Self publishing or traditional?

[Anonymous]

Hey KeePers!

I always thought I knew for sure that I would go for traditional publishing (and so far it’s still my top choice). However, I’m not as sure about it as I used to be. I’ve been doing a lot of research on self-publishing and traditional publishing and the pros and cons for each. It’s a lot of information and I’m feeling somewhat confused! XD

So if you’re willing, would you mind telling me which route you’re going – self or traditional – and why you made that choice? Thanks, guys!

@r-m-archer @gracie-j @relia @devastate-lasting @e-k-seaver @scripter-of-kingdoms @kayleigh-idea @issawriter7 @mkfairygirl @kathleenramm @daisy-torres @jodi-maile @elfwing @abigail-m @anyone-else

[Linyang Zhang]

@joy-caroline I’ve also always wanted to go the traditional route. And right now I still do, although I’m doing a variety of other things. I’ve been working on trying to make an online presence on some web serial platforms, and this summer I also want to experiment with Kindle Direct Publishing. All this, of course, is so that I can hopefully get the attention of traditional publishers in the future.

So basically, trying to use a bunch of other methods as a stepping stone for my end goal.

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[relia]

@joy-caroline

For me, traditional publishing has always been my end goal. This is mainly because…

The genres I write in are marketable (at least now lol). If I get my writing quality up to snuff, I should be able to get into trad pub, because people buy the sorts of books that I write. If I were writing, say, a conservative commentary on current sci-fi, I would have a problem selling that. No one in the secular market wants to read that in general, and no one in the christian market wants such a specific niche book.

I want my books to be able to reach a larger, secular audience. I’ve taken care to make my writing free of christianity explicitly, but make it full of christian themes such as redemption, virtue, sacrifice, sanctity of life… I know if I try to self publish, the majority of people reading will be people in/ connected to my community. My mum would tell her friends, and then the homeschooling and church community will buy it because etc etc, but it won’t get out to the people I really want to reach. Basically, trad pub allows for more publicity and sales, which will get my writing out to the people I really want to have access to it.

I have absolutely no organizational skills or much motivation. It sounds stupid, but I would never get around to editing and organizing everything needed if I were to publish myself. I am so looking forward to the day where I get a professional editor, who can give me feedback, keep me on track, and provide deadlines.

I would prefer stability over unexpectedness. This is completely contrary to my personality, but it’s true! I know that self publishing can often give the writer themselves more control and profit, but my writing habits are so crazy that I think I need some stability in that area of my life, were I to get published. In trad pub, you get a contract or such, you have your deadlines, your pay is somewhat regular. In self publishing, I feel like you can either blow up and do awesome, or just dwindle… So in a world of Relia being irresponsible with her writing, there is a constancy in trad pub.

 

… That being said, I’d be open to sharing my writing online (through, I dunno, wattpad?) before I get published. I just wouldn’t charge anyone for it, because if it isn’t good enough to be published, there are still enough errors with it for me not to be entirely proud. So I’d just appreciate any feedback and the community whilst waiting to improve myself 🙂

 

I can't think of anything witty at the moment.

[Issabelle Perry]

@joy-caroline

Well, er, I’m not sure yet. Grace and I have been talking about what I should do for I dunno fourish months now. (Is that right?) And though, I’m all sold for the self-publishing route, I’m still waiting for God’s answer on what I should do. And I probably won’t have a decision made until early fall for some reasons that shall remain unknown. 😉 But, not to say I don’t have an idea of what I would like to do. I’ve been pondering this for a while now, and I’m considering being a hybrid author. I wanna get my feet wet (figuratively speaking, of course.) by self-publishing some smaller works to help build up my author following. I’ve got a couple of short stories I’m thinking about and if/when I get What Lay Beyond the Woods completed and many edits, I’ve been highly considering self-publishing it. Since that’d be the only way I’d get it published. But my bigger works (Heir to His Crown mainly) are still going to be in consideration about what I wanna do until I’m certain of God’s path. I honestly think self-publishing is a wonderful route cuz you get to be more in control of your stories, but on the other hand traditional has its perks too. I guess it depends on what you want more. If I do traditionally publish, I’m probably not going to try any of the big names publishing houses, since not writing Christian fiction kinda puts me at a hard place. Since I will NEVER write books with the content secular agents and publishing houses want. So I’ve kinda decided I’m gonna go with an independent publisher, Lord willing. I know the terms are confusing, but that still won’t make me an indie author if I do, it just means I’ll have a smaller publishing company and still have to do a lot of work on my own to get my book’s name out. But the number of copies I sell will never matter as much as the people I touch. If one person’s life is changed by my story it will have not been written in vain. 🙂 That’s just the way I look at things.

