To self-publish, or not to self-publish? That is the question. If you’re considering self-publishing, some common misconceptions may have crossed your mind. Let’s take a look at these myths and discuss why they’re just that—myths.
Myth #1: “Self-published authors aren’t real authors.”
Should I even dignify this statement with a response?
Is John Grisham a “real” author? How about Margaret Atwood? E.L. James? Andy Weir? Rupi Kaur? Beatrix Potter? Colleen Hoover?
… I could go on. You get the idea. Total myth!
Myth #2: “You can self-publish or traditionally publish—but not both.”
Choosing to self-publish your first book does not preclude you from traditionally publishing your next book. In fact, building up an audience of loyal readers tremendously raises your chances of being picked up by a literary agent or traditional publisher. Many of the authors I listed in Myth #1 started with self-publishing and went on to later work with major publishers.
Myth #3: “You can only make money through traditional publishing.”
If you’re trying to “get rich quick,” writing and publishing a book is not the way to go, no matter how you publish it. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee your book will make a lot of money.
Most authors don’t make much money from traditional book deals. They’re paid a (generally modest) advance, and then they have to “earn out” the advance before seeing any royalties. For some authors, this never happens.
When you self-publish, you earn higher royalties, and you earn them immediately. How many copies you sell is ultimately up to your marketing efforts—and book reviews.
Myth #4: “Books produced by traditional publishers are better quality.”
I recently finished reading Iron Flame, the sequel to Fourth Wing, and I can concur that the statement above is a myth. I picked up my copy of Iron Flame from my local bookstore the day it was released. Its dust jacked was riddled with tiny incisions and creases, and the book’s much-anticipated sprayed edges were nothing more than uneven black spray paint.
Aside from the book’s physical flaws, the text itself was riddled with errors. There’s a reason it took me eight months to finish reading the book after buying it. Between its gaping plot holes and typos like missing spaces between sentences, I had a very difficult time maintaining interest.
I don’t blame Rebecca Yarros for these issues; I can almost guarantee that her agent and publisher rushed her to write the book and rushed its production. And while I used Iron Flame as an example, it is far from the only traditionally published book I’ve read with glaring quality issues.
The quality of a self-published book is dependent on its writer, editor, and layout/cover designer. While print-on-demand books may have quality errors from time to time, publishing platforms are eager to send corrected versions to readers when this occurs.
Myth #5: “Self-published books don’t need to be edited.”
This one kind of bounces off of Myth #4. With self-publishing, the quality of your book is entirely in your hands—minus the inevitable printing errors I mentioned.
Could you skip the editing phase and publish your book? Sure. But that’s really not a good idea (I explain why in this article).
If you want readers to start your book, finish it, and leave a great review, you absolutely need to have it edited. No matter how good you believe it is already.
If you want to learn more about just what a book editor does, check out this article. And when you’re ready to start working with an editor—or if you just have some questions—book a free call. I’d love to hear about your incredible book and discuss how Aha! can help make it even better.
Owner of Aha! Editorial
Let’s talk about your writing project: https://calendly.com/ashlyn-ahaeditorial
