To Self-Publish or Not To Self-Publish?

Manifest What you Want, Whenever you Want....

If you have written a book, you might be wondering whether self-publishing is a good idea for you. After all, it can be a long process to go through an agent, an editor, and the publishing quagmire. The length of this process makes it seem like it might be best - might even make the most sense - to just get the book out there on your own! But while it is certainly easy to self-publish, there are a few things to consider beyond the ease with which you can do it.

Firstly, there is a reason why the publishing process is in place the way it is. After all, there are plenty of instances where a book is written by someone who thinks people will enjoy it or benefit from it, but where no one else feels the same way! One of the biggest things a publisher does is, they act as a barrier to publication. Of course, self-publishing does provide a way to go around this barrier instead of going through it. But your road will not necessarily be easier just because you skip the barrier.

Because publishers act as a barrier in this way, most readers are far more likely to give their attention to a book that has been approved by a publisher. Readers are likely to look at your self-published book as something less legitimate, even if you self-published strictly to move the process along more quickly.

Another consideration is the channels of distribution opened up by publishing. Just like readers, bookstores are not going to take a book as seriously if it is self-published as if it is published by a publisher they know. Having the name of a well-known publisher behind your name will open doors for you that you cannot open on your own.

Finally, the rigorous preparation your book goes through while in the hands of an editor at a publishing house will get the book ready to be read in a way you cannot do on your own. Even the world's bestselling authors have a good editor at their publishing house who helps them get their book ready. These editors put in serious time on each book to make sure it is professional and complete.

Certainly, you can speed up the process of publication by self-publishing if you are a well-known person, or if you run a business that is already well-known. But think long and hard before making this decision; after all, publishing in the traditional manner might just prove to be worth the wait.