I have been a self publisher my entire writing career. It started with my first release back in 2013, and snowballed from there, with a few releases here and there, what I could fit around my day job, until finally I decided to leave that job and become a full time writer. Only once did I submit to a publisher, and that was not accepted. The only things I have ever done that were not self published were audiobooks, which have been produced professionally by Tantor Audio, and even then, the print and eBook versions were all self published! So, I have a bit of street cred when it comes to this subject.

On the other hand, there are certainly benefits to publishing via a traditional publisher. Today, I thought for my Glimmer of Gold post that I would compare the two and list some of the pros for each.

Publisher:

The biggest positive in going through a big publisher is their ability to promote. As a self-publisher, it is impossible to match the marketing power and ability to get word of a new release out to the public. Self publishers try to mitigate this by compiling email lists and so on, but nothing beats a traditional publisher for promotion.

The ability to simply write and not worry about other details is a definite positive of traditional publishers. As a writer, I like to concentrate on writing, editing, idea generation, and all such activities that go into the writing process. Creating covers, promotion, design, and so on is definitely not my forte.

Self Publisher:

Control. Everything is about control. I write the book, edit it, choose what I will and will not include from third party editors, choose covers I like, and so on. With a publisher, they have some say in what goes into it because they have some skin in the game. I love being able to do my own thing, even when it can sometimes be frustrating!

Compensation is another that I would put into the self publishing side, though it could easily be a point in the publisher’s favor too. As the publisher is not taking their cut, I receive a higher portion of the sales, and that compensates in a large part for not being able to broadcast the release to a wider audience.

There are more, of course, but these are the main pros for each side that I can see. Would I publish with a publisher one day? If the situation was right, I would have no problem doing so. At present, however, I’m happy doing what I’m doing, and until something else comes along, I will likely continue with what works. That is your glimmer of gold!