The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing

Before you start on your literary masterpiece, you should spend some time thinking about how you want to get it published. You could try to find a traditional publisher, but if may take you a long time to find a suitable one and, even then, there’s no guarantee that they’ll take your book, especially if you are a novice writer. So, what should you do? Well, you could consider self-publishing. But there are, as with everything, ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ to this route.

This week I’m going to explain the ‘pros’ – next week we’ll be looking at the ‘cons’ so that you can make an informed decision. So let’s get on with it!

* You keep all the profits from your sales. This could be up to 70%, which is a real bonus when you think about the usually miniscule (5-25%) amount you receive in royalties from traditional publishers.

* You’ll be paid monthly – most traditional publishers only pay once or twice a year.

* You decide when the book is published – so as soon as you have finished you can get it out there for sale. This could mean your book is ready in a matter of weeks, and the quicker you get it out there, the quicker you can start making sales.

* It is a relatively easy process – most self-publishing websites offer step-by-step point and click services. Most even have pre-loaded templates for you to use.

* You can choose whether it appears as an e-book only – or both as an e-book and in print.

* You choose what cover art is used – but be careful, cover art is important as, despite the old saying, many people do judge a book by its cover.

* You can switch genres whenever you like – some traditional publishers don’t like it when you want to switch genres. If you start out as a romance writer and you build a good reputation, they want you to continue writing romance, not suddenly swap to crime.

* You are not restricted by deadlines or the expectations of the publisher. You are free to spend as much time on your novel as you like, you do not have any deadlines to meet – only the ones you set for yourself.

* You are in control of the price of your book. You research the most effective price bracket and place your book in it. You can also offer your book free for a limited time or as prizes in competitions.

As you can see, this all looks very tempting but next week I’ll run you through the ‘cons’ so that you have a balanced picture before you make your decision.