Pros and Cons of Self Publishing
Recently I got a great question in my Ask from someone who wondered whether they should self publish their novel or not. Here’s my response.
Self publishing can be really satisfying for some writers. But whether it’s right for you or not depends what your goals are.
Here’s a rough list of the pros and cons of self publishing, in my opinion:
You can get your book out into the world without waiting for it to be traditionally published.
Self publishing can give you a sense of completion for a project that can feel really nice.
Self publishing gives your friends, family, and probably at least a few random readers a chance to read your work.
You maintain total control over your work. You get to decide what to write, how to edit it, what cover design you want. If you decide to take your book out of print, make a second edition, or release a sequel, that’s also up to you.
If you self publish your novel, it will often (but not always) prevent you from traditionally publishing it in the future, if you want to do that.
It’s rare (but not impossible) for a self published book to sell very many copies.
If you don’t have an established fan base, you might not sell many copies to people who aren’t your family or friends.
If you want to sell to more than your friends, family, and established fan base (if you have one), you’ll need to do a lot of marketing, which can be time consuming and sometimes expensive.
In summary, I’d say if you think that self publishing your book will feel good and give you a sense of completion about your project, you aren’t worried about trying to traditionally publish it in the future, and you won’t be bummed if it doesn’t sell very many copies, go for it! I know lots of writers who have self published from this mindset, and they were really happy they did.
But if you’re totally attached to your book being a wild bestseller and don’t already have an established audience, self publishing might let you down.
Really it’s up to you, but definitely take time to clarify for yourself what you hope to achieve by self publishing and whether that goal is within the normally expected range of possibility before you embark. You’re more likely to achieve your goals and meet your expectations if you spend time clarifying your goals and researching your expectations first :)