Guest Contributor Astra Crompton, Editing & Illustrations Coordinator at FriesenPress

Self-publishing has advanced by leaps and bounds over the last few decades. Printing technology, distribution avenues, and marketing opportunities have all closed the gap with the traditional publishing world.

Choosing to self-publish these days is no longer a consolation prize but a savvy marketing decision for many indie authors who want to get their books out there and find their market on their own terms.

Is going indie the right decision for you and your next book? Here, we’ll cover 6 hidden benefits of self-publishing to help you decide.

Hopping on Trends

If you’re inspired by a recent trend in publishing, it’s practically impossible to get your manuscript through the gates of traditional publishing in time to participate in it.

First you’d need to find an agent, many of whom are already inundated with similar manuscripts from other hopeful authors, then do revisions to fit that agent’s vision, then go on submission looking for a publisher — by which point, the trend has passed you buy.

One of the advantages of self-publishing is the sheer speed between completing your manuscript and being able to publish it. The faster you go, the more corners you need to cut — which can affect the quality of your book — but you do have the ability to publish in a matter of months instead of the average 2–3 years it takes for traditional publishing to put out a book.

Especially if you’re working with publishing services professionals, you can simultaneously be working on multiple aspects of your book, like editing, cover design, and prepping your marketing efforts all at once to further shorten your timeline. This enables you to get your book out in time to ride the wave of popularity in your chosen genre or get the word out while your topic is still making headlines. Timing can make all the difference in a book’s success.

Unheard Voices

Traditional publishing’s leadership is still largely run by affluent White individuals who bring their own preferences and biases to the kinds of books they publish. This has resulted in less than 10% of their books being written by marginalized voices, including people of colour, LGBTQ+, and disabled authors. This means that if you are an author writing about these topics or from these perspectives, there are even fewer chances for you to get a traditional publishing deal. And, historically, even if you do get a coveted spot with a traditional publisher, authors of colours are offered smaller advances and less marketing support.

Considering that almost half of the population in North America identifies as marginalized, this means there is a large readership underserved with stories for and about people who resemble their lived experiences. Now, more than ever, we need #ownvoices stories, as reflected in the Book Industry Study Group adding BISAC codes specifically for own voices books in 2024 “for works where the main characters(s) are from a marginalized, minority, or under-represented group and where the author is a member of the group being written about.”

Many marginalized authors are finding success by side-stepping traditional publishing altogether and going indie. This enables them to make choices that better present their book to their intended audience’s expectations and preferences, setting it up for success. These audiences are hungry for content that authentically tells their stories or speaks to their experiences. This can result in a powerful reading community willing to rally behind a quality self-published book.

Creative Control

Beyond just how a book is marketed, some authors are concerned about how their book may be presented or what might be done with their intellectual property (IP). When signing a traditional publishing deal, an author is also signing over rights to other works made in that universe or with those characters and where in the world (and in what formats) that book can be distributed for a set number of years. This means that if the publisher decides to shelve the book or cancel the series, the author cannot do anything with it until that term expires. Some authors are left hanging for a decade, unable to republish their work or even release future books in that series.

Marketing decisions like what your cover will look like, whether it will be released internationally, or whether it can be optioned for adaptation into a series or film is all covered by your publishing agreement. A traditionally published author has very little control over what their book will look like and often misses out on lucrative opportunities to expand the reach of their book, such as translations, audiobooks, and branding opportunities.

If you want to retain control over your work and how, where, and in what formats it’s released, self-publishing ensures that you retain all copyrights to your work in perpetuity. This gives you the freedom to choose your markets, editions, and organically pursue new opportunities as your success grows.

Corrected Copy

Mistakes happen even in traditionally published books. While most modern readers won’t hold a single error against an author, if a book is riddled with mistakes or data that’s outdated, a traditionally published book has to decide whether they will pull the books and mulch them or wait until the print run sells out. Only if the book was considered successful will they release a second run, and you may not get the chance to make changes before they do so.

When working with a print-on-demand model, you can pivot more easily to catch and correct mistakes without having to wait for a second print run. For small errors, you can update your printing files and no one’s the wiser. For larger changes you can retire an old edition and replace it with a revised edition; you can even refresh your cover design to indicate that this is the revised edition to prevent any confusion with old copies of the book that might still be in circulation.

This is especially ideal for books with topical information, such as textbooks or nonfiction books on financial advice, medicine, self-help techniques, or swiftly changing political topics to prolong the shelf-life of the book. Releasing updated copies can even work to your advantage if you build partnerships with corporations or conventions, enabling you to provide up-to-date editions to remain current in a rapidly evolving market.

Higher Royalties

When you’re not reliant on a publishing house, you don’t have to split your royalties with anyone. Cutting out the middle man means you set the pricing on your books (both print-on-demand and consignment) and that can result in much higher returns.

It’s important to note that even in self-publishing, there are still costs you’ll need to take into account and budget for, such as hiring a professional book designer, editor, or choosing a distribution partner to ship out your books. However, there’s no need to “earn out” a traditional publishing contract (recouping the costs of your advance) before you start earning royalties. You will earn royalties on every copy sold from the date it publishes, and you can set what those royalties look like.

Depending on if you choose to sell books on a consignment model or lean into direct ordering through a distributor, you may need to offer a larger percentage of your royalty to retailers to entice them to carry your book. Even so, you’ll still be able to retain a higher royalty than a traditionally published author — who needs to give 15–20% to their agent for brokering the deal.

Earning higher royalties means you can recoup your initial investment back and start turning a profit sooner.

Choosing Your Support

While traditional publishing assigns each book with an editor, a cover designer, and marketing plan, the author gets very little say in who these individuals are or what their vision is for the book. However, some authors feel overwhelmed with the prospect of having to suddenly become a masterful cover designer, editor, typesetter, marketer, and social media expert. The best part of self-publishing is you get to choose which pieces you keep for yourself and which pieces you hire professionals to support you with.

Going fully DIY means you’ll be responsible for obtaining layout software, illustrations or stock images (if relevant), self-editing, self-proofing, setting up your author website and social media accounts, researching media outlets, connecting with potential retailers, managing stock and/or distribution for your book, etc.

If you want more support, you can instead partner with a publishing services provider. You still remain your own publisher, but these companies provide vetted professional editors, illustrators, designers, and promotions experts to ensure your book meets traditional publishing standards. They can also answer any questions you have about the process as you build your book, advise on best practices, and ensure that you can focus on the portions of your book release that you have expertise in.

When it comes to your completed manuscript, consider these benefits of self-publishing and ask which path is right for you. You can always try to submit to agents for the chance of going traditionally published first. If that doesn’t pan out, it doesn’t mean your book isn’t good enough, it just means it doesn’t fit into their marketing plans. You can then take the reins and go indie. Conversely, some self-published authors become smash hits on social media with their books, and a traditional publisher takes an interest and offers a deal.

There’s no right or wrong way to bring your book to the public. You have the power of choosing the right fit for you and your goals.

Astra Crompton is a writer and illustrator with twenty years’ experience in self-publishing. Astra’s short stories have been published in magazines, fundraising anthologies, and used in school curriculums. She has taught courses and written articles on creative writing for over five years.

As Editing & Illustrations Coordinator, Astra also manages, coordinates, and vets FriesenPress’s industry-leading editing and illustrations teams.