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Should You Self-Publish Your Book?
Is self-publishing worth it?
A friend of mine wrote a book during the pandemic. She is super excited about it. But every publisher she has pitched it to has turned her down, some of them rather enthusiastically.
She’s pretty discouraged by it. When we were chatting the other day, she asked if she should go ahead and self-publish her book. She was concerned that it could hurt her chances for a traditional publisher later.
Now, I have never pitched a traditional publisher. I have always been the self-publishing indie author type. I want more control and to keep the rights to my content. Ultimately, I like the final say.
So, when she asked me that question, I gave her an honest answer:
“I love self-publishing my books. However, everything is up to me. The timelines, the editors, the designers, and everything else. Most of all, the promotion. If I don’t do the work with the books, the books won’t sell.
While some of that is true about traditional publishing, you might have the backing of a company that can devote considerable time to marketing, promoting, and polishing your book. However, you still need to have a following.”
