Traditional VS Self-Publishing 2019 Everything to Know Before Deciding

Traditional VS Self-Publishing 2019 Everything to Know Before Deciding Traditional VS Self-Publishing 2019: Everything to Consider Before Deciding You might be about to make the wrong decision.Its scary. You want to or have already written a book and now its time to decide between traditional versus self-publishing.Which can help your book see the light of day?Traditional Versus Self-PublishingYouve finally made the decision. After years of saying I should, youve made the bold decision to finally sit down and write your book. Its a tough, yet brave decision. Sitting down to get your message out in the world will be one of the most challenging yet rewarding things you do. But now that youve made this decision, you may be wondering:Should I approach a publisher and go down the traditional route? Or should I self-publish and become an indie author? Which is better, traditional publishing versus self-publishing?Before the age of the internet, the only way a writer could get their book in front of millions was to send a book proposal and a query letter to a traditional publisher or agent. The writer hoped that day’s gatekeepe r had dranktheir morning coffee, woken up on the right side of the bed and actually given your letter and proposal more than a 10-second glance.Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening was slim to none.This resulted in brilliant people like yourself being denied the opportunity to share their experiences, stories, and knowledge with the world. The Publishing Industry Is ShiftingThankfully, this industry is changing for the better at least for those of us who are savvy in self-publishing.With the development of online marketplaces like Amazon, the publishing process has changed. You can distribute your book to everyone, regardless of what some traditionalpublishing house thinks about your idea.You have a book inside of you and the world needs to read it!NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereWhy Self-Publishing?The publishing world has changed, a nd its time for you to reap the benefits. Here are seven reasons whyself-publishing is the best route to take- and why you’ll think twice before dealing with a publishing company again. #1 You Don’t Have to Wait for PermissionWith self-published books, you do not have to wait for anyone to give you the green light.Youdecide when and how to publish a book.Youdecide whose hands your book gets into.Youdecide how successful you are.In other words, you don’t have to convince any gatekeepers to allow your book to reach the global market.â€Å"But, don’t traditional publishers have a good idea for what will sell or not? I mean, if they reject my book, they’re probably right that no one would want to buy it.†Wrong.Have you ever heard of Tim Ferriss’s bookâ€Å"The 4-Hour Workweek†? It has been aNew York TimesandWall Street Journalbestseller for over four years. It sold nearly 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 35 differen t languages.Oh, and get this: It was rejected by the first 26 publishers it was presented to.Maybe youve also heard of a certain childrens book, the one about a young boy with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead who discovers he is a wizard. The†Harry Potter†franchise is a patent bestseller, with the last four books in the series being the fastest-selling books in history.Yet it was rejected by 12 publishers in a row, and was only picked up because the eight-year-old daughter of an editor demanded to read the rest of the book. Even then, after the editor agreed to publish, they advised J.K. Rowling to get a day job as she had little chance of making money in childrens books. Little did they realize the publishing success they had stumbled onto.Now, just imagine all the other authors out there who stopped after the first 10 or 20 doors slammed in their faces, believing the lie that they didn’t have a profitable idea.You cannot allow other people to determine your success.Self-publishing gives you the avenue to do that. You and your readers decide the worth of your words, rather than one person at a publishing firm who may not realize the potential publishing success in their hands.#2 You Can Publish Your Work QuicklyIf you were to take your book to a traditional publisher, it would take years to publish.For example, it may take up to six months for you to even hear back about the book proposal. And assuming they accept your proposal, it will take at least another year before the book is actually published.With self-publishing, you can produce your content as quickly as you want. And in the Amazon Kindle store, you can publish a new book whenever you want. That way, you can share your work as quickly as you create it!#3 Bring Home the (passive) BaconTraditionally-published authors are typically paid an amount of money up front. However, once the sales come rolling in, they only get a small cut of the earnings.Why? Because they have to pay the publishing house, the editor, the marketers, the designers, etc.But when you self-publish, you take in most of the earnings (save for the money you actuallychooseto spend on marketing, book production and publishing). On Amazon, for example, self-published authors receive 70% of the royalties for an eBook priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Now that isn’t bad!#4 You Form Invaluable ConnectionsSelf-publishers around the world have gathered online and in person to provide a community that supports one another in publishing their work.These connections become priceless as you meet other up-and-coming influencers like yourself.â€Å"Wait- so where would I meet these people?†Because self-publishing requires that you find your own editor, cover designer,formatter and launch team members, you end up connecting with people throughout your whole writing experience.Self-published authors also gather on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.The camaraderie allows people to expand far beyond what they could have done on their own, or what they would have been limited to with a traditional publisher.