So in the end, my best advice is to pray about it because only God knows what is best for your story!!!!!

God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com

[GodlyFantasy12]

@joy-caroline

Self publishing is my route unless the Lord says otherwise! I love the freedom it gives, knowing I can do whatever I want whenever I want and I have full control over it all.

and self publishing has skyrocketed the last few years with Amazon KDP, B&N Press, Ingramspark, etc.

And I’m doing a series and I love series’, and I discovered that when ur traditionally publishing sometimes you can’t go into it with a series. You have to publish one book and if they like it THEY can approach u and be like “hey would you make this a series?”

so ya. Lol

#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb

[Kayleigh Idea]

I plan on hybrid publishing, which means doing a mix of both. This is what my writing instructors and mentors recommend. I’ve heard you can make more money this way and still get the best of both worlds. Hope this helps!

[Jodi Maile]

@joy-caroline

Hi JC! I have also always thought I would go the traditional route, but I’ve recently decided that self publishing is for me. This has been a long road to this decision (over ten years now!) and I’ll explain why I think self publishing is the way to go:

I thought that traditional publishing would help market my books for me. Surprisingly, I realized that they actually expect you to do a lot, if not most/all of the marketing for yourself, and they are more likely to take you on as an author if you already have a stable platform of your own (not necessarily one that they help you build from scratch). Publishing houses doing the marketing for me was one of my biggest pros for traditional publishing until I realized that you’re kind of on your own beyond the things that your publishing team will organize. Also, the fact that traditional publishing takes a lot of the rights to your own works stresses me out, because I don’t want to have to change my cover/title/significant content in my story just to be published, especially if I don’t like/agree with the changes.

Self publishing has its challenges, but I’m choosing it because of the creative freedom that it gives me. I’m willing to do the heavy lifting of choosing my own cover, editing my book, marketing my work, and getting my book into bookstores on my own if that means that I get to be in control of the publishing process. Also, I don’t want to do writing as my career, so self publishing gives me the freedom to not have to work around someone else’s deadlines. I can write at my own pace and publish at my own pace while working another job and enjoying writing on the side.

[Anonymous]

@joy-caroline Well, you know I agree with what @issawriter7 and @godlyfantasy12 said. And my reasons are pretty much the same.

However, the best and truly the only thing you should do is seek the Lord’s will for your life and your writing. Originally, the only route I had in mind was traditional publishing. But after a lot of prayer and research, I was led to self-publishing. Like @kayleigh-idea, I intend to become a hybrid author after a time. Indie-publishing a great option too, since it gives you a lot of the same freedoms (as well as the close-knit community) of self-publishing, allowing you to write for readers and not for a market or number on a spreadsheet. (I intend to start up an indie press one day, so of course I’m an advocate.)

You’re also more liable to find indie presses that cater to certain stories/genres and specifically to Christian (or even Adventist) content.

@devastate-lasting has a really good idea of experimenting with self-pubbing and eventually moving to trad. Not only does this help her as a writer (honing her craft and seeing what sells best), it also helps her a establish a readership so that when she is signed on to trad publisher, she’ll bring readers with her. (Definitely a pro when agents/publishers are considering signing on authors.)

Although I totally understand where @relia is coming from, I wouldn’t make my decision based on the market or feeling as though self-pubbed novels don’t sell as well. Ten years ago, yes, being a self-published author was practically a curse – but today, self-published authors and indie presses are becoming more and more popular. With brick-and-mortar bookstores disappearing and ebooks increasing, self-publishing has the potential to skyrocket ahead of traditional publishing and authors have the potential to become as famous as traditional authors.

