With the advent of technology, self-publishing a book has never been easier. In the past, aspiring authors had to go through the traditional route of finding a literary agent who would then pitch their book to publishing houses. Nowadays, authors can bypass all of that and publish their books themselves with the click of a button. But is self-publishing the right move for you? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of self-publishing a book.
The Pros of Self-Publishing
- You Are in Control: When you self publishing a book, you are in complete control of the process from start to finish. You get to decide when your book will be published, how it will be marketed, and what price point you will sell it at. This level of control can be very empowering for authors.
- No Advance Required: In the traditional publishing model, publishers will often give authors an advance on their royalties. This advance is essentially a loan that needs to be paid back even if the book does not end up selling well. With self-publishing, there is no advance required so you keep 100% of your royalties.
- Higher Royalties: Speaking of royalties, when you self-publish a book you typically earn a higher royalty rate than you would if you went the traditional route. For example, Amazon pays 70% royalties to authors who self-publish on their Kindle Direct Publishing platform.
The Cons of Self-Publishing
- You Are on Your Own: One of the biggest downside of self-publishing is that you are completely on your own when it comes to editing, marketing, and promoting your book. And unless you have experience in these areas, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and give up before your book ever sees the light of day.
- Less Credibility: Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to self-published books as they are often seen as being lower quality than traditionally published books. This means that it can be harder to get people to take your book seriously if it is self-published.
- More Expensive Upfront: While you do earn a higher royalty rate when you self-publish, it also tends to cost more money upfront to produce your book. For example, you will need to pay for editing services, cover design, ISBNs, etc.
Conclusion:
As you can see, there are both pros and cons to self-publishing a book . It’s important to carefully weigh all factors before making a decision as there is no one size fits all answer . If you do decide to go down the self-publishing route , make sure that you are prepared for all that it entails . It takes hard work , dedication , and perseverance to successfully publish a book but it can be an incredibly rewarding experience .
