Getting your book published has never been easier!
What is self-publishing? Well, pretty much exactly what it sounds like: you publish your book yourself. No publishing houses, no literary agents. Just you, your book, and some elbow grease. You decide what your book will look like, feel like, read like and even how much it’ll cost. You have full creative, legal and financial control over your book. The best part? It works. Self-publishing is the fastest-growing trend in the industry for a reason. But how will using a self-publishing platform differ from publishing traditionally? Read on to get the full rundown.
How self-publishing differs from traditional publishing
The above paragraph is a decent summary of self-publishing. Nevertheless, if you’re not familiar with either publishing method, you probably have more questions. Before going into more detail about how self-publishing differs from traditional publishing, let’s establish some core characteristics of the latter.
You’ll need an agent to publish traditionally
Getting a book published traditionally is a long and difficult process. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just send a publisher your manuscript and hope they like it; they won’t read it. To have a chance at getting your manuscript considered, you’ll need a literary agent. Good agents have contacts at major publishing houses and will act as intermediaries between you and them.
Agents naturally don’t work for free, but usually they’ll only charge a commission on book sales, i.e. they won’t get paid until you do. Nevertheless, an agent doesn’t guarantee getting published.
When self-publishing, none of this is necessary. You publish whenever you want, however you want, and you get to keep the commission that would otherwise have gone to an agent.
Fewer responsibilities, but also less money
Once your manuscript is accepted by a publishing house, they handle everything until publication. Your book will be edited, designed, and distributed by the publisher. As a first-time author, you’re not likely to get anything more the the bare minimum in terms of marketing, so you’ll probably have to spend time promoting your book once it’s published.
Nevertheless, it’s quite convenient to not have to worry about editing, design, or distribution. This convenience comes at a price, however. The publisher will take a the lion’s share of your book’s sales as their fee for these services.
So how much do you get for the book that you wrote? Well, it depends. Publishers usually have policies determining how much they pay authors for their work. You might be able to negotiate a better deal than is initially offered, but generally speaking, authors will receive up to 7.5% of the recommended retail price (RRP) per sold paperback copy (this can be up to 10% for hardbacks). As a first time author, however, you’ll likely receive less.
But what’s the recommended retail price? That’s for the publisher to decide. Your publisher will sell your book to retailers at a discount, usually around 50%. If a retailer demands a higher discount, your royalties may decrease accordingly.
You may also receive an advance based on the RRP and the publisher’s sales expectations, but keep in mind that you won’t be getting any royalties until the publisher has recouped their investment through book sales.
Book sales and net receipts
If you thought that was complicated, then buckle up, because there’s more. This is just one earning model when publishing traditionally.
One increasingly common system is that of net receipts. This is a euphemism for the publisher paying royalties based on the reduced price offered to retailers, rather than the RRP. Simply put, the higher the discount demanded by the retailer, the lower your royalties are going to be. With retailer discounts usually clocking in at 50% (if not more), this is a significant disadvantage.
Set your own prices when self-publishing
The main difference between traditional and self-publishing in this regard is of course that you can set your own retail prices when self-publishing your book. With no agents and no publishing houses, there are fewer people who want a piece of your pie. This generally makes direct selling (i.e., selling your books directly to readers instead of through retailers) incredibly profitable when self-publishing.
The trade-off of course, is that you will have to do all the work that a publisher would normally do. but you also have complete creative freedom in that regard. This allows you to take creative risks that a publisher might not get behind.
The downside to direct selling is that it’s harder to reach a large readership. Retailers are one solution to this (we’ll discuss more later on in this article), but they will always take a large chunk of your profits. How much exactly usually depends on your specific self-publishing method, but it’s safe to expect at least 45%.
Contracts
Last but not least, when publishing traditionally, you will be signing a contract with the publishing house. What clauses these contracts entail will vary from one publisher to another, but generally speaking, you can expect the contract to cover the following:
- Granting the publisher the exclusive right to publish and distribute the work. This may include licensing it for production in other media forms as well.
- Determining how the author is compensated; advances, royalties, etc.
