Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing: A Guide for Writers

If you want to publish a book, there are two routes you can take — traditional publishing or self-publishing. With traditional publishing, a publishing house handles production and distribution in exchange for royalties; with self-publishing, you retain full control and profits but manage everything yourself.

We’ll start with a table to compare the main differences between the two:I’ve self-published and traditionally published my books, so I can walk you through both of these processes to help decide which path is right for you. In the past five years I have:

• Self-published six books
• Traditionally published two books
• Sold over 200,000 copies across my catalog
• Been a finalist for the 2023 Kindle Storyteller Award

Let's begin!

Expected cost & earnings

Traditional publishing costs nothing — but royalties are lower

When you sign with a traditional publisher, they’ll take on all financial responsibilities for your book. You’ll also be paid an advance on your book sales (averaging around $1,000 to $2,000 for smaller presses and $5,000 to $10,000 for larger ones.)

This advance usually indicates how well they think your book will sell, though not always. Some publishers, for example, have standard rates for each genre. It’ll also depend on the publisher’s size, the competitiveness of your genre, and your existing author platform.

Once your book is published, you'll receive a percentage of the net profit for every copy sold — but you won’t get anything immediately, because your royalties go toward paying back your advance first. So if your advance was $5,000, you won’t receive any additional royalty payments until your book has made $5,000 in net profit. Failing to “earn out” your advance can also affect your ability to get a second book deal — even with a totally different publisher.

Pro tip: To improve your prospects, I highly recommend paying for a professional edit before querying. Aim to professionally edit at least your first three chapters. You’re much more likely to get a response with a well-manicured manuscript.

Self-publishing can be costly — at first

Editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing are all crucial parts of the self-publishing process. If you’re an independent author, you’ll either need to handle these yourself, or hire some professionals to help. 

Reedsy provides something I wish I had when I was starting out — a cost calculator that breaks down how much you can expect to spend on each editing service:

These costs might seem significant, but think of it like starting a business: you need to spend money to make money, as it were.

On the bright side, self-published authors take home a much higher royalty percentage than their traditionally published counterparts. If you self-publish, royalties are typically between 35% and 70% for ebooks, and 40% to 60% for print books (Amazon actually represents the higher end of these ranges.)

So while it may be pricier upfront, the higher royalty rates mean that self-published authors will earn far more per book sold. And remember, investing in a high-quality final product means you’re more likely to sell more copies (and make more money) in the long run.

Creative control

Traditional publishers can curb your creative control

They say that two heads are better than one, and in traditional publishing, you get exactly that: access to a team of experienced in-house professionals.

Unfortunately, another idiom is also appropriate here: too many cooks spoil the broth. The more people involved in your book’s production, the more creative compromises you will have to make.

This often means ceding control on things requiring market research and technical knowledge, like marketing and cover design. For some authors, it can be tough to grapple with… especially if the strategy diverges from how you see your own story.

Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll get zero say throughout this process. I was fortunate to work with a great, receptive team at Lake Union for Under a Greek Sky; I disliked the initial cover design they sent over, so they changed it in line with my suggestions. But not every author is so lucky!

If you’re concerned about losing creative control, make sure to carefully read over a contract before you sign it. Ideally, you should also speak to the team, ask about their recent work with authors, and assess how likely they are to listen to your opinions. If they seem inflexible, I’d think twice about signing.

Retain full control with self-publishing

With self-publishing, it’s simple: creatively speaking, you’re in charge of absolutely everything, from what goes on the page to what your cover looks like.

That’s not to say you should ignore the feedback from your own editors and designers. But they’ll work toward realizing your vision — so you shouldn’t have any stressful power struggles in the process.

Read more here about my own “creative control” experience with The Little Blue Door.

Typical publication timelines

Traditional publishing takes two years or more

When you sign with a publisher, you’ll be given a preliminary publication date — often around two years in the future. That timeline may leave you wondering: why the long wait?

Well, as we’ve just discussed, traditional publishing involves working with a team to turn your book into a top-notch title. While their input is helpful, it can also be time-consuming… and at times, outright frustrating.

For some people, the endless emails between you, your agent, and the publisher’s team can be exhausting. I don’t have an agent, so my communications with Lake Union were slightly more streamlined — I was able to go straight to my editor with questions. (Of course, for most authors, having an agent to mediate is a good thing overall; it just takes up more time.)

Other factors can delay your book’s release as well. Even small publishing houses work on a handful of titles a year, and bigger ones work on hundreds of them. Your book must be slotted into their wider publication and marketing schedule, meaning you’ll likely have to wait at least a year before your work is published — and that’s the best-case scenario. 

Pro tip: Keep in mind that some genres/types of books get published more quickly. Timelines for fiction, for example, tend to be faster than non-fiction — more like 16-18 months for fiction as opposed to two years for nonfiction.

Self-publishing can be as fast (or as slow) as you like

Once again, things are a lot more straightforward with self-publishing. The only time constraint is how quickly you (and any professionals you hire) can get things done.

Most authors will plan their launch for as soon as they can reasonably finish their book. Of course, you may still wait for a certain time of year to launch (like wintertime if your book has a seasonal backdrop), but you always have the option to publish whenever you want.

Marketing responsibilities

Traditional publishers handle less than you might expect

As part of a traditional publishing contract, you’ll typically be assigned a publicist. They’ll be responsible for securing book reviews, arranging media opportunities, and distributing advance reader copies (ARCs) to major publications. You’ll also work with a wider marketing team on additional materials for your book.

