Publishing Tips - Publishing Addict: Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing

Advantages of Traditional Publishing:

1. Traditional publications attain more exposure and a wider distribution.
2. The work of formatting, editing and cover art is the responsibility of the publishing company.
3. They have a lot of marketing power.

Disadvantages:

1. It takes a long period of time to publish a single book, sometimes up to 6 months or more.
2. Traditional publishers set the prices of eBooks way too high.
3. The publishing company has power over the title and cover art.
4. You must pay royalties to the publisher twice a year.
5. As the author, the publisher will not involve you when making decisions concerning your own book.
6. It is not easy to change the book once it is published.
7. The publisher will charge high royalty rates, normally between 6-25%.
8. They do not use the marketing power they have effectively.

Advantages of Self-Publishing:

1. As the author, you have full control over pricing and cover art.
2. Every decision is your responsibility.
3. Publishing a book is quite fast and almost instant.
4. It does not require any special qualifications and anyone can do it. It is easy to make changes on the book even after publishing.

Disadvantages:

1. There are no free services and you must pay for expert cover art, formatting or editing.
2. Self-publications attain fewer sales.
3. They occupy less than 10% of the current book market