a year, whereas self-published authors earn monthly royalties. When it comes to organizing one’s personal finances, need I say more?
#8: Maintaining Your Rights
When an author inks a book deal, they sell the rights to their manuscript to a publisher for a set amount of time. This exchange isn’t without risk. A number of circumstances can leave a contract in limbo, with the book unpublished and the author unable to regain their rights for months (or even years).
Meanwhile, self-published authors never sign away their rights, so they don’t have to worry about the possibility of being left in a creative lurch.
#9: Greater Opportunity for Niche Publishing
Marketability is a publisher’s number one concern, meaning that authors may struggle to nab book deals if their manuscripts fall into niche sub-genres or contain storylines that aren’t considered mainstream.
On the flip side, most of self-publishing’s key advantages can be summarized in a single word: freedom — and that certainly applies to the freedom to publish whatever you enjoy writing, no matter how out-there or unpopular.
The Disadvantages of Self-Publishing Fiction
Subjectivity be damned, here are eight reasons that many writers shy away from the creative freedoms that self-publishing has to offer…
#1: The Upfront Costs
Self-published writers can earn such high royalty rates because they don’t have publishers who shoulder the up-front costs of publication. Instead, every dollar required to produce their book comes out of their own pocket.
While one can certainly self-publish on the cheap (or even for free), producing a high-quality book that readers will actually want to buy doesn’t come cheap. Most independent authors spend between $1,000 - $5,000 before their book ever hits shelves, an upfront cost that trad-pub authors simply don’t incur.
#2: Finding a Reputable Publishing Team
The ability to hand-pick your publishing team (e.g. editors, cover designer, interior formatter) is both a blessing and a curse. Finding reputable sources that work within your genre, fit your budget, and have availability in their schedules can be difficult — and the process is only complicated by the host of scam companies and poorly trained freelancers loudly touting their services.
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#3: Potential Financial Loss
Because self-published authors pay upfront to produce their books, they may face financial loss if they fail to recoup their expenses via sales. This isn’t a concern that traditionally published authors ever have to face given that their publisher covers all production costs.
#4: Self-Publishing Stigma
Most readers now buy books online, and very few take the time to determine whether or not a book is self-published. So long as a book is professionally produced and has an engaging blurb, readers are likely to gobble it up.
Nevertheless, independent authors still face some degree of stigma concerning the legitimacy of their work, and that stigma can be easy to internalize. I talk at length about how self-publishing stigma can impact writers’ egos in my article on determining which publishing path is right for you.
#5: No Agent Support
Literary agents don't just negotiate book deals. They help authors forge their writing careers by providing advice and encouragement, fighting for their financial and legal rights, and pushing for valuable subsidiary contracts.
Without external support, some self-published authors may find it difficult to formulate a strong game plan for publishing success, as well as to expand their books' reach into foreign language markets and other subsidiary streams.
#6: Less Opportunity for Acclaim
When most writers dream of successful writing careers, they envision their books on shelves worldwide, translated into a dozen languages. Then there are the bestseller lists, the book tours, the literary awards, and the adaptions.
While most of these possibilities are indeed available to independent authors, they’re also highly improbable. Self-publishing success typically has more to do with sales figures and financial stability than it does with literary acclaim.
#7: The Stress of Running a Business
Building a career as a self-published author is very much an entrepreneurial act. The author is the brand, their books are the products, and readers are their customers. Every aspect of the small business—from product development to production, marketing, and financial accounting—is in the author's hands, and that can be an exhausting reality.
While traditionally published authors face some of this responsibility, the extent to which they must operate entrepreneurially is limited by the aid of their literary agent and publisher.
#8: Wading Through a Sea of Fiction
While publishers can actively work to position a promising book as visibly as possible on the market, self-published authors don’t have this advantage.
Sure, they can select the genre, sub-genre, and age market by which an online retailer will categorize their book. But otherwise, where their book is “shelved” online is largely determined by algorithms that rely on sales figures, ratings, and author rank — all of which debut authors don’t yet have.
In other words, no matter how high quality a self-published author’s debut book may be, it’ll still have to wade through a sea of low-quality fiction as it fights to gain readers’ attention. Without any form of platform or pre-launch marketing, this can make earning those first few sales a nearly impossible task.
Overall, self-publishing certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. While higher royalty rates and creative control can be especially alluring, the expense and difficulty of operating as a business can lead many authors to choose traditional publishing over the independent path.
Think self-publishing might be right for you? Before you commit, make sure to consider the pros and cons of pursuing a career in the traditional publishing industry. You may also wish to check out the other articles in our publishing blog series by clicking here.
No matter which path you choose, I wish you nothing but success in your publishing experience!
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