Starting out, I could see that my novel was only selling within my community and family – but there are ways around that. Distributing ARCs through sites like BookSprout and BookSirens not only gets you reviews, it expands your readership to those who wouldn’t typically read your book. Giveaways (on social media or especially on Goodreads) really help to expand your readership – because seriously? Who doesn’t like free books? A social media presence also gets the attention of other readers, and linking yourself with traditional authors and other authors in your genre (like through author interviews, collabs, etc.) helps get your name out there. I recommend getting endorsements from popular authors for your book to heighten your credibility – and don’t think that’s a lofty goal. If an author enjoys your book, they’re more than happy to endorse it. (It’s not like it’d cost them anything.)

My debut novel, which originally only sold at family reunions, was the #6 bestseller on Amazon in its genre back in March (for like three days, but still). All because I offered the ebook for free for a week. Sales skyrocketed – and although I didn’t make anything, if the readers enjoyed it, they’ll pay for the next book, they’ll tell their friends, or they’ll leave a review.

Think of authors like Margaret Atwood, EL James, Lisa Genova, and Andy Weir – they all self-published the novels that are now movies, TV shows, and insanely popular. Don’t think it can’t happen.

All that being said (pardon my long reply), self-publishing does take work. You can make it without spending a great deal of money (a budget of $300 works pretty well, although you can do it for free – I recommend having about $500 dollars to put into a novel), but it takes a lot of time and effort. Establishing your brand and author presence months (or even years) before you publish, marketing your novel carefully, and continuing to promote it years after it releases takes work.

There are pros and cons to all four options (trad, self, indie, and hybrid), and not every option is for every person, you know? It all depends on what you want (and of course, what God wants for you). He’ll lead you in the right direction, and He’ll provide. If you’re meant to self-publish, He’ll provide you with the time, resources, and readers. And if you’re meant to traditionally publish, He’ll provide you with agents, editors, and publishers who truly value you and your novel. But in your researching and consideration, keep in mind what you’re looking for and what you desire for your novel.

Personally, I desired the freedom away from contracts, editors, and a restrictive market that either turned my novel into something entirely different or took away my rights. I wanted the ability to write passionate Pentecostal pirate novels without feeling ashamed of my writing or having certain elements removed. I wanted to cater to readers, not a market and select number of critics. I wanted my word baby to be cared for by someone who loves it (me) and not a publisher focused on making money. (Not to mention, I want the ability to edit, update, or rewrite my work whenever I want to.) Therefore, I know that at this time, self-publishing is the best for me.

[Anonymous]

@devastate-lasting

Smart decision! Self-publishing before submitting to agents is definitely a good way to get attention.

@relia

I totally get where you’re coming from, and your points are actually some of the biggest reasons traditional publishing is still my top choice. Deadlines aren’t a con for me, they’re a pro because they serve as motivation (something I struggle with doing myself XD). And I really want my books to reach many different people, not just Christians.

@issawriter7

Hybrid authorship is a smart choice. I’m with you on probably not being able to get into the really big publishers. I don’t see myself getting into anything like Tyndale or Crossway, which is also because I don’t want to. My theology is different, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable with houses that publish things completely contradictory to my beliefs. I totally understand you on not being able to write things that the publishing houses want. We don’t want to compromise our beliefs just to sell copies. 🙂 I like your thoughts on all this.

@godlyfantasy12

Great point! The control over my writing is one of the main factors that’s been worrying me lately. Once you sign a contract, you sell all the rights. And that’s very true about a series – I’ve heard of many cases where authors planned a stand-alone and then are asked for a series, or the publisher won’t accept a series because they don’t know how well a single book will even sell. Thanks for your thoughts!

@kayleigh-idea

Awesome! There seem to be many benefits to hybrid publishing. I’ll have to research that a bit more. Thanks for sharing!

@jodi-maile

Thanks for sharing, Jodi! Yeah, the more I hear about the realities of signing a contract, the more I begin to rethink traditional publishing.

