Indie vs. Trad: 10 Reasons to Self-Publish Your Book

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At the end of 2018, I published the first novel in what would go on to become an award-winning scif-fi fantasy series. A few months after publishing, I wrote an article titled 3 Reasons Why I Self-Published to share what drove my decision to become an indie author.

Self-publishing was not the route I thought I was going to take as an author. Up until I made that life-changing decision, I viewed indie authors as inadequate. I believed that self-publishing was the last resort for the B-listers, the writers who weren’t good enough to land an agent and secure a contract with a publishing house.

I was wrong, of course. But independently published authors (aka “indie” authors) do have a bad rap, and it’s not completely undeserved. In my humble opinion, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Really, it comes down to how much time, effort, and money you’re willing to invest.

Self-publishing can be completely free. For those who have the artistic skills, computer knowledge, and basic graphic design capabilities, it’s possible to upload a book without paying for anything. But in most cases… it shows when you do everything solo without at least a little expertise from professionals.

I operate on a shoestring budget. I do my own formatting and cover design. But I always, ALWAYS advise aspiring authors to invest in a professional editor, even if you have to save up the money to do it. I found an editor who understood my financial limitations and was willing to work out a payment plan with me. It’s possible to make it happen. Trust me, it is. But if you don’t hire an editor at a bare minimum, I can guarantee your readers will know, and the quality of your book will be lower. No matter how many times you, your friends, your family, and your beta readers review the manuscript, a professional editor will still catch more mistakes than you’d think.

This is where the indie reputation gets split. Some indie authors taking publishing very seriously and want to compete with traditionally published books. They invest in professional artists and editors to polish their books and produce a high-quality novel. Others… don’t. They churn out AI slop or unedited manuscripts with bad covers, and there’s very little quality control. After all, self-publishing companies aren’t proofing the books and telling authors to fix typos. They’re simply printing and distributing the books that they receive, errors and all.

When people hear “indie author” or “self-published book,” that second scenario is what they usually picture—poor writing, an avalanche of typos and grammatical errors, basically fanfic packaged up and sold on Amazon.

That was the image I had in my head. But as I began to speak with successful indie authors and peel away some of the misconceptions to understand the self-publishing process, I realized that the independent route better aligned with my goals than the traditional route did. So, in the wake of releasing my fourth indie novel with eight years of publishing experience, it seemed like a good time to revisit my “3 Reasons” post and expand on that topic with even more advantages of self-publishing.

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**Before I dive in, I’d like to clarify that my overall criticisms of the traditional publishing industry are not black and white. Authors may have very different experiences with individual publishing houses, even among the Big Five (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan). I have never published through the traditional route, so my generalizations are based on research and direct accounts from other authors who have shared their experiences.

1. Maintain Total Creative Control

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One of the biggest advantages of self-publishing is the author’s ability to have complete control over the work they produce.

As I mentioned in the intro, I do work with a professional editor, and she marks up my manuscript with plenty of notes (after the beta readers have already given me their input). My line editor is amazing, and I implement her suggestions more than 90% of the time.

But I don’t HAVE to. In fact, she doesn’t even pressure me. She simply states her recommendations, and, if it’s a technical note about grammar, syntax, et cetera, she’ll often include a link to an article so I can learn more about why she’s making that suggestion.

I take every single note seriously. And yet, I know my book. There might be instances where a detail isn’t completely clear to the reader, and that’s intentional because it will be addressed later, possibly even in a future book in the series. I know how the pieces will fit together. My line editor doesn’t have the full picture.

My books are filled with foreshadowing and tiny details. Some of them are relevant to the story—there might be a subtle allusion to something that happens several books later. The novels are interconnected, even if readers don’t pick up on those details until they go back and reread the series. I also hide a ton of little Easter eggs for friends, family, and fans. Birthdays hidden in numerical sequences, names of characters, buildings, streets, towns, etc. My top Patreon subscribers have a place or minor character named after them as part of their membership perk.

I was concerned that a publisher would strip some (or most) of those away, especially since I already struggle to keep my word count down. How seriously would they take me if I pushed back and said those tiny little details might not be imperative to the story, but they add color to my fantasy world and make a portion of my fan base feel like they’re part of the adventure? I love all the intricacies. It’s okay if a reader glosses over a small detail on the first read… but if they go back later and realize that an offhand comment was actually a reference to a character they’d meet later in the series, and they have an “Aha!” moment, that’s part of the fun.

2. Keep Ownership of Your Book

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Creative control is one thing. Ownership is another. Essentially, when you publish through a traditional publishing house, you’re signing away the ownership rights to your work.

What happens when the fate of your book is completely out of your hands?

