Why am I self-publishing?

A lot of people have asked why I'm self-publishing and haven't tried going via the traditional route, so I put together a video on my reasons why. For anyone who doesn't want to watch me awkwardly trying to Youtube, here's a quick rundown of the situation:

1. Timing
- Self publishing is set to your own time-frame, and can be as quick or as laboured as you want. As soon as the book is ready to be read, give or take, it can be published.
- Traditional publishing can take up to two years between signing an agreement and hitting the shelves.

2. Royalties
- Self publishing via Amazon KDP you get 70% royalties
- Traditional publishing you get around 10-12% royalties

3. Payment
- Self publishing you get monthly payments
- Traditional publishing you get one large up-front sum

4. Expertise
- Self publishing you do everything yourself, and will have to fund any freelance help for marketing and design-work out of your own pocket
- Traditional publishing you can sit back and let the experts market your book and make tough calls for you

5. Rights
- Self publishing you own all rights and control everything from cost of the book to the very last word.
- Traditional publishing you hand a lot of the rights to your publisher, and they can chop and change what they want, from the title to chapter layouts

6. Ownership
- Self publishing you can dedicate all your time and passion toward marketing your book
- Traditional publishing leaves the marketing to your publishers, who may prioritise other releases over yours, particularly if you are a debut author.

What it comes down to is whether you have the time, resources and expenses to create your own book package, from the proofreading and editing to the design-work and marketing plan. Every writer is different and has different priorities.

Likewise, every writer has a different definition of 'success', which will drive their choice. For some writers it's necessary to be published by a recognized publishing house in order to be considered successful.

For me, personally, if just one person who is not my friend or relative reads and enjoys my book, I will consider it a success. The journey itself is a success for me.

Hope this helps!

Love, C x