You have finally written the last page of your manuscript and have also proofread the entire content, and suddenly it all feels like a victory, right? I had the same feeling when I finished writing and editing.
But what I wasn’t prepared for was deciding which publishing path was the most suitable for me. As I had no clue about publishing, making an informed decision seemed like absolute chaos.
However, after researching, reading multiple guides, and contacting several publishing companies, I made the best publishing decision for my book.
Here, I have explained what helped me shape my decision between self-publishing and traditional publishing, which may simplify your choice.
Let’s get started!
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I Began by Understanding the Clear Difference Between the Two
Like I wasn’t, are you also unaware of how traditional publishing differs from self-publishing? I only had the basic knowledge that, in traditional publishing, you pay a publishing house or an independent publisher to handle the entire publishing process for you.
What I knew about self-publishing was that I had to do everything alone without taking help from a third party.
But I was aware that this much knowledge was not enough, so I spent almost two days understanding the difference. Here’s what I learned:
Apart from the basics, I have included a comparison table so you can understand the difference by comparing several factors.
| Traditional Publishing | Self-Publishing |
| A publishing house or an independent publisher will handle the entire process for you, but they buy the rights to your book | You have to handle each process from platform selection to publishing. You can either manage it yourself or hire someone to get help with self-publishing |
| Authors do not usually have to pay any upfront costs. Instead, the publishing house pays you in advance | Average costs might be around £500 or more than £5,000 |
| It may take around 2 to 3 years to complete the entire process | This is usually a faster process, and you can publish your book in weeks or months |
| Creative control is usually limited, because the publisher handles cover design, title, and edits. | You, as an author, get the entire creative control in your hands, from the book’s cover design to images in your book |
| You will retain the copyright, but some specific rights go to the publishing house | You will acquire all the rights and complete ownership over your book |
| The publisher launches your book in physical bookstores and other networks | Authors mostly publish on Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Apple Books, and other online platforms |
| Generally, publishing houses handle the distribution and marketing process | You will have to handle marketing, distribution and all other aspects of publishing yourself |
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I Identified the Main Goal Behind My Book
Although it seemed like an easy thing, I found it quite challenging to understand what my actual goal was behind writing an entire book. Then, I looked for a book publisher near me who enabled me to find out exactly why I wanted my book published.
They helped me identify:
- Whether I wanted to reach a wider audience.
- Make more money by selling an impressive story.
- Establish my career as an aspiring author.
- Share my personal story in the form of a memoir.
- Create a business leadership book to guide new business owners.
To be honest, this technique was one of the main factors that contributed to making an informed publishing decision for my book.
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I Asked Myself Some Questions to Make an Informed Publishing Decision
Apart from viewing both publishing pathways from different angles, I came across a guide that gave some questions to ask yourself, which could help authors make better publishing decisions. I used those questions as my checklist to decide between the two pathways. Using this approach helped me choose the right publishing path.
Here’s what I kept in my question checklist,
- What purpose led me to write my book?
- Was I ready to give up significant control over some important phases of the publishing process?
- Was I ready to edit or change even minor parts of my story based on the instructions of a publisher?
- How important was it for me to bring my book into bookstores and other platforms?
- Would I be able to handle marketing, distribution, and self-promotion of my book?
- How much budget could I afford to invest in my book?
| An important note for you:
If you are a first-time author who has little or no knowledge about how publishing works, it is better to reach out to a publishing house, no matter what pathway you choose. If you think you can seek assistance only in the traditional publishing process, then you are missing out. In fact, you can hire an expert publisher to get your book published through the self-publishing pathway, without taking any commercial rights, license or copyright from you and giving you the entire creative control in your hands. |
I Contacted Several Publishing Companies for Assistance
During my research, I contacted several publishing companies to get help with understanding and choosing the right path.
Among the top five companies that you can also reach out to if you want assistance, whether you have chosen the traditional or self-publishing pathway:
- Macmillan Publishers
- Penguin Random House UK
- Austin Macauley Publishers UK
- HarperCollins UK
- London Book Publishing UK
- Pan Macmillan
- Bloomsbury Publishing UK
- Faber & Faber
Bringing Everything Together
You have reached the closing thoughts of this post!
I hope you are now clear about both publishing processes that will make your decision-making process even easier.
Back then, using these approaches enabled me to gain an in-depth understanding of the entire publishing process so that I could choose the most suitable path.
As I did, you can also use these tactics to make sure you select the right publishing process.
Good luck with publishing your book!
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