A lot of it depends on the fine print of your publishing contract, so you should have a basic understanding of what the publisher is going to do with your book. But even with a contract, the situation can get messy. I personally know more than one author who signed through a small publishing house (read my article about vanity presses if you want to know my thoughts on those) and then ended up going to court to try and regain ownership of their book rights after the publisher violated the contract terms.

Personally, I’m a control freak. I’ll openly admit it. I have a really hard time trusting people with my creative work, and knowing that they would have legal ownership to do (or not do) what I think they should just doesn’t sit well with me. Once that contract is signed, your options to negotiate about decisions go up in smoke unless the publisher directly violates said contract and provides you with a legal loophole.

That’s not to say publishers are necessarily untrustworthy. But it’s a risk that authors should keep in mind, especially when dealing with vanity presses and small publishers.

3. Execute Your Vision for Cover Art, Maps, & Graphics

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If you’ve read my original “3 Reasons” post, you’ll know that the ultimate tipping point to steer me from traditional to independent publishing was concern over the cover art.

This worry took root during the Terry Goodkind incident when he released Shroud of Eternity in 2018. Long story short, Goodkind was a well established, bestselling fantasy author who should have had more than enough clout when it came to publishing decisions. And yet, he hated the cover of this book, publicly calling it “laughably bad” and shaming the art… which then prompted the illustrator to speak out and say, “As if I didn’t create those covers accorded to exactly what I was told to do.”

Basically, the publisher had commissioned the art and approved the final design. Whether the author loved it or hated it, the illustrator created what the publisher wanted.

The fact that an author like TERRY GOODKIND had absolutely no say in his cover art made me realize that I, as a brand-new author with zero leverage, would also be a helpless bystander in my book’s overall design. That thought ate away at me. What if my dream came true, and I was finally a published author… and I absolutely loathed how my cover looked?

Self-publishing was the right fit for me because as an artist, I was able to create my own art for my books. I made my own covers, drew my own maps by hand, designed the interior pages, and did the print layout. I had a vision for how I wanted my series to look—dark covers with thick white text that could be read from a distance, the face of a different character from each book half-hidden in shadow, their vibrant eye color serving as a prominent marketing feature for each new release. I knew what I wanted, and I knew that I wanted to control not just the words, but also the appearance of my books.

They might not be the BEST covers ever published, but they’re memorable, which is exactly what I wanted. So many book covers look like a variation of the same design, a dime a dozen and instantly forgettable, especially in the fantasy and romance genres. I’ve had many people recognize my books and/or booth at events after seeing the covers before, so I know that first glance made an impact.

For other indie authors who might not have the artistic skills to do it themselves, having a say over your cover art can still be an important factor. When you’re in control, you can browse portfolios and partner with the right freelance artist to bring your vision to life, and you can guide them through iterations until you’re happy with the final result. The chances of that happening with a traditional publishing house, as Terry Goodkind revealed, are slim.

4. Develop Your Unique Voice

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Traditionally, publishing houses push their authors to conform to the publisher’s established brand.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a brand identity. It’s a good business practice. If you publish independently, you’ll need to curate your own brand identity.

But aspiring authors need to understand that working with a traditional publisher means adhering to their identity and tailoring yours to fit. This often means that publishers are very selective about the stories they even consider taking. If yours isn’t going to fit in their collection of other works, then you can expect a rejection letter or, at best, a request for some serious rewriting.

This also means there’s a strong possibility that your voice will be heavily edited. Trad publishers don’t necessarily want all of their books to sound exactly the same, but they have preferences for their author voices to at least seem unified and familiar since they’re coming out of the same publishing house.

Personally, I spent years developing my writing voice. Even the thought of an editor stripping out my Oxford commas was enough to drop a pit into my stomach. (Yes, I will die on the Oxford comma hill!) I didn’t want to sound like the other authors in a publisher’s portfolio. I wanted to continue crafting my own unique voice, uninhibited, free from influencers trying to contain me into a style that isn’t quite mine.

Yes, I work with a professional editor. Yes, she lets me know if my wording is off, or a sentence isn’t flowing as smoothly as it could. But she does not try to reign in my voice and push me toward a style that’s more common with traditional books. And even if she did, I have the freedom to disregard her suggestions.

5. Take Unconventional Risks

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Just as traditional publishers have a reputation for editing manuscripts to curate a common voice among their represented authors, they’re also known for being reluctant when it comes to risk taking.

I think you probably know exactly what I mean. Traditional publishing is all about money, not originality. They’re constantly searching for the next trend that can be broken down into a bestseller formula repeated over and over again until readers get tired of it and move onto the next model. That’s exactly why so many trending books seem like a rehash of the same idea. Nearly identical settings, similar characters with minor variations, familiar plot, basic writing style.

You could have the most stunning, original, beautiful, captivating story… but if it’s a risky sell, good luck getting an agent, let alone a publisher, to bite. Risk doesn’t pay off unless it comes with dollars behind it.