- Determining territorial rights, i.e. where the publisher is allowed to distribute and sell your book
- Affirming your copyright, obliging the publisher to print a copyright statement in your books
There are obviously a lot more things covered in a standard publishing contract, but these are the most important ones.
When self-publishing, you have complete control over all of these things. You get the final say about pricing, distribution, and adaptation rights. There’s also no tie to a single platform–start with one and switch for better terms later. Even transitioning to traditional publishing is an option if your book takes off.
Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
If you’re still not sure what the difference between these two publishing methods is (or if you’re just on the fence about them), no worries. They’re not mutually exclusive, so it’s not like attempting one will prevent you from trying out the other.
Here’s what you can expect from each of the two publishing methods on a general level:
| Traditional Publishing | Self-publishing | |
| Influence over the design of your book | No | Yes |
| Influence over the price of your book | No | Yes |
| Editing responsibilities | No | Yes |
| Marketing responsibilities* | Yes | Yes |
| Print and edit your book at will | No | Yes |
| Influence over sales channels | No | Yes |
| Influence over royalties* | No | Yes |
| Manuscript vetting required | Yes | No |
| Literary agent required | Yes | No |
| Printing and distribution costs covered | Yes | No |
*While some publishers do arrange for some of their books to be marketed, this is a privilege usually reserved for veterans or exceptionally promising newcomers. As such, you should always prepare for having to do your own marketing, even if you’re publishing traditionally.
**You may of course be able to negotiate, but as a new author, you’ll likely be earning royalties in the 3-7% range.
Summarising self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
We like to think of traditional publishing as an all-inclusive cruise, whereas self-publishing is the personalised and meticulously planned dream trip that you’ve always wanted to go on. One is comfortable but rigid and standardized, and the other is tailor-made, but requires some effort and planning.
A publishing house will take care of all the scary-sounding stuff like editing and distribution, but it will do so at your expense by assuming most of the creative control beyond the contents of your book, in addition to keeping most of the profit from ensuing sales. Much like you can’t decide what food or entertainment options are available on the cruise, or which ports you’ll be stopping at, the traditional publishing process is out of your hands. You will have to give up certain freedoms—both creative and financial—if you manage to get your manuscript accepted (remember, you need an agent to pitch your manuscript for you).
So, self-publishing generally requires more consistent effort. While our publishing platform takes care of the logistics, editing, cover design, sales and marketing all fall to you. However, this grants you unparalleled control over your book. You get to decide what’s in it, what it looks like, how and when it’s going to be printed, where it’s going to be sold, how much it’s going to cost and how much money you make per sold copy. You will have to take on more responsibilities to get a result that is perfect for you, just like when organizing your dream trip.
If you like the idea of being in charge of your own book, but don’t have time to take on some of the tasks associated with self-publishing, you can just outsource them. We offer a wide range of affordable editing services on our platform, including proofreading, spell-checking, editing and cover design.
How self-publishing differs from independent publishing
Independent publishing is often confused with self-publishing. Which makes sense, because the definition of “independent publishing” is rather blurry. You’ll find people using the term independent to describe both authors and publishers, and that is the source of most of the confusion. Both uses are legit, so you’ll have to determine which is being employed based on context.
So what’s an independent publisher?
So if an indie author is an author who self-publishes work independently of a publishing house, what makes a publisher “independent”?
Well, there are 5 huge publishing houses that absolutely dominate the industry. These are Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan. These are commonly referred to as “Big Five”. Technically, any publisher which is not a subsidiary of the Big Five (of which there are many) and annual revenue under a certain arbitrary limit.
What matters for you as an author however, is that indie publishers work more or less like traditional publishers, except that they tend to focus on certain niches, generally take on fewer responsibilities than their traditional counterparts, and usually don’t pay out advances.
Indie publishers also tend to have fewer demands compared to their traditional counterparts, allowing you some more creative wiggle room. They’re also more likely to involve you in the publishing process, allowing you to benefit from their expertise.
All in all, the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing still apply here for the most part. Indie publishers can be said to blend elements of traditional and self-publishing, but whether it’s the best or the worst of both worlds is up to you to decide.
