The publishing landscape has changed dramatically over the years. What was once a singular path is now a multi-pronged assortment of options. From traditional publishing, to self-publishing and the hybrid model that exists somewhere in the middle, a new author can get lost in all the different directions they can go to get their book into readers’ hands.

In this article, we’re going to break down all the things a newly minted author needs to know if they are considering the self-publishing route. From the highs and the lows, this list will give you an idea of the demand that comes with self-publishing, the risks as well as the rewards so you can decide if this is where you want to invest your time, money and energy.

Let’s dive in!

Self-Publishing Requires a Business Mindset

When exploring self-publishing as an option, the first thing an author needs to do is prepare to engage a business mindset. While in traditional publishing, your publisher handles the business end of the deal (distribution, market research, pricing, etc.), in self-publishing, that work is left up to you.

But don’t let this intimidate you away from the space. This can be a huge advantage. It allows for flexibility, quick directional shifts, and authority to make decisions for the betterment of your book.

Still, it takes some effort to build out the business side of your brain when your work so far has been primarily creative. Learning the industry is a crucial component to self-publishing success and most writers are starting with little or no previous experience.

Research is the crucial first step.

Research doesn’t end with your book’s content. It also plays a tremendous role in crafting the ideal “product” for your “target consumer”. In publishing, we often use terms like “books” and “readers” which can detach us from the entrepreneurial endeavor we are embarking on. You wouldn’t start a coffee shop without understanding the market you want your business to be in (competition, location, customer interest). And you shouldn’t start publishing a book without a solid understanding of that landscape either.

You have to familiarize yourself with the retailers. 

In order to sell your book, you’ll need to first think about where you’re going to be selling. Obviously Amazon is the biggest book retailer in the world, but it certainly isn’t the only one. And there are options involved even when it comes to that one platform. But if you’re hoping to get your story into bookstores or into international markets, there are a few things to think about.

  • Exclusive vs. Wide: First you’ll need to decide if you want to publish exclusively with Amazon. There are benefits to only publishing on Amazon–like being enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and having access to Amazon-exclusive promotions–that you are going to have to weigh against the option to publish wide (i.e. on all major platforms). Do you want people to be able to purchase your book anywhere? Or do you want to benefit from the deals offered by Amazon if you go exclusive? If you choose the former, your reach may be wider, but it is also more to manage. If you choose the latter, you may have more direct access to Amazon’s customers, but lose out on those shopping at places like Barnes & Noble, indie bookstores and Kobo.

It’s important to get familiar with how each platform works from a technical standpoint. Uploading a book to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is a fairly easy process a decade and a half into the self-publishing game, but it comes with its issues. There are also services out there who will help you upload your book to one place and distribute it across retailers. These are all options to look into.

Understanding your genre is essential.

In order to understand who you are selling to, you have to know what customers are already buying in your space. Understanding the genres and categories your book fits into will help you:

  • Meet reader expectations
  • Design a cover that aligns with the genre and attracts readers
  • Properly market
  • Avoid bad reviews/reader disappointment

Unfortunately, a lot of new writers go into authorship thinking a few very damaging thoughts. Without the insulation of traditional publishing to guide you, you might go forward thinking:

  • My book doesn’t fit into a genre or category, it’s unique
  • My book is for everyone
  • I don’t want my book to look or feel like anyone else’s, that will give me a competitive edge

Understanding your genre and categories ensures that there is an eager audience already waiting for a book like yours. It’s a good thing to “fit in” at least to some degree.

While your story can still be unique and powerful, it has to check some of the genre boxes in order to resonate with readers. If you are writing romance, but your MC’s love interest doesn’t show up until the second half of the book, you’re going to have a lot of disgruntled readers who might DNF (did not finish) your story. If you’re writing a thriller, but design a cover that is light and airy, people might mistake it for being contemporary fiction and pass.

Knowing what is working in your genre, what draws people to those books and how to offer a familiar, but unique experience is a crucial ingredient for self-publishing success.

Developing a rich understanding of comp titles will serve you in the long run.

Get to know the other books and authors in your genre. Both the bestselling traditionally published and the top selling indie published authors can provide a wealth of information. Analyze their covers. READ THE BOOKS. Study the reviews. All of this is great source material for determining what is working in the current market and being sure you meet that demand.

You will need to invest time and money in your self-publishing endeavor.

Perhaps one of the most important things to research when you’re in the early stages of deciding whether you want to go down the self-publishing path is cost. While once upon a time, DIYing every aspect of publishing (editing, cover design, interior) would have been accepted, the space has matured over the years. And if you’re interested in the success of your book, you need to be willing to invest real dollars into the process.

That being said, there are ways to do this while being budget conscious or you can spend a lot trying to match the effort of traditional. It’s important to get a feel for where you get the most return, what the average cost of a particular services are and what moves the needle inside the self-publishing space.

A benefit to self-publishing is that you can often move through this process much faster than they do in traditional. It will still take time, but you can usually get to publication faster.

Product Development

As you progress from the research stage, and you’ve decided to move forward in the direction of self-publishing, then you will enter the “product development” stage. Again, treat this like you would starting any business. Thankfully, the cost threshold to start a book business is lower than most other businesses, but there are still costs involved as you develop the product that is your author brand.

There is no compromising on editing.

Perhaps back in the Wild West days of self-publishing, authors could get away with light self-editing or having a friend go over their manuscript. But now, self-publishing has elevated and there’s no escaping the need for genuine, professional editing.

Be sure to explore the different types of editing. If you’re trying to replicate the standards of traditional editing, you’ll want a developmental edit, a copy edit and a proof, at a bare minimum.

People really do judge a book by the cover.

