Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

Although writers have always outnumbered publishers, it seems like today the supply of writers has far surpassed the demand for books. As more and more writers get fed up with the state of the publishing industry, there's a growing trend toward self-publishing. Yes, self-publishing does let you get a book "printed" faster than going with a traditional publisher; however, this does not mean self-publishing is the answer to your publishing problems.

Self-publishing is not right for everyone (neither is traditional publishing). There are many cons associated with self-published books:

1. No barrier to entry: Meaning anybody willing to pay can get published (whether the work is good or not). 
2. Negative stigma: Because there is no barrier to entry often times the editorial, print, and design of self-published books are of poor quality. As such, many retailers won't shelve self-published books and many media outlets won't cover/review them.
3. Poor distribution: A printed book is worthless if you can't get it out into the retail chain. Often self-publishers don't have the contacts, reputation, or resources to effectively distribute their books.
4. Cost: No advances here, the author foots the bill on the entire project as well as serving as project manager and marketer

Of course, there are some positives, like:

1. Creative control: You can say how it looks, what it says, and where it goes.
2. Ownership: You're not selling your rights to a publisher, so you get to keep full ownership of your material.
3. Time to market: traditional publishing can take years to get a book to market, whereas most self-published books can get to market in a matter of months.
4. Higher returns: There is no one else to pay but you, so you get to keep the money you earn on the back end. 

Traditional publishing isn't good or bad either--it's just a different model. Some of the negatives of traditional publishing include:

1. No ownership or creative control: You sell your rights to the work, and often times your rights to final say in cover design and other elements.
2. Time to market: As stated earlier, it can take years to traditionally publish a work.
3. Barrier to entry: You have to go through an agent, which also adds time to the publishing schedule (and another mouth to feed).
4. Small royalties: Most authors never earn back their advances, much less start earning royalties (if you think you can get rich as an author, you're in the wrong industry).

On the other hand, traditional publishing provides:

1. Credibility: Traditionally published books are thoroughly vetted, so retailers and media know they are good quality.
2. Strong distribution: Traditional publishers have established national distribution to all the major outlets.
3. Small up front costs: You're still responsible for your marketing, but here you're not expected to make any other investment and often times you do receive an advance (though those are shrinking).

So, before you take the plunge into self-publishing, do a little research and get serious about what your goals are as an author. If you have the ability to market and distribute your book and the funds to invest to produce a high quality work and to partner with a distributor, then maybe self-publishing is for you. If not, you may want to stick with the traditional route. Either way, be committed and educate yourself on the process. It will make everything easier on you and the publisher.

To learn more about your publishing options, read this white paper.