When I worked with Lake Union Publishing for Under A Greek Sky, they:

1. Distributed ARCs on NetGalley.
2. Secured me an invite to a TikTok course with Tandem Collective (which was particularly exciting!)
3. Helped create marketing materials for my newsletter and social media.
4. Set up advertising on major platforms and ran promotional deals on my ebook.

I had a great experience with Lake Union, but even with all their help, I was posting on social media myself, drafting my own newsletters (with their additions,) and engaging with readers personally. At the end of the day, I was the one representing my book… and this would be true at any publisher, with just about any title.

Based on conversations with other trad pub authors, I know that levels of marketing support can vary hugely. I was lucky with Lake Union, but some authors get far less help. I’ve had several trad pub authors reach out to me for help running their own Facebook ads, which is always a bit shocking.

All that to say: even if you land a publishing contract, don’t expect the marketing process to be a breeze. You’ll still need to “show up” regularly for your book to be a success.

Self-published authors are 100% responsible for marketing

If you choose to self-publish, expect to show up tenfold. Indie authors need to cold-pitch other industry professionals, learn how to use advertising platforms like Amazon, build relationships with book bloggers and podcasters, and manage all the business infrastructure themselves.

Getting to grips with all this can be difficult when you’re first starting out, but it won’t stay that way for long. I recommend connecting with other authors (on social media and in real life) and employing marketing pros to help you learn the ropes.

When I was promoting The Little Blue Door, I reached out to my local radio station to see if they'd be willing to talk with me about it. The first interview was over the phone, but it went so well that I was invited back to be a sofa guest!

One more thing I want to mention here is how vital social media has become for modern book marketing. Building a personal connection with readers through platforms like TikTok and Instagram will help generate organic buzz around your book. If you can get people talking, you can get them buying.

Pro tip: Aim to post on your social media platform of choice at least once a week. As you get closer to launch day, ramp up to 3-5 times per week. Exposure is critical and consistency is key!

Distribution options

Traditional publishing can get you into brick-and-mortar stores

A traditional publishing deal is generally (though not necessarily) a safer path to bookstore shelves.

Here’s how it works: publishers provide bookstores with catalogues of their upcoming releases, which then stock the titles that they find most appealing. A publisher may also pay upfront for window displays and table space in bookstores, though this is mostly reserved for bestselling authors and highly anticipated new releases.

And indeed, a publishing contract doesn’t guarantee shelf space. Some publishers don’t push their new acquisitions as hard as their tried-and-true authors, and some books (including my own!) have other distribution issues that make them difficult to stock.

This hasn’t really bothered me, partly because I’ve forged my own relationships with local booksellers for regional distribution (see more on this below). However, if you want to be stocked in stores across the country, then signing with a Big 5 imprint is the way to go.

Self-publishing can too — but it depends on you

You probably know the score by now: if you choose to self-publish, book distribution will rest entirely in your hands.

Indie authors will need to start by setting up ebook distribution for digital copies. I’ve chosen to sell my self-published ebooks on Amazon exclusively so I can reap the benefits of their KDP Select program, but some authors prefer to “go wide” with other, non-Amazon retailers. That can work well too — you can read all about ebook distribution options here to help you make the right call.

Next up is, unsuprisingly, print distribution. Traditional publishers may have strong networks for print, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for indie authors to get their books on store shelves — and I’m the perfect case study for this.

I began by approaching my local Waterstones branches with the following fact sheet:

Following a pleasant conversation with the store manager, they were happy to feature The Little Blue Door on their shelves — and all my other self-published books as they came out.

It was a similar story when I visited my local independent store (Dial Lane Books in Ipswich, UK). Not only did they stock my books, but they even agreed to host a book signing event for me.

I will say, again, that I’ve been pretty fortunate with my experience. Not every self-published author will meet with such receptive sellers (especially the big chain bookstores,) but it’s absolutely worth a try. Having high Amazon ratings, a beautiful cover, and a professional approach will open more (little blue) doors than you might expect.

Rights & long-term opportunities

Traditional publishers manage rights on your behalf 

Finally, a publishing house may acquire some (or all) of the rights to your book. You might get an offer for:

• World rights – the rights to publish your (written) manuscript in all possible forms.
• World English rights – the rights to publish your work in English worldwide.
• Regional rights – the rights to publish your work in specific regions.
• Subsidiary rights – the rights to license a book for use in different formats (such as audiobooks, translations, film adaptations, etc.)

While most major publishers will want at least some subsidiary rights, a good literary agent will advise you to retain as many of them as possible. From there, you can sell the individual rights to other, more suitable publishers and studios for publication in different formats and markets.

Pursue your own opportunities with self-publishing

Naturally, you won’t have to worry about signing away your rights via contract if you self-publish. Instead, you can sell subsidiary rights to the highest bidder when the opportunity arrives.

For example, I sold the audio adaptation rights for The Little Blue Door to W.F. Howes, the UK’s leading audiobook publisher. This made me some extra money on top of my Lake Union contract and opened up a new channel for reader discovery.

That freedom extends to other formats too. If you’d like your book translated into a different language (as I did for The Little Blue Door series), you could hire a translator to help you do so. Just make sure you work with a professional — AI translations are still shoddy at best, and human translators truly do amazing work.

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There is no “right” or “wrong” answer to the question of self-publishing vs traditional publishing. Perhaps the slower, more tried-and-true traditional publishing route suits your preferences. Or maybe speed and creative control are of utmost importance to you, and you’ll end up self-publishing all your books. 

When decision time rolls around, try to genuinely consider every angle I’ve laid out above; you might realize your priorities are different than you previously thought.