Comparing traditional publishing with self publishing

Recently, Indie Authors Scotland ran a survey to establish what people think about self-publishing. As part of the survey, the respondents were given the opportunity to ask questions of Kim and I. For the next few weeks I am going to respond to those questions through my blog. Today our first question is "In your opinion, how is it "better" or more beneficial to self publish v traditional publishing?"

Rather than answer with my opinion about why it is better, I thought I would offer a comparison between the two.

At last year's World Book Night event at a local library, when I told a lady that I had self published my books, she said with a combination of pity and disdain, "Oh, you had to go that route." Her attitude is one that many people still cling to, but there are a growing number who realise that self-publishing is no longer about vanity or lack of talent.

Any writer who has tried to get an agent or publisher to even look at their manuscript will know how difficult it is. Publishers face a huge number of problems. Economic conditions are still difficult and that affects how much money and time a publisher can dedicate to promoting new talent. Like the music industry with MP3s, publishers have been slow to react and adapt to the rapid rise of digital books and all the changes that has brought to their existing business model. These changes mean they are more reluctant to take on new talent without guarantee of good financial return.

Despite these problems there are signs that the industry is beginning to change and realise the benefits of self-publishing. A new generation of authors is proving their worth by building a readership from their own self-published work. James Oswald signed a large deal with Penguin on the back of 350,000 sales of his self-published 'Inspector Tony McLean' novels. There are many other examples across the world of publishers adopting a similar approach.

Not everyone is going to be offered a lucrative deal on the back of their efforts in the world of self publishing. Many commentators, most of them authors with publishing contracts, say that self publishing will lead to a decline in the quality of writing. There may be some truth in the suggestion that there will be more poorly written books available, but I would counter by saying there will also be a far greater number of fabulous authors getting their work into the hands of readers: writers who may otherwise have gone unnoticed. The readers will be the ultimate arbiters of what constitutes a good book and the poorer work will eventually begin to wither on the vine.

One enormous difference between the two forms is where the control lies. As an independent author you have complete control of the publishing process, including when you publish, how your cover looks and how you promote it. This is something that brings both benefits and problems. Without a publisher, an author may prevaricate and never actually take the leap and publish their book. If you have no experience, designing a cover can end up with something that looks less than professional. Selling books can be difficult for someone who does not have a sales or marketing background. The flip side is that you decide when your book is available; you don’t need to fit into the publisher’s schedule. Your cover can reflect your vision of the book - I’ve seen many complaints from published authors who don’t like their own covers. Your marketing and sales are all about you, it’s your personality that will help to sell your work. The control that publishing your own work offers, I believe is the one major benefit.

Authors who self publish will only be taken seriously by ensuring that their work is produced to the most professional standards possible. Well-formatted and well-edited books that have well-crafted covers are the way to ensure that self-publishing loses its vanity tag. At Indie Authors Scotland we are striving to teach others the importance of professionalism.

Obviously traditional publishing gives the author a support network that helps them to get their books into the hands of the reading public. That is a huge advantage over being an independent author, and I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing that I had a team of people helping me to sell books. In Indie Authors Scotland, we are trying to address that deficit by providing support and encouragement to writers, while facilitating contact with people who can help in the form of editors, proofreaders and graphic artists.

I would never suggest that there is no place for traditional publishers, far from it. As a lover of the written word I am keen to see books in bookshops, produced in large numbers by a wide variety of authors. There is however plenty of scope for authors who self publish to take their place in the new industry and prove that publishing your own work is not about vanity but being an entrepreneur.

I hope that helps you to understand the differences between the two and the challenges that are faced by both independent authors and traditional publishers.