For a long time, traditional publishing was the only option. Nowadays, self-publishing your book is relatively easy.
Traditional Vs Self-Publishing: How Are They Different?
Whether to self-publish or publish the traditional way is undoubtedly a question every writer will eventually encounter. For a long time, traditional publishing was the only option. Nowadays, self-publishing your book is relatively easy.
Deciding which route to take can be difficult. Each has advantages and disadvantages. The choice between traditional and self-publishing truly comes down to what best suits the author’s needs and goals.
Knowing how they differ when it’s time to choose is crucial.
The Defining Difference
Discussing the differences between traditional and self-publishing can become a rather lengthy subject. The publishing process differs, and each has its pros and cons, which will be discussed below. That aside, there’s one striking difference that you should know from the beginning:
With self-publishing, the author owns all rights and royalties concerning their book. With traditional publishing, these are owned by the publisher.
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing your book gives you control over the entire process. These are the reasons you may want to self-publish:
Full Creative Control
A self-published book is your project—only you make the decisions regarding its publication. This is great if you want to release your work without having to cave in to the influence of others.
If you want complete control over the marketing and creative aspects, like marketing research, medium, graphics, and the book cover, then self-publishing may be what you need. Publishing the traditional way gives the publisher control over these aspects. Often, the author has little say in the creative side of publication.
However, it doesn’t mean doing everything alone. You might decide to get assistance from experts. For example, many writers prefer not to edit their own work and would instead have a professional do it. As a self-publisher, you may find it beneficial to have your work professionally edited by a service like editorworld.com. But nobody you work with will be able to control the final output—that decision is yours.
Quicker Time To Publish
Self-publishing generally lets you publish much quicker than working with a publisher. Publishing houses have an array of experts and phases to go through before releasing your book. This ensures the book is of excellent quality, but this is often done for several books simultaneously. It can significantly lengthen the time it takes to complete everything that must be done before publication.
If you put in enough effort, you can self-publish a few months after completing the writing phase.
The Rights Are All Yours
Publishers do a lot for the author, but this also comes at a cost. The right to publish your work across various formats will generally be owned by the publisher. When going the traditional route, even your agent will most likely advise you to hand over as few of your rights as possible. Self-publishing removes this concern entirely.
Higher Earning Potential
Extending on the previous point, owning all rights and royalties means earning a higher profit margin on anything your work makes. This goes for all formats you choose to publish. You can earn anywhere from 40% to 70% of the royalties in self-published works, compared to the 5% to 20% you’ll typically earn when working with a publisher. If your self-published book becomes a best-seller, you’ll be able to make significantly more than if you worked with a publisher.
Traditional Publishing
You might be wondering why anyone would still want to publish traditionally after what you’ve just read. While most authors tend to self-publish, traditional publishing comes with benefits that may make it the right choice for you:
Quicker Profit
A clear advantage of traditional publishing is the immediate financial benefit. When you sign on with a publisher, they’ll generally pay you an advance of several thousand. This is great if you want to make money from your work as soon as possible.
Both self-publishing and traditional publishing will only give you royalties once sales start. However, traditional publishing guarantees you an upfront payout, while self-publishing can take time to show a profit.
Lower Financial Burden
After signing a contract with a publisher, you’re relieved of much of the financial burden regarding the publication of your manuscript. The publisher handles everything, including creative things like editing and designing the book cover. However, this takes control of these things away from you.
Still, this makes the process of traditional publishing far cheaper and easier for the author than self-publishing.
More Publicity
Traditional publishing can be prestigious. Since publishing houses are dedicated to making a profit from your manuscript, they would put a lot of effort into providing as much exposure as possible to boost sales. With a good publisher, your book will most likely be well-marketed. You might even be asked to participate in fan meetings and book signings.
Conclusion
The difference between traditional and self-publishing is significant enough that most people will outright prefer one over the other. If you want creative control, maximize your earning potential, and are willing to do extra work, then self-publish your book. Otherwise, if you’d prefer the editing, marketing, and visual designs to be handled by a publisher, the traditional route might be for you.
