Self-publishing has often been seen as the “punk rock” of the publishing world, with writers taking control of their own work and publishing it on their own terms. In many ways, self-publishing is a rebellion against the traditional publishing world, which can often be a bad deal for writers.
One of the biggest drawbacks of traditional publishing is that writers are often required to give up the lifetime publishing rights to their work. This means that if a book doesn’t sell well, the writer is often unable to republish it. This can be a huge financial blow to writers, who may have spent years working on a book only to see it fail to find an audience.
With self-publishing, writers retain the rights to their work. This means that even if a book doesn’t sell well initially, the writer can continue to promote and sell it, or even republish it under a different title or with different marketing. This gives writers more control over their work and the ability to make a living from their writing.
Self-publishing also allows writers to be more experimental and take risks with their work. In the traditional publishing world, publishers are often wary of taking on books that are too “out there” or that don’t fit into established genres. Self-published writers, on the other hand, can take risks and publish whatever they want without worrying about whether it will be commercially viable.
Furthermore, self-publishing allows writers to connect directly with their audience. With traditional publishing, there is often a disconnect between the writer and the reader, with the publisher serving as a middleman. Self-publishing, on the other hand, allows writers to build a direct relationship with their readers and to connect with them on a more personal level.
Of course, self-publishing isn’t without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that self-published writers are responsible for everything from editing and formatting to marketing and promotion. This can be a lot of work, and it can be difficult for writers to get their work out there and seen by a wide audience.
Additionally, self-publishing can be seen as less prestigious than traditional publishing, and self-published writers may struggle to gain the same level of recognition and respect as writers who have been published by a major publishing house.
Despite these challenges, however, self-publishing is becoming an increasingly popular option for writers. With the rise of e-books and print-on-demand technology, it’s now easier than ever for writers to self-publish and reach a global audience.
In many ways, self-publishing is the punk rock of the publishing world. It’s a way for writers to take control of their work, to experiment and take risks, and to connect directly with their readers. And while it may not be the easiest path, for many writers, it’s the most rewarding.
I def see benefits to being able to set your own pricing as well. Both the mainstream and indie presses I’ve worked with seem to overprice books and that hinders sales greatly.
I SO love this and, as long as I have been blogging (and given my musical taste), I am shocked I never thought of this cross-comparison.
I’ve published every way there is, and I love self-publishing. I have ridiculously high standards…and am a teensy bit of a control freak.
I know how I want my covers to look, how I want the interiors designed. I tend to write content that traditional didn’t think would do well because it was too “out there”…but I know my market and all my books have performed incredibly well.
I have four #1 best-sellers under my belt and eight published books overall (some I was the ghostwriter). Some of MY books are not (currently) up for sale because I went through the trouble to get my rights back because I believe I have a better vision for them. That I can do a better job than the initial publisher.
Not saying traditional publishers are bad or awful. They worked for the time. I also know that I’m a diva. I think quickly, talk quickly, write quickly and most traditional publishers are just not tooled for a personality like mine.
Which I think is another consideration authors need to make. Which STYLE of publishing FITS your goals, personality, needs, content, audience, etc. Because, no shade on ANY form of publishing. They can all work out just fine.
Just this business isn’t ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL.