There is always a debate on social media about which is better, self-publishing or the traditional route. Although my heart was set on being picked up by the Big 5 publishing houses when I was much younger, being self-published is better for me in various ways.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against those who go the traditional route. But after seeing and witnessing the horror stories that could happen, I prefer doing it all myself…despite never having the time to really market the books well.
So, today, let’s take a quick look at why I self-publish and the tribulations that come with it. After all, being an indie author is quite stressful and difficult, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Also, keep in mind that I’m not talking about vanity presses. These are often small “self-publishing” houses that usually require massive up-front fees, and many of them are riddled with fraud and scams. I’m talking about self-publishing in the sense that everything, from start to finish, is on your shoulders.
No Querying Involved
First of all, I don’t have to worry about querying agents or publishers. This is for a couple of reasons.
A: Good writing is subjective. This means that everyone’s opinion of a good book is going to be wildly different. When you query people to help publish the book, you have to write something they think they can sell. If they don’t like the book, you’ll get the dreaded rejection letter.
B: The market is incredibly saturated. Because so many people think they can write a good book, these agents and publishers are often bombarded by queries. Then, they pick and choose the ones they think they can sell - refer back to point A.
The only thing I have to worry about is making sure the book is as polished as I can make it before submitting it to Amazon or other retailers. There is no middleman to please outside of my target audience.
Full Control of the Book
When signing with a publishing house, in most cases, you lose several rights to your manuscript. Not to mention that editors and publishers often butcher your idea of a good story in the quest to put something out that is “sociably acceptable” for today’s market.
For instance, I personally know two others who had their stories stripped and changed in profound ways (including character names) because the vanity publisher’s editor thought it would make more sense or because he or she couldn’t understand the way a name was spelled. One of these people is my sister.
Then, if you want to do something out of the norm with the book, it’ll depend on whether your contract will allow it.
When self-publishing, I can do whatever I want with the book. That is unless I sign up with KDP Select on Amazon, which restricts the book to the Kindle platform.
The bottom line is that I have an absolute say in my book and don’t have to worry about making changes just to please agents and publishers. I write the story I want to write, and how I want to write it.
Not Having to Please the Publisher
As I said above, self-publishing means I don’t have to please anyone except the people who buy and read my book. Because when all is said and done, it is those individuals who will propel my success forward. If people love the book, then it doesn’t matter if you’re an indie author or traditionally published by a house.
If the publisher doesn’t like your book, it’s not going to see the light of day. Well, at least with their logo on the cover, anyway. And they can make you change significant portions of the book as they believe it will help them make more money.
That’s the underlying issue, really. Every major publisher wants to make money, and they will do everything possible to ensure that happens. The first thing on the chopping block is anything they deem as “controversial” or things that are “offensive” to their target markets.
I believe that authors should focus on telling a good story regardless of its context. If people are offended or think it's controversial, they don’t have to read it. That’s the glory of a book - just put the damn thing down if it bothers you.
Getting the Story Out Quicker
I can’t count the sheer number of stories that are waiting in the wings. I have everything from dark fantasies to fan fiction just waiting for the moment when I can work on them. And I want people to enjoy them as much as I enjoy writing them. I hate the idea of making someone wait for the next story to be published.
According to KN Literary Arts, it can take up to 18 months to see your book on the shelves when using a traditional publishing house. However, I’ve seen authors on Twitter state how it could take more than two full years!
Theoretically, I could pump out a new book every two to three months. That is as long as I don’t have various interruptions and don’t have to work on blogs, YouTube channels, or edit client work.
Now, would these be good books? Who knows? But my point here is that I can write and publish as often as I want just because I want to tell a story. All I need to work on at the moment are ways to effectively market the book so people know it’s available.
That’s perhaps one of the most difficult parts of being a self-published author, as I’ll explain in a moment.
Helping Me Help Other Authors
One of the driving forces behind why I am a self-published author is being able to help others follow their own paths. I share everything I’ve experienced, every tool I use for the trade, and every action I take for every book I publish. All of that information is shared on WriterSanctuary.com and the WriterSanctuary YouTube channel.
