Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing

The debate is raging. With the coming of the internet and Amazon's pioneering efforts to make it so much easier to publish yourself, why do traditional publishers still exist? What is their purpose? Why, oh why, do we let them run off with all that lovely money we as writers so greatly deserve?

Well, dear reader, it's because they have skills, resources and knowledge that we as writers don't necessarily have.

There is a certain amount of ego involved in wanting to be published by a traditional publisher, and quite a bit more credibility. A reader knows that a book published by a traditional publisher is held to a high standard - from content, to editing to formatting.

With a self-published work, the reader just doesn't know what they're going to get. The cover is a pretty good indicator. If you're looking at something that's clearly been slapped together in Word, you can generally assume that not much more care has been taken with the content. In some ways, a professionally designed jaw-dropping cover is more important with a self-published title, because it lends your book credibility.

Self-publishing can be lucrative - it's a rapidly growing sector. But if you choose to self-publish you have to do all those things a publisher would normally do for you. You have to get your book professionally edited, you have to have it laid out, illustrated and designed by professionals. You have to put ten times as much effort into marketing your book as you did in writing it. You can't skimp. These things are what dictate the success of your book.

It doesn't matter if you've written the most heart-achingly wonderful story since the dawn of time, if your presentation is bad, it will not sell.

So while self-publishing is certainly an option, if you don't have the skills or the bank roll to make sure every element is covered, then find a publisher to do it for you.