Three reasons why it pays to self-publish

Writing a book, or any other sort of text that you would like to publish, is often hard enough without worrying about how to get your labour of love out into the world.

Historically, traditional publication houses were the only real way to go to achieve a broad readership and some acclaim. Now, with the increased accessibility of formatting software packages and online marketplaces, it is easier than ever to publish your text yourself. What’s more, self-publishing appears to be becoming an increasingly desirable option for those who want to make their mark on the literary world.

Here are three reasons why:

1. You decide

What you write, how you write it, and when and where you publish and promote your text are all decisions you can make. You can be in control of decisions about how the front cover is designed, what the timeframes will be and how much to sell it for. The freedom of this alone is enough for many authors to opt for self-publishing.

2. You keep the money

Well, most of it! Traditional publishing processes often offer an advance up front, and a proportion of the royalties. When self-publishing, authors can usually keep around 70% of the money their book makes as opposed to far lower percentages offered by traditional presses

3. A speedy process

Yes, you have to put the work in to proofread and to ensure the typesetting is consistent and correct, but once you have finished your oeuvre it is comparatively quick to get the printed article out on the market. Traditional presses can take months to even accept a book proposal, so for some authors self-publishing is the only way to go.

Self-publishing has many benefits, but it also requires some insider knowledge about how to make the most of it. If you want to learn more about how to self-publish, why not download our How to Self Publish an eBook Diploma Course?