I’ve always been one to help others, even at the cost of my own needs and wants. It’s just how I was built, I suppose. Sure, I’m a bit rough around the edges and am an acquired taste for most. Nonetheless, my favorite moments are when I’ve helped someone accomplish something or get a comment on how the information I’ve shared has changed someone’s life.
In fact, it’s one of the biggest reasons why I don’t make more money as a freelance writer. Sure, I could get more clients and easily crank out six figures every year. But then I would have to give up most of my side projects. This includes reeling back on helping others find their paths.
At the end of the day, it’s all about a body of work I can be proud to call mine. And based on the number of positive comments I receive, it’s well worth it for me to continue.
Marketing Woes
Being a self-published author isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Perhaps one of the most stressful elements of being an indie author is that of marketing. When you don’t have a team or the finances to hire someone, it’s all up to you to get the book out to as many people as possible.
When you consider how much I try to accomplish each day, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for marketing. Some days, I’ll have a stretch of time to try marketing the book, which winds up being taken by a client problem, driving kids around Colorado, or dealing with some other kind of emergency.
Out of the services I would pay for if I had the cash, marketing is probably the one I would consider the most. Overall, I just don’t have a lot of time at my disposal to get the books out there as I want.
I’ll figure out a good flow eventually. But for the time being, I can only do so much. After all, I don’t have an endless bank account. I have to be meticulous when it comes to what I spend money on for my writing career.
Higher Royalties - Ish
Now, I know I said earlier that I didn’t start self-publishing because of the money. But there’s no denying that successful indie authors can make more per sale than with traditional publishing houses.
For instance, I make about a 22% royalty from sales of my books. It’s a bit higher for eBooks, mind you. However, according to some experts, a traditionally published author usually makes less than 10% of royalties. Unfortunately, I can’t verify that amount as I’ve never used a publishing house. Yet, I know a lot of trad published authors on Twitter and Threads who say they make anywhere from 5 to 12% depending on the book and the publishing house.
Then, you’re expected to pay your agent a commission of that income, which decimates the royalties even further.
In reality, I still think these numbers are quite small considering it’s the author who does the work of putting together a good story. Shouldn’t we make the lion’s share of the income?
Then, you’ll have authors who’ll drop the price so low that they make less than 3% just so they can make a sale. It’s like that in the freelancing world, as well. The “gig” economy has ruined a lot of jobs because some people would rather make pennies than expect what they’re truly worth.
Anyway, at the end of the day, I make more royalties than a publishing house would pay. Now, if I can figure out some great methods of marketing, I’d be set.
Will I Ever Consider the Trad Route for a Book?
I know it sounds like I am anti-trad publishing. In reality, I’m not. There are quite a few benefits to having an agent and a publishing house backing you. For one thing, I’d save a lot of time from editing, book cover design, marketing, and everything else that comes with self-publishing.
Seriously, if I want to set up a book signing, I have to do the leg work myself to set it up.
Having all of that done for me would be very convenient, which is probably why publishing houses don’t pay authors all that well. It’s the fees for these services that can quickly tap out the cash flow.
I wouldn’t mind being approached by an agent or publishing house for the sheer sake of saying that I’ve tried it. But, I’m not going to stress myself over queries and such. If it happens, it happens. If not, I’m still a self-published author.
Letting the Cards Fall Where They May
I really didn’t intend for this post to be so long. I suppose I had a bit of a fire lit under me after reading a few posts on Threads about traditional vs self-publishing. So, sorry if it felt a little ranty or long-winded.
Regardless, I am proud to be a self-published author and will continue to do the very best I can with every piece of work I upload to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. When all is said and done, I write because I love telling stories and have a very active imagination.
Will I be a smashing success in the near future? It’s doubtful unless I can figure out some marketing elements. For now, I’m just going to do what I can and let the cards fall where they may.
I’m still having fun regardless of what happens.