If you are new to the writer’s journey, you might be wondering about whether or not to self-publish. Once you are near completing your first draft, you naturally start having second thoughts about whether to pursue traditional publishing. If you are in a hurry to see your book in the market, you might feel overly attracted to the idea of self-publication.
So, if you are keen on self-publication, there are some pros and cons to know so that you can make an informed decision and also set realistic expectations.
Read on to learn more.
Benefit #1: Higher Royalty Rates
Here is the thing: the numbers are better if you opt for self-publishing. With independent publishing, you will never get the same amount – if you go with a publishing company. Also, depending on the type of self-publishing you go with, as there are several ways to self-publish your book, you can actually get royalties as high as seventy percent.
Benefit #2: You Set Your Own Terms
Now, another one of the pros of self-publishing is that you get to set your own terms. This aspect indicates that you are in charge of everything – your cover design, the formatting, and what goes on in the back of your book. You get the point: you are in charge of everything. With self-publishing, you are the boss.
You decide everything about your book, including what the inside looks like, which rarely happens if you were to opt for traditional publishing.
Benefit #3: You Set Your Own Pace
When it comes to the third benefit, you should know that with self-publishing, you set your own terms, which means that there is no rushing. You are in control of your writing pace, and you set your own deadlines. The thing about deadlines is that these can easily lead to burnout, and as an aspiring writer who is writing their first book, you definitely don’t want to experience burnout.
Of course, you will need to set some sort of routine if you are really serious about your book project; however, since you run the world, you make the decisions, including when you want to work on your book.
Benefit #4: You Decide the Date of Publication
Now, this benefit aligns with the benefit that we mentioned before, which is about the fact that you decide your own writing pace. On that note, if you want to write and publish a novel, you get to do so at your own pace. This aspect indicates that you can rush through the writing process and complete a novel in just six months – however – you might as well take your sweet time and complete your novel in one or two years.
The thing about traditional publishing is that it takes time – even two years or more to finally get accepted by a publication house and get your book published. On the other hand, with self-publication, if you want to publish three novels back-to-back, you can do so as there is no waiting time. You do literally everything according to your will.
Benefit #5: You Can Let Your Imagination Flow
What this means is that you can write what you like. The thing about traditional publishing is that you work closely with a literary agent who has control over several aspects of your book and constrains you to a certain genre. You might like to blend two genres or multiple genres – however – with traditional publishing, you might not be allowed to do so.
But – with self-publishing, you can combine two or more genres. So, if you have combined two or more genres in your book, you will have a hard time finding a traditional publisher who will be willing to represent your work. However, in the world of self-publication, you have so much more freedom, and you will find it incredibly easy to get your book out into the world and put it in the hands of your ideal readers.
Benefit #6: You Don’t Have to Continue Writing A Series
What this means is that in the world of traditional publishing, after you have signed a deal, you are expected to continue the story and write a second book and then the next, and so on. However, when it comes to self-publishing, you can stop writing whenever you want to, which means that if you don’t feel like writing a second book, you don’t have to, at least not right away.
Whatever you write is your very own choice.
Benefit #7: You Don’t Have to Write A Query Letter
Getting a literary agent to vouch for your book can be a challenging process in the world of traditional publishing. It all starts with sending out query letters. You have to personalize the query letters and reach out to many potential literary agents in the hope that they will accept your letter and review your manuscript.
On the other hand, self-publishing will save you so much time and energy as you don’t have to find an agent or a publisher. With self-publishing, you will be skipping this step altogether and not worrying about potential rejections slowing you down.
Cons of Self-Publishing You Should Know About
Apart from the amazing benefits that we listed before, you should also know about the potential drawbacks of self-publication. You should know that publishing a book on your own is a heavy investment. Creating a quality book requires money. Marketing your book and distributing it takes money, too. If you have a book deal, you don’t have to worry about any of the book-publication costs upfront.
Also, the general population may wonder why you chose to publish yourself, as there is a stigma around self-publication. The general population might believe that you weren’t good enough for a real publisher. Why, you might ask? The thing is that anyone can self-publish, given the fact that they have enough capital to invest in the entire process.
Final Thoughts
Since the potential benefits of self-publishing essentially outweigh the cons, you can now make a better and more informed decision about the publication route you want to go for your first book. While you are at it, you should also know that with self-publication, you own all rights, which means that everything about the book is yours. You have the right to publish an audiobook and even branch out to a translated version; you can certainly do that without having to worry about legal consequences.
