Self publishing vs Traditional publishing

In recent years many authors have turned to self-publishing to publish their books, opting out from the traditional route which is harder to get into, sees authors with less royalties and takes considerably longer. It is widely debated whether to go for the self-published or traditional route. This page will explain some of the differences between each publishing model so you will be better informed in making a decision.

Q 1? What is Self-Publishing?

Self-publishing is the publication of a book by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. A self-published physical book is said to have been privately printed. The author is in control of the entire process including, for a book, the design of the cover and interior, formats, price, distribution, marketing, and public relations. The authors can do it all themselves or may outsource some or all the work to companies which offer these services. Self-publishing can also be described as vanity publishing. Vanity publishing differs from self-publishing in that the author does not own the print run of finished books and is not in primary control of their distribution

Q 2? I heard that its not good practice to pay vanity publishers for the production of a book.

Self-publishing is not necessarily vanity publishing. Vanity publishers tend to publish anything thrown at them for the money. However, all books sent to us are reviewed closely by our editing team to ensure the quality and that it’s within our list of genres.

Factors

Indie/Self Publishing

Traditional Publishing

Non $ Reward

Control:Ownership

Sense of accomplishment

Prestige; notoriety

Sense of accomplishment

Cost

Requires upfront cost

Requires upfront cost

Time

On my Time line

Hurry and wait unknown Time line

Royalities

Earn more

Earn less

Venues / Explosure

Welcome online; welcome bookstores

Welcome online; welcome bookstores

Staff / Explosure

You provide resources

Publisher provides resources & staff

Decision

More say more decisions

Less say few decisions

For a chance to secure a publishing deal why not visit our Submissions Page.