To summarise self-publishing vs independent publishing
We could have made another comparison table for this section, but it would not have added anything new. In most cases, the distinctions between self-publishing and independent publishing mirror those between self-publishing and traditional publishing. There are exceptions and variations between publishing houses of course, but that’s for another article to cover.
The difference between vanity publishing and self-publishing
While the two are often confused, and vanity publishers regularly pass themselves off as self-publishing companies, there is a fundamental difference. At a vanity publisher, you pay to have someone publish your book for you. Self-publishing, on the other hand, means you do it all yourself, without any compulsory costs attached.
Vanity publishers will maximise upfront costs
Since vanity publishers make their money by publishing your book on your behalf, they generally won’t care whether or not you sell any books, as their business model is designed to extract money from writers without any real commitment to the creative endeavour of publishing.
Vanity publishers tend to target first-time authors who lack the experience and confidence to be critical about their propositions. It usually boils down to luring authors in with seemingly attractive package deals designed to monetize as much of the publishing process as possible. As such, once you’ve paid them to publish, they will often simply list your book at a wholesaler, and nothing more.
Self-publishing platforms, however, are usually very invested in your success, as they rely on authors being successful to make money. A respectable self-publishing platform will therefore often provide extra sales tools and other functionalities for free to help you maximise your book sales.
Both vanity publishers and self-publishing companies may offer a range of editorial services for a fee. With vanity publishers, however, these services are often packaged with the publication itself and sold for a fee that you, again, need to pay upfront. A self-publishing platform will generally make services like these available, but completely optional.
Similarly, when printing books, vanity publishers will require you to order a certain number, often as yet another component of a package. Any serious self-publishing platform will instead allow you to print as you go, and not place any minimum requirements on print orders.
In summary, the main differences between vanity publishing and self-publishing are as follows:
- A vanity publisher will charge you money to publish your book, but legitimate a self-publishing platform will not.
- The publishing process is opaque at a vanity publisher, whereas you have full control over it when self-publishing.
- A vanity publisher will do the bare minimum to help you sell your books once they’re published; a self-publishing platform will provide you with tools to facilitate book sales.
- A vanity publisher will often sell you a package of editorial services with a publication fee tacked on, whereas any editorial services on a self-publishing platform will be optional.
- A vanity publisher will generally print a set number of books for a fixed price, whereas a self-publishing platform lets you decide when and how many books you want to print.
Essentially, vanity publishing will always be more inflexible and opaque than self-publishing, without any of the benefits of traditional publishing. These days, it’s easier than ever to maintain full creative and financial control over your book project, so there’s no real advantage to a vanity publisher.
What does self-publishing actually involve?
As we’ve established, self-publishing your book means that you take on the role of publisher, editor, and marketer in addition to being the author. A sort of ‘authorpreneur’, if you will. While it may feel intimidating to take on a project like this, it’s also a very empowering experience. You get more freedom in exchange for more responsibility.
What sets self-publishing apart from other publishing methods?
Here’s a summary of what makes self-publishing different from the other publication methods we’ve covered so far:
- You don’t need a literary agent when self-publishing
- The author has full control over the publishing process; when, where and how the book is published
- The author has full creative control over the book
- The author retains full licensing and distribution rights
- While the author bears the initial costs, they get to determine what those costs are
- The author sets the retail price of their book(s), and obtains more royalties per sold copy
- The author is responsible for all sales and marketing activities.
Is self-publishing for everyone?
Although self-publishing platforms like Bookmundo are available to anyone who has written a book and wants to get it published, self-publishing is not the best choice for every author.
Writing a book is a lot of work on its own. Publishing requires even more effort and dedication; whether it be the grind of finding agents and submitting your manuscript, or the challenge of taking on the role of a publisher yourself. Which publishing method works best for you will depend on what you find most rewarding, and of course, which trade-offs you find most worthwhile.
You can try different approaches to publishing
Choosing to pursue a publishing strategy doesn’t mean you’re locked into that choice forever. It’s becoming increasingly common for authors to start self-publishing, and later pivot to traditional publishing (Andy Weir, Michael J. Sullivan, and E.L James, to name a few examples). Conversely, Brandon Sanderson made headlines when he decided to self-publish his next books, raising a record amount through his now-famous Kickstarter campaign.
