Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing

Today's little bulleted list of the "Pros and Cons of Self-publishing" comes from someone who has been there. I've had agents, not had agents. I've been rejected hundreds of times. I've published in major, small, and independent presses, and now primarily self-publish. I've been a bestseller and had books I couldn't make someone read at gunpoint. And all of the routes are difficult. If you think it's hard to write a book, try selling one.
Pros of having agent
1. Most writers can't arrange lunch with an influential publisher, talk over salad, and leave with book deal.2. An agent can get you more money, usually more than the 15 percent commission.3. An agent can guide you for an entire career, point out the landmines, dun publishers for money owed, and stay ahead on trends.
Cons of having an agent1. The best book in the world won't matter to them if they can't sell it.2. Your book immediately becomes New York-centric, measured by all the other deals, relationships, commodities, industry politics, and corporate bottom lines, as well as the pecking order of your own agency.3. It's possible the agent becomes a roadblock or black hole, where your work vanishes for years.
Pros of having a publisher1. They do most of the work besides the writing.2. They have a system in place designed to distribute and promote books.3. They can pay you money immediately.
Cons of having a publisher1. They take most of the money.2. They may keep your rights virtually forever.3. They solely determine the fate of your book, via profit-and-loss statements, print runs, and the amount of the advance, so there's automatically a ceiling placed on your book.
Pros of doing it yourself1. You keep all the money.2. You get to find your own audience.3. You control everything, and the success and failure are yours alone.
Cons of doing it yourself.1. You keep all the money and there may not be much.2. You have to find your own audience.3. You control everything, and the success and failure are yours alone.
More and more writers are developing hybrid careers, where they have agents or use publishers but also self-publish material that's either been out of print or has a small audience. This will probably become the standard working model for middle-class writers in the next few years. But to make it work, pay attention to the rights you sign away in contracts—the fairest deals should return the work to you after a certain period of time or when sales drop below a certain level. After all, it's your work. If you don't care about it, why should anyone else?
-------------Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including the thrillers Disintegration, As I Die Lying, Drummer Boy, Forever Never Ends, The Skull Ring, Burial to Follow ,and October Girls. His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are Creative Spirit, Troubled, The Gorge, and Solom. He's also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include Ashes, The First, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Flowers. His web site is www.hauntedcomputer.com.
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