#5 You Control Your ObjectiveSo much of a book is influenced by the motive that fuels it.Is your motive to make money?It isto launch a new career?Is it to share your story?Is it to become a public speaker?Or, is it simply something to cross off your bucket list?Remember, writing a book ishard work. And nothing is worse than seeing your hard work be transformed into something you didn’t want. When you self-publish, you are able to preserve the dignity and genius of your objective. No one is pressuring you to sell more books, or to taint your message so that it will reach wider audiences.You are notpigeonholed or made to become someone you’re not comfortable with.You writeasyou, andforyou. And that is liberating. That is self-publishing freedom!#6 You Control Your Creative ConceptThere are horror stories about autho rs whose ideas and voice became unrecognizable after they went down the traditional route.When you work with a traditional publisher, you don’t just sell them your manuscript, you sell them your idea.Your book may become something you are not comfortable with. Or, your dreams for a sequel or a revision may be completely squandered if it does not comply with the motives of the traditional publisher.But as an independent author, you retain total creative control.You are free to be expressive with your work. You are free to be vulnerable and controversial. You are free to beyou.When you self-publish, you also controlwhoyou write for. If you sell via the Amazon Kindle store, you can choose, and then tweak, your categories and keywords. You determine your marketing efforts. With 45 percent of e-book sales going to indie authors, audiences are showing that they respect and want to purchase the ideas of everyone- not just those endorsed by traditional publishers.#7 You Control Your FutureMost people looking to write a book want to earn more money, gain more freedom or have a platform to share their ideas.When you self-publish and have complete ownership over your ideas, you also have complete ownership over your future.There is no traditional publishing firm to stop you from selling a supplementary online course that includes material from your book, starting a speaking career, re-releasing your book with a hardcover or audiobook, or even releasing an updated version of your book.You determine the trajectory of your book, your ideas, and your publishing career when you self-publish.Even Big NamesChoose Between Traditional Publishing VS Self-PublishingThough there are some benefits to traditional publishing, even some well-established and successful  authors admit that the joys of being an indie author outweigh a traditional publishing deal.Via SelfPublishing.comSo much, in fact, that big name entrepreneurs who have large followings and couldeasilyget a trad itional publishing deal are opting to go the self-publishing route.These people includePat Flynn, Jeff Goins, JoshuaFields Millburn Ryan Nicodemus, Johnny B. Truant andJames Altucher.What You GetSelf-PublishingTraditional PublishingSole control of your book's outcomeâÅ"“XSole control of your book's rightsâÅ"“XControl over the storyâÅ"“XControl over the coverâÅ"“X100% of royaltiesâÅ"“XEditing includedXâÅ"“Cover designXâÅ"“MarketingXXDeadlinesXâÅ"“Why Go With Traditional Publishing?As you can probably tell, we here at Self-Publishing School are huge advocates of being in control and ensuring you get all the money you deserve for the work youve put in.That being said, sometimes traditional publishing will be the best option to fit your needs.Here is why some people might opt to go with traditional publishing instead of reaping the rewards of self-publishing.#1 You have connections in the publishing industryThe chances of landing and agent and making it in tradi tional publishing is very low.Because this market is very saturated and publishers really only publish certain types of books, those who have better luck with traditional publishing are those who have connections within the industry.Bascially, if you know someone who is an agent or an editor at a publishing house, it might be beneficial for you to work with them in order to get published through that house.#2 You want the labelThe best perk when it comes to traditional publishing is typically the fact that you cansay youre a traditionally published author.Because you have to go through a number of different processes and rejections in order to make it with traditional publishing, it can be seen as a sign that youre a better writer than others.However, as much as it can sound impressive, it doesnt always mean it is.#3 DistributionBook distribution is much easier as a traditionally published author, mostly because you dont have to deal with any of it.Traditional publishing houses ha ve very wide reaches and because of this, your book can reach a lot more stores in more places than if you traditionally publish.#4 Less responsibility on your partIf youre the type of person who just wants to write the book but dont want to worry about the title, book cover design, editing, or more, then traditional might be for you.Keep in mind that traditional publishers do purchase the rights to your book when you get a book deal and therefore, can make you alter anything in it to meet their needs.Meaning, your plot and characters can drastically change. If youre okay with that, then traditional publishing works for you.#5 No upfront costs to youKeep in mind, this doesnt mean traditional publishing is necessarily free.Typically, those who get traditional book deals receive an upfront payment of varying amounts. From there, the rest of the expenses fall on the publisher.However, those upfront payments arent often big enough to cover your living expenses for the length of time i t takes to get your book finished and out into the world. And that means youll still have to continue to work another job while writing and meeting deadlines in order to get your book done.#6 A slow and steady processThis can be both a pro and a con. If youre not in a rush to get your book out into the world, then the slow and lengthy traditional publishing process might be a good thing for you.Via SelfPublishing.comUltimately, Self-Publishing Will Change Your LifeIt may be that, like quite a few writers, youve dreamed about working with a big-name publishing house all your life, and nothing will satisfy you until you get that experience. There is nothing wrong with that. If youve identified this need early on, then maybe its best for you to go down the traditionalpublishing route.