Indie vs. Traditional Publishing: Weighing the Decision

Your publishing journey is going to have a number of forks in the road. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is whether to seek an agent and look to become traditionally published or take a more independent route. There are potential benefits and drawbacks to both that need to be understood to make an informed decision.

The most important factor is not to be swayed by the others’ opinions. There are hundreds if not thousands, of horror and success stories on the Internet and social gushing over or warning about all the types of publishing models. The one piece of advice I will offer is to stay away from vanity presses. Any publisher that asks you for money up-front to publish your novel is shady or maybe even evil. Do yourself a favor and stay away from them.

You need to make a decision that works for you and your goals. That said, here is a “pros and cons” list for independent and traditional publishing models. If you want to know what a small press like Warrington Publishing has to offer, check out our website. There will be another post discussing that coming soon.

Typically, there are two routes an author can choose—a traditional publisher or a self-publishing arrangement. Both have their benefits and drawbacks that should be carefully considered before an author makes a major commitment.

Traditional Publishing Model - The Pros

Industry Knowledge

Traditional publishers, especially the Big 5 (Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster), have been selling books for longer than we have been alive. Until the self-publishing boom hit its stride, they were the gatekeepers. All roads went through them, and they relied on their experience to understand which books readers would find attractive and interesting.

That’s not to say they don’t make missteps (regrets over turning down J.K. Rowling, anyone?). But they broadly understand the book market, know and and have the expertise to reach readers, and competently churn out high-quality books.

Cost

Traditional publishers do not charge authors for any of the services that bring a book to publication. They handle editing, proofreading, setup, cover design, printing, most of the marketing, and distribution. They may even offer an author an advance prior to starting a novel, or while contracting one, they want to publish. Don’t be fooled - this is not free money. Advances are just that - an advance payment of future earned royalties. It’s amazing how misunderstood that is. Regardless, they handle all the publishing costs associated with bringing a novel to market.

Credibility & Quality

Large, medium, and even small publishers have a degree of clout and prestige that independently published authors have yet to match. This is most evident in bookstores. Unless a shop caters specifically to indie authors, it’s likely that most of their support (and shelf space) will go to a traditionally published author. It’s safer, and with the backing of a larger publisher for marketing, there is a greater chance those books will sell. That’s what bookstores are in business for.

The harsh reality is that traditional publishers have a selection process, whereas anyone can self-publish a novel and make it available in paperback and even hardback. That makes those authors part of a semi-exclusive club where quality is practically guaranteed.

That quality comes from the teams a publisher employs or contracts to work with their authors. Editors (developmental & copy), fact-checkers, proofreaders, cover designers, and even publicists are available to authors, depending on the size of the publisher. These professionals have a vested interest in making a work the best it can be.

The Cons of Traditional Publishing

Loss of Rights & Creative Control

You wrote a book, but what happens when it’s no longer yours? This is an important consideration for any author who considers signing with a traditional publisher. This means selling the rights to your work, meaning you cannot use, sell, or republish your novels elsewhere. There are escape clauses in some contracts, and I have met authors at various awards ceremonies who found a way out of their publishing deals because it wasn’t a mutually beneficial relationship.

One of the trade-offs for the prestige of being traditionally published is the loss of creative control. Depending on the publisher, you may have little or absolutely no say in the book cover. Publishers may even suggest titles of your works. They impose deadlines and may even dictate the subject matter. They keep the publication schedule, which may take much longer than an author wants or anticipates. In other words, they are in charge.

Time & Creative Disputes

The path to becoming traditionally published can be a painfully slow one to traverse. It could take months to even years for a publisher to accept a proposal. That’s even before the slog of back-and-forth editing and fact-checking. For some authors, this isn’t a big deal. For others, it’s a frustratingly slow journey. That’s why this decision is a personal one for each author.

And then there are the differences of opinion. An editor may recommend a change the author doesn’t agree with. A more severe case could include marketing the author in a different, completely unexpected genre. Marketing is their realm, and they are the experts. However, contention could arise if that’s now how an author views him or herself.

