Every author with a finished manuscript eventually faces the same question: should I chase a traditional publishing deal, or publish it myself? Both paths have produced successful Australian books, and neither is right for everyone. Here is how they compare.
How traditional publishing works
A traditional publisher buys the right to publish your book. They pay for editing, design, printing and distribution, and in return they own the publishing rights, make the final decisions on things like the cover and title, and pay you a royalty, a percentage of each sale. Some authors also receive an advance against those royalties.
Getting there is the hard part. Most large publishers prefer submissions through a literary agent, although several Australian publishers run open submission windows. Either way, competition is fierce, and many excellent manuscripts are turned down because they do not fit a publisher's list that year.
How self-publishing works
When you self-publish, you are the publisher. You keep the rights, make every decision and receive a much larger share of each sale. You also take responsibility for the editing, design, production and marketing, either doing it yourself or hiring professionals to do it for you.
Side by side
Control
Traditional publishers have the final say on the cover, title, price and release date. Self-published authors decide everything themselves.
Rights
A traditional contract licenses your rights to the publisher, often for many years. Self-publishing leaves all rights with you, including film, audio and translation rights.
Money
Traditional publishing costs you nothing upfront, but your royalty per book is smaller. Self-publishing involves upfront costs for professional services, but you keep far more of every sale.
Time
Finding an agent and a publisher can take years, and books are often scheduled a year or more ahead. A self-published book can reach readers within months of a finished manuscript.
Bookshops and prestige
Traditional publishers have sales teams that place books in shops and pitch them to media and prizes. Self-published books can still be ordered by bookshops and libraries through distributors such as IngramSpark, and quality is what readers notice most.
Which path suits you?
Traditional publishing may suit you if you are happy to wait, comfortable giving up some control, and writing in a genre publishers are actively buying.
Self-publishing may suit you if you want control of your book, want it published on your timeline, have a clear audience you can reach, or are writing a memoir, family history, business book or niche title that publishers are less likely to take on.
The one thing that matters on either path
Whichever route you choose, readers judge the finished book in the same way. A self-published book that has been professionally edited, designed and formatted sits comfortably beside traditionally published titles. One that skips those steps rarely does.
If you decide to self-publish, our book publishing service gives you a professional team while you keep your rights and royalties.