This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Gahnique Bell. Find her on Instagram at @s14rbur81_g4l4xy. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.

If you ever wanted to be a writer, there are two routes you can go down to get your work published. You can either: 

1. Sign a contract with a traditional publisher or
2. Self-publish your work

Now I know there’s a bit of debate on traditional publishing vs self-publishing being better than the other, but honestly, both of them have their pros and cons, so it’s up to you on which path you want to take. Both can lead you to success. For the longest time, the only way to get your book published was to do it traditionally through a reputable publishing house. Now, with the help of social media and the option of print on demand, it is easier and more accessible for upcoming writers to take the self-publishing route. I have seen so many self-published writers be successful online and promote their book on social media. Traditional published authors have also taken advantage of having an online presence and use it to be more creative with their marketing.  

Maybe you’re close to finishing your book and you’re trying to figure out how to promote it and get it published. Or maybe you already have a book ready to go but you’re struggling to choose what you want to do with it. Here are the differences between traditional and self-publishing 

Traditional Publishing

Traditional publishing is the most common route most writers take when they are considering getting their work published. It is the option that mainly involves you writing as your main role in the entire publishing process and offers benefits that aren’t readily available with self-publishing. It has the most luck when it comes to getting your book on the shelves of bookstores. With traditional publishing, there are many steps you would have to take to have your book published, and even then you would have to wait quite a while before you see it released to the world. The writer had to write book proposals, query letters, and hunt for an agent.  Once the writer acquires an agent and signs a contract with a publisher, they will give a team that will work in the background to make sure help them bring the book to life. 

The team consists of people like editors, who will edit your book to perfection, a marketer will help spread the word about your book, a publicist, a cover designer will design a cover to capture readers, and so much more. With this team, we will take the workload off your shoulders. Another reason people prefer traditional publishing is because it offers credibility. By signing with a traditional publisher, it will have readers and businesses to take you more seriously, and more opportunities will start opening up to you. You will be involved in a lot of media coverage that could further advance your career. News outlets, literary magazines, TV appearances, and social media are ways that you can advance further as a published author. This could lead to other opportunities like having your book being translated into different languages or having a book store manager that will gladly support traditional published authors. A fun thing that comes with being a recognized author is getting the opportunity to travel! Authors are required to do some type of promotion themselves and that means doing author tours. It’s a great way to connect and meet readers in person and sign copies of your books. Travel to promote your book. Expected of the author to do book tours and travel to do so. Finally, receiving an advance, which is money earned whenever you signed the contract with a publisher, is also why other prefer traditional publishing instead of indie publishing. 

The Downside of Traditional Publishing

There are some cons (obviously) but if traditionally publishing is calling you name then take these downsides with a grain of salt. 

1. Loss of rights. When authors sign a contract they are kind of selling their rights to the book to the publisher. This means once you sign the contract, you as the author will not be able to use, sell, or republish your work, which sucks if you wanted to promote your book early or wanted to post something related to your book you wont be able to until the publisher gives you the okay. 
2. Delays. The publishing process can be very slow and authors have to require a great deal of patience until they get to see their book on the shelves.  It could take years, and throughout the time, there could be delays before and after the process. 
3. Disagreements. There are bound to be disagreements with the publisher’s choices regarding how the book is to be produced and marketed.  There could be a bit of back and forth between you and the publisher because the publisher will try to give their advice on what would be best for your book for it to perform well, but you might have ideas that would be more creative inducing. 

Indie Publishing

Indie publishing is probably the most exciting option out of the two and it’s pretty clear why. Many of them you can find on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It can be fun trying to learn and watching other people show their writing journeys from an aspiring author to selling their first book. The best reason that people go the indie route is the creative freedom with their book. Having full creative control over everything that has to do with your book creates a lot of room to express the creative vision of your book. This means that you will have the final say on the cover design, the pricing, the promotions, and everything else that includes getting your work published. Without traditional publications, opinions, the sky is the limit for indie authors. 

Indie publication would be great for you, if the idea of being your boss appeals to you. You get to work at your own pace, set your deadlines, and be as flexible as you want when it comes to working on your book. This will allow you to feel less pressure when writing your book and possibly finish your book faster.  

Much like traditional publishing, indie publishing receives royalties from their work, but as indie authors they are much more likely to maximize their royalties. Some self-publishing platforms give authors a higher percentage of royalties, especially if the book does well among fans. There would be no need to wait on publishers to pay you an advance or worry about your royalties being split among your agent and other ways your money will be cut due to traditional publishing.  Self-published authors get to keep all the money they earn from books as well as the rights. 

Self-Publishing Downsides

1. Coming out of pocket: One of the biggest challenges indie authors face is the financial investment they have to put into having their book be produced. It’s no secret that indie means independent. Indie authors have to pay for everything since they are not affiliated with a traditional publisher house. This process of publishing can be very overwhelming and stressful to some people, and it might leave you with a bare wallet. 
2. Lack of support: Another con is the lack of support. Everything is up to you when it comes to your book. Indie authors usually must wear many hats. They may have to teach themselves, marketing, graphic design, editing, budgeting, etc. So many roles and tasks go into publishing a book, a one-man band could be really daunting. They have to do everything by themselves. Harder to gain recognition and the guarantee is a little less likely. 

Are you aspiring to be a published author one day? Trying to decide between traditional publishing vs self-publishing? Let us know in the comments which publishing route you’re taking!

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