Choosing The Right Publishing Option For You

In this week's episode of the Bound by Book Podcast, Tina Moss and Danielle Bannister broke down the pros and cons of self publishing your own story and going the more traditional route. Both Tina and Danielle have experience with both, as to quite a few authors in the indie sphere. For a long time, there was a stigma with self publishing that it was only for those writers who couldn't get a deal with one of the big guys, but that isn't the case anymore. A lot of authors, specifically romance authors, are choosing to self publish.

 

My journey to self publishing began way back in 2010. I was trying to polish a story I'd written and get it ready so I could start querying agents. But before I'd sent out the first letter, I was approached by a small publishing house. They'd read some of the fan fiction I'd posted online and wanted to know if I had anything I was interested in publishing. Two weeks later, they'd read my manuscript and offered me a contract. That story became my first ever published novel.

 

I was with that small press for five years and while with them I published eight novels and a short story. It was a good experience and it helped me learn a lot about marketing and publishing.

 

Small presses still fall into the bucket of traditional publishing even though they tend to be more approachable than the big five and you often don't have to have an agent. Authors still have to submit their manuscripts for consideration, especially authors new to that publisher. The turn around time to get an answer, however, tends to be much quicker than that of the New York publishers. Instead of waiting years to find out if your book will be picked up and published, you will often know in a matter of weeks.

 

Part of this is because small presses, because of their size, can change and adjust to the industry a lot faster than the big houses. They can adjust their marketing, jump on trends, and even focus on niche markets that can give their authors an advantage. 

 

There are small presses that only publish erotica. Other presses focus on cozy mysteries and sweet romances. These publishers know those markets and they know them well, which means they know how to find those readers. That can be a huge advantage to authors, especially if they aren't great at marketing themselves.

 

So why self publish?

 

While some authors do choose to self publish because they haven't been able to land a publishing deal with one of the big houses, a vast majority do it because they want to. Self publishing gives the author complete and total control, but with that comes a lot of responsibility.

 

When you publish through a publishing house, large or small, that publisher covers the cost of the cover design, the editing, proofreading, and formatting. They might even do a little marketing. If an author chooses to self publish, then all of that is on them.

 

Some authors thrive on this type of control. For others, it stresses them out. They'd rather focus on the writing and leave all the rest of the behind the scenes stuff to someone else and they're willing to give up some of their royalties to do it.

 

When the owner of the small press I was published with decided to close their doors, I had a decision to make. I could seek out another publisher for my books, or I could self publish them myself. 

 

I went back and forth, weighing the pros and cons before finally deciding to go all in and self publish both my previously published titles and the ones I had planned for the future. It was a huge decision and a big shift for me. I used to be able to write the story, and then turn it over to the publisher. The book would be assigned to an editor and they'd keep it moving from there. Sure, I had to go through edits, look at cover designs, and participate, but they kept things on track. And they paid for it.

 

One of the most difficult things I've found in transitioning from a more traditional route to self publishing as been the lack of accountability. I'm my own boss. I set my own publishing schedule. And while that can be great, it's easy to let days go by without writing anything. Days turn into months and before you know it, it's been two years and you haven't published anything new.

With self publishing, you really are running your own business. Because of that, you have to run it like a business. That means setting deadlines and sticking to them. It means finding people to help you produce a quality product for your readers. It means marketing your story.

 

Want more insights into the pros and cons of traditional and indie publishing? Click HERE to listen to this week's Bound by Books Podcast.