Traditional Vs. Self-Publishing

Stephanie Partridge
Sep 16, 2021
7 min read

I've done it! I've completed a book and it's amazing. I've gone through the steps of editing, beta readers, self-editing, and (likely) professional editing too! It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, lack of sleep, and humility but I feel good about where my writing is now. Now, it's time to decide how to publish my work: traditional or self-publishing. Read on for all the deets and things to consider.

"Wait! I just read that and I am vastly unprepared, unedited, and I actually haven't written much either!"

If this is you, don't worry! I've got you covered! Just go through this step-by-step guide to help you get from dream to reality:

How to Write a Book: Part One

How to Write a Book: Part Two

How to Write a Book: Part Three

How to Write a Book: Part Four

How to Write a Book: Part Five

Self-Published Book on Amazon

#Selfpublishing #selfpublishedauthor #gettingabookpublished #howtowriteabook #howtogetpublished #howtopublishabook #writinghelps #authorhelps #authorcommunity

The Changing World of Publishing

I remember growing up ordering things through Scholastic and roaming the aisles of Borders Books to find the best fit for my imagination. I loved looking at all the colors, the book spines, the smell of paper and dust. I loved it all. There is something beautiful about a well-printed book in someone's hand. Even now, I love looking at our bookshelves filled with books, like a library of my memories - places my imagination has explored.

I knew that traditional publishing was the only way to go if I ever wrote a book. Self-publishers were people that just didn't have the confidence to try for a traditional publisher, or just weren't good enough. Why in the world would someone elect self-publishing otherwise? Right?

Follow the Money

I was a bit heartbroken when I learned that Borders Books, with nearly 900 stores nationwide, and thousands of employees, shut its doors in 2011; only four years after the first Kindle went on the market. One of the largest book distributors in the nation could not keep up. The digital world is changing and evolving what consumers want, and the fact is traditional publishers are dying. Over the past ten years, smart publishers have evolved by creating their own platforms for ebooks. They are catching on, but not necessarily keeping up. Amazon has the largest library and the most sales of ebooks than any other traditional publisher. Amazon can sell the books cheaper and can offer greater royalties to authors because the overhead is minimal. Many authors are catching on as well. For years big-name publishers were needed for the creative process and marketing, but with social media and online resources today, they are just not necessary any longer.

Social Media Marketing Expectations

Did you know that when you submit your manuscript to a traditional publisher, most will ask you this information: how many followers do you have on Facebook, do you have a blog - how many views/day, are you on Twitter? Authors don't need traditional publishers - traditional publishers NEED authors with a large following. This is what they are looking for in order to stay afloat.

With all that said, I still dream of signing on with a traditional publisher! Why? Traditional publishers will have established connections and resources to take a book to different audiences and place them in book stores, there are no upfront costs, and having a "brand name" is just kind of cool. They have more resources, which means less work for the author.

Well, Which One?

Back to the original juxtaposition: self-publishing vs. traditional publishing? Really, it's a personal preference. Just know there is a lot of 'politics,' red tape, kissing up, and waiting if you go the traditional publishing route. Also know there is a learning curve, a lot of work, and money that goes into self-publishing. Both have their perks and both have drawbacks. I spent months researching publishers, writing query letters, attending writing conferences, and doing everything the "right" way to have my co-authored book traditionally published. When I received feedback that publishers wouldn't even look at the book because we were not a big name, didn't have a social media marketing plan in place, and/or didn't tell the kind of story they wanted - I decided to take my fate into my own hands when I wrote my own memoirs. I read Let's Get Digital (which I HIGHLY recommend reading.) and my resolve was validated. I decided to put in the time, do the work and research, and self-publish with the goal of having a leg to stand on when I approach a traditional publisher in the future.

I decided to take my fate into my own hands!

Yes, I lean toward self-publishing, but if you feel that the traditional route is where you want to go then here are some helpful tips:

Preparing for Traditional Publishing:

Build an author platform. What do you think I'm doing here? Every publisher will ask you for your blog/website/platform. You have to have a social media presence and some kind of landing page as an author. Start posting and getting followers.
Make connections. Now is the time to join author Facebook groups, participate in local writing critique groups, attend writing workshops and seminars. Most traditionally published authors consider this as paying their 'dues'. You have to rub shoulders, make friends, and learn the names of publishing scouts that attend these events. Most books picked up by publishers from people without 10,000+ social media followers are from authors that attend a lot of conferences and get to know the business and people well.
Edit, edit, edit, and then edit a bit more. There are thousands of books submitted to traditional publishers. You need to do all you can to make your writing/story stand out. If you have a very polished, finished book it will give it one advantage over the first-time drafts submitted.
You may want to get a literary agent. This is a touchy subject for some people. I've heard many people say you should not get a literary agent because they are costly and don't always get you what you want. Unfortunately, there are many big publishing houses that will not accept ANY query letters or manuscripts unless accompanied by a literary agent. It's a catch 22 scenario.
Research publishing companies to find the right fit for your book. In order to write a good query letter you need to know every publisher, you write to (know books that are in your same genre, how many books in your genre they've produced in the last year, what their advertising and marketing is like, etc.). You will also need to know what their submission guidelines are and be sure to follow their rules to the T.
Start writing query letters. At a writing conference I attended, I was told that manuscript submissions were judged solely on the query letter 90% of the time. If the query letter wasn't perfect, witty, moving, and brief then the publisher would not even take a glance at the manuscript attached. Do a quick google search for how to write a query letter. You will see that there is no shortage of tips and tricks to write a great query letter. Once you have sent out the query letters, be prepared to wait up to six months for a response, and some won't respond at all.

It is a tough decision to make. If you are not in a time constraint and can't decide, then start with a traditional publisher route: go to conferences, sign up for pitch meetings at those conferences, join author groups, edit, polish, make friends in the industry, write and send at least 30 query letters to different publishers and wait. If you get signed on let me know! Do a happy dance, and I'll do one with you on this side of my laptop. If you don't get signed, do a sad dance and let me know. I'll do a sad dance with you on this side of my laptop. After sad dancing, I'll tell you to put on your brave pants and self-publish. You won't regret it and you'll feel just as much joy and excitement when that book goes live!

SELF-PUBLISHING:

Self-publishing comes with its own world of options. You can self-publish by literally taking it to your local printer and just asking them to print it into a book for you. That's the easiest and fastest way to get it done. However, if you're wanting this to be distributed to more than your family, you'll want to find another option.

There are a lot of great self-publishing companies out there:

Ingram Sparks has its own distribution options and printing. There are loads of tutorials and youtube videos to walk you through how this is done. This is a long-standing company that gives quality, professional books.
Luminare Press is another solid and trusted self-publishing company. You can find tutorials, videos, and even pay to get professional help with the design process through the company.
KDP (Amazon) Kindle Direct Publishing is the largest self-publishing company with the greatest distribution market (Amazon). I used KDP for my books. One thing I love about KDP is the low cost to print and they don't require a minimum book order. They make them as they are ordered. They have a design site you can utilize and loads of videos, tutorials, etc. I chose to format and build my book completely DIY. It took months and a lot of learning to design and format the book on Adobe InDesign and learn HTML coding to create the book. You don't have to do this! I chose to do the extra work because I wanted complete control over the design process, without limitations.
Blurb This is another excellent, high-quality, printing company. I have used Blurb many times. They are best known for their picture books, but they also print written books as well.
Hybrid Publishers: Okay, you'll hear about these all over. Many people claim to be "self-published" when in fact they took the easy route. I may sound a little snarky about this type of publishing, but it's really just the verbiage. It's like when someone tells me they "homeschooled" their kids and I get excited to talk about what curriculum they used, their daily schedule, how many hours they put into projects. . . and then I find out their kids were actually doing online school. There's a big difference! Wow, that's a touchy tangent. ANYWAY, a hybrid publisher is a company you can pay to help with the editing process, formatting, printing, marketing, etc. Most hybrid publishing companies have in-house ghostwriters that will even write your book, or chapters of your book, for you so that the company looks good no matter who pays them for their services. If you have the money, it's a great convenience, and easy road to take. An author friend of mine took this route and their book reached top-seller status and is available in book stores today. To get that status, she had to front a few thousand dollars to purchase the first thousand books printed. A lot of top-selling books get high-ranking status' through this process. Like I said before, this really is a great way to go if you have the means. I just don't like that they are lumped in the self-published category.