Self-Publishing - The Upside

Control & Speed

Freedom means never having to say you’re sorry. Successes and mistakes will be yours, because independently-published authors have complete creative and publishing control. Missing are any arguments with the publisher over a book’s price, style, content, or the timing of release. The author is the publisher and empowered to make the decisions.

That means a self-published author typically gets books in front of readers much faster. It can shave months, if not years, off the publishing process. There are very few middlemen, and editing and cover design aside, speed comes with an author’s work ethic and available free time to commit to the project.

Higher Earning Potential & Shelf Life

Royalties from traditional publishers typically range between ten and fifteen percent of a book’s list price. Independently-published authors keep every dollar they earn, after distributors and printers take their cut. Amazon has a thirty percent or seventy percent option for e-books, with most authors taking the latter (it is more nuanced than it reads). Therefore, there is a potentially lucrative financial upside for authors who self-publish.

Part of that comes from a back list. Self-published authors willing to endlessly promote their books can keep them can keep visible for a lifetime. My first book was published in 2013 and is still one of my best-selling novels eleven years later. That’s not to say that a traditional publisher won’t promote older novels, but they are in the business of making money. If another of their authors is selling more, the prime real estate in a bookstore and their marketing resources will go to them, not you.

Self-Publishing Downsides

Up-Front Cost & The Learning Curve

The cost of freedom. Self-published authors face a host of out-of-pocket expenses when creating and publishing a book. The costs of editing, production (cover and setup), distribution, and marketing can easily reach into the thousands of dollars. Shortcuts can be taken to reduce costs, but that comes with their own significant perils. If a book doesn’t sell, authors may never recoup that investment.

And while companies like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Ingram (via Ingram Spark or Lightning Source) have reduced the barriers to industry, and independent author should still learn the industry. That includes the do’s and don’ts of formatting and cover design. It means learning how to market and not being afraid to do it. In other words, honing your craft and writing good stories is only one variable in the equation.

Lack of Support & The Time Factor

And there are a lot of variables in that equation. While many functions like editing and book cover design can be contracted out, authors who self-publish shoulder much of the work. At minimum, the work needs to be coordinated and contracted. Some authors can do the editing and cover design themselves, but I don’t recommend this for a variety of reasons. Regardless of whether that is the case or not, independent authors are on their own. There is no support team available to assist like a traditional publisher would offer. Thankfully, there are a lot of resources online available to help.

Searching out these resources and digesting the wealth of information they provide is a time suck. Every minute spent on publishing and marketing a novel is a minute not spent writing the next one. Not to mention that most independent authors have day jobs, families, homes to maintain, and friends to hang out with. Self-publishing requires a level of dedication and time that many authors struggle to reach.

Marketing & Reader Perception

The stigma of self-publishing isn’t as harsh as it once was. Readers have found countless great stories written by authors who were either rejected by traditional publishing houses or never interested in being contracted by one in the first place. That doesn’t mean indies are universally accepted in the marketplace. Bookstores, unless they specialize in such works, tend to give the cold shoulder to anyone not traditionally published. The media will likely not take you seriously, either. Both could hamper marketing efforts, but that isn’t the biggest issue.

Some readers simply won’t give an independent author a shot. Whether that is based on perceived quality, a previous poor experience, or something else is a matter of personal choice. But it happens. I have read some very bad indie books that left a bad taste in my mouth. Covers are usually a dead giveaway as to an author’s publishing status - readers can spot bad indie author covers a mile away.

Conclusion

Is this a comprehensive list? No, of course not. There are always other things to consider when making your decision. I just wanted to highlight some of the points I felt were most important when I made my decision back in 2013. A lot has changed since then, but the importance of that decision remains the same. I’ve been approached by publishers since then (mostly small or medium presses), but they offer little I don’t do myself at this point…and I lose control, which I covet.

But as I said at the beginning of this post, it’s a personal choice. You are the creator and need to do what you feel is best for you. There are significant pros and cons to both approaches. It really comes down to how you envision your future and how much time you’re willing to invest in the journey.

After writing my first novel, I founded Warrington Publishing. Now, I am looking to turn it into a small press that allows authors to blur the line between self and traditional-publishing. I believe there can be a happy medium that provides some of the best of both worlds.

If you are interested in learning more, check out www.warringtonpublishing.com. You can also email me here.