You’ve written a trade book, the kind that bookstores sell. Now you have to decide which of your publishing options to go with. Do you want to self-publish or go the traditional route?
Those of us who have done both can vouch for the fact that each has its pros and cons.
The financial piece is an obvious big one. You’re going to shell out a lot of money to self-publish since you’re going to have to hire your own editors and book designer for your cover and your interior pages.
But it’s not easy to find a literary agent, let alone a publisher, since they both still want you to bring a big, ready-made readership (they call that an author platform) to the table.
If you do beat the odds and secure a publishing contract, you need to be aware that when you sign on the dotted line, you hand over creative control regarding your prose, your title, your cover, etc…
At least you can expect a big marketing push once you’re book has been released, right? Sigh. Not always. I’ve found that out the hard way. This, in concert with the rest of the above information, may help explain why a number of traditionally published authors have moved to self-publishing. On the other hand, they’ve likely already experienced publishing success and have established readerships.
Ready to get more confused? There aren’t just two paths to trade publishing – there are five. Thankfully, publishing veteran Jane Friedman has continued to update her informational chart about the key book publishing paths. “My chart divides the field into traditional (advance-based) publishing, small presses, assisted publishing, indie or self-publishing, and social publishing,” she writes in her “The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2023–2024” blog post.
To get clear about your trade publishing options, I urge you to check out this invaluable post and chart. Just remember that educational, scholarly, and professional publishing are a whole other kettle of fish, so this chart won’t apply so much to those.
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