The pathway to publish a book has shifted greatly from the notion that literary agents and the “Big 5” publishers are necessities. Over the past 15 years, the ability to publish a book without having to compromise creative control or royalties is easily within reach. Now more than ever, authors can publish smartly depending on factors like budget, timing, demographic, or preferred medium. As long as you do your homework.

In 2024, whether the challenge is a veteran author trying to convert sales, a debut author choosing the best publishing route, or an author mapping out a series, it’s helpful to understand your options. It’s imperative to continuously educate ourselves and authors, and to offer transparency when it comes to the pros, cons, and realities of publishing paths.

Before diving in, let’s address the stigma that seems to cause such division in the publishing world: the question of paying to publish.

When you think of an artist, what comes to mind? A musician pays for studio time, a producer, space on a platform, and copyright. An artist pays for a space to create, as well as a fee or commission to hang in a gallery. Think of a fashion designer, actor, of film director. These careers require initial investment by the creator, materials or professionals for visibility, whether that’s marketing or publicity. So as an author, it’s imperative that, even if you aren’t working with a publisher that requires upfront payment, that you invest in professional cover design, editing, proofreading, interior design, e-book formatting, printing, and more. Do your research, interview a range of professionals, ask to see samples—and take your time.

Self Publishing

The most flexible route, self-publishing is best suited for those with the time to educate themselves on all things self-publishing, shoulder the work, and invest in professional services to make their book stand out from the hundreds that are self-published on a weekly basis. This means you have the time to source professionals that help edit, design, and format your book, set your files up for distribution and a price, market and launch your book, monitor sales and reviews, and more.

The biggest pro here is that you retain all control and rights, and receive a large chunk, if not 100 percent, of the profits. Print-on-demand (POD) publishers are a great way to self publish. This uses printing technology to produce books, printed one at a time to meet readers’ demand, at a cost-effective price. This benefits the author in distributing their books without a lot of upfront costs. Consider trust-worthy platforms like KDP print or IngramSpark to help you independently publish and distribute your book.

The biggest con? Without guidance from a publisher or agent, it takes time to position yourself as a professional author, navigate interaction with booksellers, network, market your book, organize events/signings, etc. There is also the lack of distribution to get in stores, and even on multiple online retailers.

The Reality

  • Very hands-on, hiring/collaborating with experts to make your book as professional and polished as possible
  • Retain 100 percent control, indefinite royalties, and rights (we can’t stress enough to trust the vetted professionals on certain things though, such as editing and cover design)
  • You must do all the marketing yourself, or hire it out
  • Very difficult to get into libraries and brick-and-mortar stores

Don’t discount mediums such as ebook only or audiobook formats. Those can be funded and launched on your own timeline.

Note: Authors have used crowdfunding platforms to raise money for books that might be of public interest. Check out sites like Kickstarter, Rockethub, Patreon, or Unbound.

Self-Publishing Service Providers

There are several companies that market themselves as providers for a range of services necessary to authors. Most of the time, these are curated into packages of various prices, targeted to those who don’t have the time or desire to take care of all the things necessary to launch a book.

Some of these include:

  • Publishing consultant/coach who guides you through the publishing process, and may bring a vetted list of editors, designers, etc. to the table.
  • Full-service assistance, where the author chooses from a publishing package that may range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Authors pay an upfront fee and received a larger portion of royalties.

Many companies that fall in this category range from legitimate and reputable, to companies that skew on promising language but don’t deliver, all the way to full-blown scams. Many of these providers will publish any manuscript that falls into their queue, with the author choosing from publishing packages that also offer editing, cover design, layout, and distribution. The royalty percentage and market discount ranges here, but typically falls in the 40-50 percent discount that retailers such as Amazon keep from every book sale. I’ve worked with many authors who have discovered after the fact that these companies had hidden fees, questionable quality, and zero author support after the book had been printed, ultimately feeling exploited or neglected. Because of the ever-changing landscape of these companies, authors should put in hours of research, talk to past authors, look at the quality of the provider’s printed and ebook books, and read the language closely in what’s involved/included.

Hybrid Publishing

Hybrid publishing marries some of the most desired elements of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and has taken major steps up the publishing legitimacy ladder in recent years. While authors still pay for a publishing package, they are often working with professionals from the traditional publishing world, with vetted acquisitions (meaning that manuscripts not up to quality or aligned with the publisher’s mission are turned away), and editorial standards. At the same time, authors retain a lot of creative control, and work in collaboration with the publishing professionals on an often-weekly basis from submission to post-publication.

While the term hybrid has been used by many author service providers, in 2018 the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) worked hard with industry leaders to establish a 9-point Hybrid Publishers Criteria list to define the business and publishing structure of a legitimate hybrid publisher. In 2022, the criteria was increased to 11 points, with the ongoing mission to help identify reputable hybrid publishers.

Keep in mind:

  • Just as with traditional publishing, be sure to read publisher submission guidelines thoroughly. Speak with authors recently published with the press and educate yourself on the publisher’s catalog. Are the books reviewed by the trades? Do they qualify for industry awards? Make sure to closely review the contract.
  • This model often still requires a hands-on effort by the author since it tends to lean toward the collaborative end.
  • Have a good understanding of the publishing model timeline; longer schedules, at least 10 months ahead of time, are typical, and/or a sales team that will presell your book into the market (depending on the publisher).

Traditional Publishing

While many authors still see traditional publishing with one of the Big 5 as the holy grail, it shouldn’t be seen as a measurement to what makes a book worthy or successful. This model is usually funneled through a literary agent, and means the author sells the rights to their book in exchange for an advance. It is hyper-focused on what currently sells, like celebrity memoirs or books with massive publicity campaigns that will sell thousands of copies. The pros—a financial advance, extensive distribution, built in marketing teams, curated events—can be outweighed by the cons.

To start, find literary agents that specialize in your genre to make the manuscript shopping process streamlined, as well as publishers that publish books like yours. For nonfiction, create a book proposal, usually with sample chapters, and chapter synopses. For fiction, your manuscript should be completed and ideally edited.

Research all submission guidelines extensively and follow directions as closely as possible. This most often includes a query letter, description of proposal marketing efforts/platform, stand-outs from your bio, chapter summaries, social media/newsletter reach, and more.

Keep in mind:

  • Traditional publishing follows a long timeline. Expect at least a few months to go by before hearing a response from agents (if at all). If an agent agrees to represent you, typically tack on another 6 months to shop the manuscript to publishers. And if a publisher does pick it up, it could take up to a year for negotiations to close. And once that happens, it may be at least another year before your book comes to publication.
  • While traditional publishing can offer an advance, often the author is expected to earn out that advance in book sales before they begin to earn any royalties—and those royalties average around 5 to 7 percent.

While this article just touches on each of these publishing paths, the key is finding the direction that works best for you as an author. Stay abreast of industry news and keep your finger on the pulse of publishing by joining author organizations, and network at author and bookseller conferences. The publishing landscape is ever-changing, but the hunger for new stories and authors with something to say will never falter.