Hmm, I have been hearing a lot about the marketing side of things. I was actually not aware until very recently that much of the marketing is up to the author. I always had the idea that the publisher would do everything for you. Since that’s not the case, it is an additional con to think about. Also, platforms are hard to build, and you’re right that most publishers want you to have one before they’ll take you on.

Yes! Not having control over my work has been troubling me lately as I learn about it. I’ve heard that publishers have the final say and they may make such drastic changes that your book is ultimately nothing like how you envisioned. And then you can’t do anything to stop those changes unless you buy back the rights to your work. Also, I am with you on not wanting to do writing as my actual career. I want pastorship and ministry to be my main career, while using my love of writing on the side to inspire more for Christ.

@gracie-j

Starting up an indie press sounds like an amazing thing to do! I would actually love to do that myself someday and help other writers achieve their dreams without hindrance. And that’s good to know about indie presses. My Christian beliefs, specifically the ones that are exclusive to Adventism, are the main reason I’m having second thoughts about traditional publishing. I’m afraid a publisher would want me to cut down on certain spiritual elements or write messages I don’t want to write.

Wow! So much good advice – mind if I copy and paste to a doc? XD Thank you for all the help. I definitely think the control is a very good reason to consider self-publishing. Actually, the replies I’ve gotten have really put things into perspective for me, and I think I’m going to start seriously considering self-publishing.

I get you on that last paragraph. That is so true. I want to write novels that are full of the truth Christ has revealed to me, and not what a market thinks will sell. I’m passionate about my Adventist values, so I completely understand why you’d want the freedom to write Pentecostal novels.

Wow, you’re really making me think! I think I’ll be using this summer for prayer and research on this subject. Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

@joy-caroline Thank you! I feel the same way!

Yes, that’s always been a concern of mine – not just in spiritual terms, but just in general, since some publishers/editors can be ruthless. That’s why I definitely think indie presses have the advantage when it comes to promote particular content that isn’t defiled by outside beliefs or different content, you know? Like how a large publishing house (Harlequin comes to mind) publishes secular, really secular, and Christian fiction under the same name, you know? It’s a great idea to consider working with someone who values you because of your beliefs, not despite them.

Thank you! I’m glad it all helps some! I don’t mind at all! Of course, I would definitely start considering it and praying about it – and I’ll be praying for you too! I’m glad I’ve given you some food for thought! Let me know if you ever have any other questions and when you come to a decision about what you want to do!

[Anonymous]

@gracie-j

Thank you so much! I will.

[Anonymous]

@joy-caroline My pleasure!

[Daisy Torres]

@joy-caroline Hey girl! Sorry for the late reply lol. I published individually on Amazon, which was completely free! I may experiment with traditional some day, but for now, my budget will only allow indie 😂 I highly, highly recommend a YouTube channel named “Abbie Emmons”. She helped me figure out where I was headed with my novel. Her videos are fun to watch and she breaks things down so well! She even self-voiced her own audio book! Her stuff is super helpful.

I like the freedom that self-pub gives with options like who gets to use the money to support what cause, or who gets to make a movie out of it, or tons of other choices that a publisher would make for me, despite my preference. And it’s cheaper 😂

Good luck on your decision!!!

"It's easy to be caught up in stardust and whispers when reality is so dark and loud."

[Anonymous]

@daisy-torres

I’ve learned so much from watching Abbie Emmons! I watched one of her videos about self-publishing the other day, actually.

That’s awesome that publishing on Amazon is completely free! I think it’s pretty sad when writers feel they can’t accomplish their dreams because of financial issues.

I did not know that a publisher can use the money to support a cause. I also thought that the movie-making was ultimately the author’s decision. Knowing that those two things are different from what I thought will influence my decision for sure. Thanks for being so informative!

Thank you again for sharing!

[Daisy Torres]

@joy-caroline Yesss her videos are amazing!!

Haha me too XD And yes I completely get you. It’s sad when you think about all of the people God created to write, but they give up because of lack of finances/etc.

Absolutely!! Thanks for tagging me!

"It's easy to be caught up in stardust and whispers when reality is so dark and loud."

[Author]

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