To Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish, That Is the Question

Many business owners become fixated on traditional publishing as the only route to success. 

There’s a good reason for this, traditional publishing comes with a type of prestige that most business owners are after. But sometimes, one’s business goals can be better accomplished through self-publishing. 

My advice to the rebels I work with in choosing the right publishing path is don’t get hung up on image and cultural bias. Instead, define the goals you hold for your book, then choose the option that most fits them. 

While for career writers, a book is an end product, for most entrepreneurs, consultants, coaches, speakers, and subject matter experts, a book is a business asset. It’s a way to establish authority, build trust, create speaking opportunities, and attract clients. When viewed through this lens, the best publishing path can look very different.

The Main Difference Comes Down to Control

Traditional publishing takes time. The process typically begins with finding a literary agent, which can take a couple years and usually around 100 rejections before an acceptance. Once an agent agrees to represent your book, they attempt to sell it to a publisher, which again, could take a year or so. If a publisher acquires the manuscript, the book enters their production process, which often includes revisions, design, marketing planning, and distribution preparation which (yes, once more) can often take up to a year.

The entire process can easily take several years. For some authors, that timeline is perfectly acceptable. But in the business world, timing matters. Markets change, businesses evolve, and new trends and ideas emerge. If you’re writing a book to appeal to a trend that’s happening right now and might not be relevant in two years, traditional publishing may not make strategic sense.

Self-publishing offers a different approach. You control the timeline, you decide when the book is released and you choose the title, cover, content, and positioning. If your manuscript is ready, you can move quickly and take full ownership over how you present it to your target audience.

Self-Publishing Makes Sense When…

1.     You want your book published this fall rather than two years from now.

2.     You want complete control over the content, messaging, design, and positioning.

3.     You want to be agile and creative and don’t want to answer to anyone when it comes to your book.

4.     You have a vision that might not appeal to a mainstream audience yet appeals to the right people, and you don’t want to be forced into a more mainstream box. 

The process of self-publishing itself is relatively straightforward but you’re responsible for all of it. Once the manuscript is complete, authors choose a self-publication platform. This can be anything from working directly with a printing company to working with Amazon’s self-publishing system, which holds your hand throughout the process. 

Many people who choose to self-publish still work with freelancers who specialize in editing, proofreading, formatting and design. You can even consult with someone who markets books professionally to come up with a plan for marketing and distribution. Either way, prepare to edit, proofread, format, design the covers and spine, enlist early readers from your audience to write reviews, get it printed and plan your distribution, marketing, and launch. 

It sounds like a lot. But for someone who has a vision and knows what they want their book to do for their business, the process can be exciting. 

The process can also open doors. Asking someone to be an early reader and provide feedback or write a review can strengthen a relationship with someone in your industry you’ve been wanting a closer connection to. You can also use your self-publishing process as marketing content to share your progress with your community and build anticipation for your book’s release.

If you have a clear vision and want ownership over every step of the process, self-publishing may very well be the best option.

Traditional Publishing Makes Sense When…

1.     You don’t want to have to handle the administrative work that comes after writing the book. 

2.     You aren’t worried about not seeing your book on the shelf for a few years.

3.   You work in an industry in which traditional publishing translates into authority, reputation and access. 

4.     You want a team supporting the process, reducing the number of responsibilities that fall on you.

For those who value it, there’s nothing quite like your name being associated with a major publishing house. The tradeoff is just that you surrender a degree of control. Timelines become longer and creative decisions become collaborative. Publishers may request changes to content, positioning, structure, or messaging.

For authors who value distribution and publisher support more than speed and autonomy, those tradeoffs may be worthwhile.

The Real Cost Most Authors Forget

One of the biggest misconceptions in publishing is that traditional publishers do everything and self-publishing requires very little. Neither assumption is true.

Many first-time authors imagine traditional publishing as a process where they simply hand over a manuscript and wait for a finished book to appear. Others assume self-publishing is nothing more than uploading a PDF to Amazon.

Regardless of which path you choose, a successful book still requires a lot of vision, strategy, and man-hours to get it out into the world after it has been written. Which path you choose just changes who is responsible for those pieces. 

What We Usually Recommend

We generally work with rebels who are not willing to water down their message in order to reach the broadest audience possible. We also work with people who have a vision for how they want to present themselves and who they want to reach. These people need support like everyone, but they’re self-driven, creative, know their industry, and want to participate in it in a very specific way. 

For these people, self-publishing is often the better route. 

It gives you the freedom to use your book however best serves your business. Whether it’s generating leads, strengthening your brand, building authority, or creating trust with prospective clients, your book becomes an asset that works alongside everything else you’re building.

Both publishing paths are challenging and rewarding in their own ways. I encourage clients to think deeply about what their goals are, and then to choose the path that is most likely to get them there. But if you have any questions on either process, we’re happy to chat!