The point is that you shouldn’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to write, and don’t be afraid to publish. Your story matters, and there are more ways to get your book out there than ever before. There’s no reason not to try a bunch of different approaches to publishing your book.
Self-publishing on Bookmundo
Our goal is to empower writers and enable them to publish their books on their own terms. To that end, we’ve designed Bookmundo to take on as much of the heavy lifting in the publishing process as possible. Bookmundo is built to automate and streamline most of the technical and logistical (i.e. mind-numbingly boring) aspects of publishing. This lets you focus on writing, promoting, and selling your books.
How does Bookmundo help you with self-publishing?
At this point, you’re probably asking yourself how Bookmundo makes it easier for you to self-publish a book. In general terms, it:
- Lets you create and customise your book, giving you the freedom to choose everything from the size to the type of paper used.
- Features an easy-to-use cover designer that you can use to create a professional-looking book cover in no time
- Allows you to sell your book via major online bookshops like Amazon, Kobo, and Google Books from a single interface
- Enables you to set your own retail price, effectively allowing you to decide how much money you make per sold copy
- Provides detailed sales statistics, allowing you to monitor your book sales across all your selected sales channels directly in your account
- Lets you print copies of your book on demand at a discounted rate
- Provides a range of sales and marketing tools to help you spread the word and sell more books.
- Handles the printing and distribution of all purchased books
What’s left for you to do?
Our platform can do a lot of things, but we haven’t quite managed to teach it how to write a bestselling novel yet. So, we need you to:
- Write, edit, and upload your manuscript
- Create a cover using our cover designer or upload a ready-made one
- Check that everything is as you want it before publishing
- Promote and sell your book
Simply put, as long as you have the content, we can publish, print and distribute it for you, as well as ensure you get paid for the books you sell. It’s a pretty neat system that takes a whole lot off your plate. Why not give it a go? It’s 100% free to use!
FAQ
How much does it cost to publish a book?
It doesn’t cost anything to publish your book on our platform. We only charge for ISBNs (if you choose to buy one) and printing books you order for yourself.
Do I need to submit my manuscript for approval before publishing?
Nope, you can simply create an account and start publishing. No approval process and no contracts; think of it as a sort of Youtube, but for books.
What makes self-publishing different from traditional publishing?
Simply put, self-publishing empowers you to take all the executive decisions regarding your book. You get to decide what’s in it, what it looks like, where it’s sold and for how much (and by extension, how much money you make per copy). Traditional publishing offers less freedom. You’ll need to submit a manuscript through a literary agent and have it approved by the publisher before you can start the publishing process.
How can Bookmundo help me self-publish?
Bookmundo streamlines and guides you through the publishing process while taking care of a bunch of technical and logistical tasks like printing, shipping, and distribution in online webshops. It also features helpful tools like manuscript templates, a cover designer, and marketing tools.
How much can I earn by selling my book?
That varies depending on the sales channel. When selling via our webshop, your own site, or social media channels, your profit margin will be at its highest. You can use our pricing calculator to figure out exactly how much you can make per sales channel. You’ll also be able to see how the profits per sold copy are distributed between yourself and the sales channels you’ve chosen.
Where can I sell my book?
Our goal is to provide a one-stop shop for all your publishing needs. To that end, all major online bookshops are available via Bookmundo, meaning all you have to do is tick a box, and your book will be made available for purchase on Amazon, Kobo, Google, and Apple Books. We also provide you with a digital storefront and social media integrations to help you sell your book directly to readers, without an intermediary; this will result in the highest possible margins for you.
What types of books can I publish?
You can publish paperbacks, hardcovers, and ebooks on our platform. The contents of those books are of course completely up to you. We also offer a wide range of other customization options, varying from the paper type to the cover finish. You can explore these options using our pricing calculator.
I don’t want to publish my book, as it’s intended for private use. Is that possible?
Absolutely! You can skip the publishing step entirely and get straight to printing or downloading.