Writing Challenges-Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

For a few weeks now, I’ve been contemplating which way to go. So I’ve decided to weigh the pros and cons and share them with you.

First, let’s distinguish between the two. “Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher.” With traditional publishing, the third-party publisher is involved as the author submits the manuscript for consideration by a publishing house.

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

	Self-Publishing	Traditional Publishing
First-time authors	No fear of rejection. This however leaves the task of being highly critical of your work. It is highly recommended that you obtain an editor or a reading group to preview your work before publication.	The majority of first-time authors are rejected by publishing house.
Time	With self-publishing, an author can have a published book in a matter of weeks. With the publication of an e-book, the time maybe as short as a few days.	After being accepted by a publishing house, an author may need to wait week, months or even years before the book is published.
Money	The author may need to contribute upfront costs but has more control over the payout and royalties. You reap all the profits.	The author often gets paid an advance but has little control of the royalty percentage which is much less than with self-publishing.
Control	The author has control over the content, appearance, design, etc. You’re in charge	The publisher controls the content, appearance, design, etc.
Work Load	The author does all the work: writing, promoting, designing, etc.	The publishing house does all the work. All the author has to do is provide the material.
Publishing Success	Your chances of success are far greater. If your book is highly successful, you may be approached by a traditional publisher with a great deal.	Rejection is common, especially for first-time authors.
Book Prices	The author controls the price and while it may be lower than that of traditional publishing, it may sell more copies.	Books are commonly overpriced with traditional publishing.

You decide which option works best for you, but while self-publishing may yield greater profit long-term, you need to put in a lot of extra work, effort and gain some expertise in the publishing industry. If you’re looking for the big advance check, traditional publishing is the way to go.