After years and years of self-publishing, consumers have gotten pretty savvy and a DIY book cover (unless you’re a graphic designer), simply doesn’t fly in 2024. Not only do you need a book design that is on par with what you see on retailers currently, but it also has to fit the genre, as well as the current style in order to catch the eye of a modern reader.

Remember, this isn’t going to be about your personal taste (entirely), this is about meeting market expectations. So keep in mind that while at a traditional publishing house, you may have less say in your cover, going self-published doesn’t mean it’s a free for all.

Interior design is an often forgotten about piece of the puzzle. 

When you choose to self-publish, you’re choosing to do–or at least hire someone to do– every part of putting the book together. This includes designing the interior of your book. The font, the chapter heads, the table of contents, the acknowledgements. All of this is up to you. Luckily there are programs like Vellum that make this task easier. There’s also the option to hire someone to do it. But a big part of self-publishing is understanding EVERY piece that goes into making a book.

You’ll need to put on your copywriter hat as well.

Publishing a book is never about just publishing a book. There are so many moving parts involved in the process. And while, you surely expect to do plenty of creative writing, what catches a lot of authors off guard is the copywriting. From cover copy to landing pages, author bio to website, ad copy to press materials, you might find yourself doing more business writing than anticipated. And while being the creative person you are, this may be a fun challenge, it’s often one that takes authors by surprise. There are a lot of supporting pieces that need to be pulled together.

Platform building is on the author regardless of your path.

“Platform” is a phrase you’ll hear a lot in the publishing space. Whether you’re traditionally published, self-published or currently unpublished, the need to build a platform is going to be there. This can mean A LOT of things. But from just a baseline level, authors should consider a website, an email list and a social media presence as the starting place for a platform. A traditional house won’t do this for authors either, so this will be a task on your plate either way.

Creating these spaces, is the obligation of the author and it can look different for everyone. Having a platform doesn’t mean just having the technical spaces for readers to visit, it means creating a place where interested readers aggregate and are interested in what you’re talking about. This can also include public speaking, Substack, YouTube channels and an almost endless array of options for reaching people.

The bottomline is, whether you’re self-published or traditionally published you have to expect to build a platform. But if you’re self-published your platform is the only platform, so it becomes even more important. Whereas in a traditional or hybrid model, you’re able to also leverage the publisher’s platform to an extent.

Promotion Is Priority

There are so many books entering the market that promoting your b0ok has to be a priority regardless of the publishing path you choose. This is especially true for a self-published author. You are trying to rise above a lot of noise and trying to compete with the larger machinery that is the traditional space. But this doesn’t mean there isn’t opportunity, it just means you have to be aware of your niche and stay nimble. TL Swan, Colleen Hoover, Andy Weir and Hugh Howey (to name a few) started out self-published and found a tremendous audience before entering the traditional space. And there are thousands of authors making a good living reaching thousands of readers on their own. But you can’t simply hit publish on Amazon and cross your fingers, you have to be willing and ready to tell anyone who will listen to go buy your book.

Launch is a key component to self-publishing success. 

In the traditional space, teams are preparing for a book launch for months, if not over a year. Reaching out to media outlets, promoting on social media, and coordinating events to engage audiences for a new book. Self-published authors sometimes skip this process. Eager and able to just hit publish as soon as their books are ready, indies will often skip this launch phase. If you’re going to self-publish, even if your book is ready right now, slow down. Take time to plan, prepare and execute on a launch that helps build anticipation and generate early sales. These initial sales will be crucial for the long-term success of your book.

Reach matters, but don’t underestimate the value of a few hundred excited readers.

Traditional publishing has, for a long time, looked at reach like it’s a winning lottery number. That’s why you’ll see existing influencers land book deals. However, the industry is having a reckoning with regards to online reach being some sort of a golden goose. It can be intimidating to see established authors with followings in the five-figures or higher, but so much of that comes after the popularity of a book. If you’re just getting started, having a few hundred people following you is fine. Treat those people like they are a room of 300. Make them feel special and appreciated. Encourage them to tell two friends, and then those people to tell two. You can build a significant amount of momentum off of a small group of excited readers and a good book they’re eager to share.

Nurture your fans. No matter how many.

After the excitement of a book launch dies down, it’s easy to crawl back into writing mode and neglect the readers you’ve gained. Especially if your first book sees only a small amount of success. Try to stay engaged with your people, even if there are only a few. These readers could be lifelong fans if you continue to foster their excitement around your books. Give them sneak peaks, a bonus chapter or even a role in naming characters. The more intimate the connection, the more likely they are to buy every book you put out.

Leverage other platforms for promotion and collaboration.

Your book’s initial promotion is not the end of the story. You may not have a big audience now, but you can partner with those who do. Whether it’s running a book promotion through a site like BookBub or partnering with a fellow indie author and doing an event so your two audiences become one, there are no limits to all the ways you can get your book in front of readers. Don’t quit, keep going!

Take stock and adjust accordingly. 

Perhaps the best part of being self-published author is the ability to make changes and adjust when you get feedback. Did you get some bad reviews for poor editing? Fix it. Is your cover not landing with your target audience? Redesign it. Did you get rejected for a particular promotion? Resubmit. In traditional, once a book is out, there’s very little that changes. That book is what it is. In self-publishing, you have a kind of adaptability that you can use to your advantage.

Self-publishing can feel like more work when you see it all laid out, but the truth is, the work is just different. It’s more independent and entrepreneurial, but it also puts you in the driver’s seat for all the decision-making. With traditional you are given a team, with self-publishing, you build a team. Though there are upfront costs, you can also earn more on sales without all the overhead. If the above options feel doable, then you just might be an ideal candidate for self-publishing!