Did you break out of the tried-and-true formula everyone is currently buying? Are you trying to provide a unique perspective into a controversial topic? Is your worldbuilding too complex for readers who want a quick, easy read?

Your book could thrive in a niche that fosters a small yet passionate, dedicated fan base. But that’s not what traditional publishers want. Their goal is quantity, not necessarily quality.

I’m not saying a publisher is going to strip out any originality they deem “too risky” from your story… but it’s a possibility, and authors should be aware of that when deciding whether they want to entrust their hard work to a publisher who values a generic bestseller over a unique cult classic that might stand the test of time but fail to ever sell a million copies.

6. Control Generative AI Influence

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If you want to use generative AI in your writing process, whether that’s brainstorming, outlining, writing, and/or editing, that’s your business. I’ve been very upfront about my distaste for AI replacing critical parts of the creative process. Generative AI is actively harming artists and authors, especially indie authors.

The Big Five have been sending mixed signals about when and how they’re using AI. Some publishers are openly outsourcing cover design to AI rather than illustrators. Others have spoken about incorporating AI into the editing process. HarperCollins reached a licensing agreement with Microsoft, allowing authors to opt in for a $5,000 payout per title if they agree to let their backlisted nonfiction books be used for AI training.

As for the actual writing process, it’s hard to say exactly where traditional publishers stand. They seem to be figuring that out. Literary agents have been pressuring authors to remove alleged “AI tells” such as em dashes, metaphors, similes, alliteration, and the rule of three from their writing to avoid accusations of AI prose.

If that’s not a big deal for you, then you don’t have much to worry about. But if it is, it’s something you definitely need to consider. If you are against giving generative AI any access to your work, the best way to keep it completely out of the process is to manage that process yourself. You just don’t know what will happen to your manuscript once it leaves your possession.

7. Write & Publish at Your Own Pace

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Traditional publishing comes with strict deadlines. Some authors like that kind of environment because it keeps them accountable and forces them to sit down and write to make that deadline. Other authors, especially neurodivergent ones like me, really struggle with that.

I try to strike a reasonable balance between publications. I am not a rapid-release publisher and never will be. That’s just not how I work. I spend a lot of time developing my characters and fleshing out the details of my fictional worlds, not to mention the majority of my time is actually NOT spent on writing, but rather on marketing and selling my books so I can pay bills and invest in publishing the next novel.

Traditional publishing shifts those priorities so authors can focus more on producing the next book and less on marketing the existing one. In an ideal world, their authors would churn books out quickly and consistently. Between the growing literacy crisis and algorithm-driven short attention spans of readers, publishers need to keep a fan base engaged. Wait too long between releases, and there’s a risk of losing fans who have already forgotten what they read and moved on to other series.

Every part of traditional publishing comes down to a meticulous business model. Fail to produce at the expected volume the publisher expects, and they’re likely to drop you. They need hype to stay relevant. While some authors have more than enough clout to set their own deadlines, newer authors are more likely to feel the pressure to set tighter deadlines and build up their momentum… which poses a greater risk of burnout, not to mention lower-quality books with unimaginative plots when an author is more concerned with the publication time frame than the creative process.

8. Succeed (or Fail) on Your Terms

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There’s a darker side of traditional publishing that many authors don’t know. Most aspiring authors assume that by signing a contract with a traditional publishing house, they’ll be getting a pass when it comes to marketing and selling their book. The agent and publisher will do all of that hard work, right?

Not necessarily.

First, the publishing industry has gone through a massive transformation over the last couple of decades. Contrary to popular belief, trad authors are expected to do the brunt of the marketing nowadays. If you don’t already have a strong social media presence, newsletter, website, and dedicated followers, you’re not enticing enough for publishers. They want new authors who come with a built-in fan base already established.

(That’s a big reason many authors are going indie. If we’re already doing the brunt of that marketing work, why surrender such a big cut of the revenue from book sales?)

Second, publishers give authors a limited grace period to see if their book will sink or swim. If book sales aren’t strong right out of the gate, guess what the publisher will do?

They’ll write it off as a flop and move their marketing dollars to another book that’s performing better, leaving yours with little to no exposure.

Authors have discussed how devastating it is to have the publisher pull all support without giving their book a real chance. Some authors have even expressed the opinion that it felt like their book had been set up to fail with a poor marketing plan to begin with.

Marketing is hard. Really, really, hard. But I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to put the fate of your success in someone else’s hands and watch it fall apart while you watched helplessly from the sidelines. As an indie author, you can feel responsibility for your success or failure based on how much effort you put into promoting your book and building your marketing brand.

You might still fail. That’s a very real possibility. But at least you can own that failure.

9. Earn Higher Royalties Per Sale*

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Ah, yes. The default argument in favor of self-publishing.

I saw this claim everywhere when I was first doing my research into self-publishing vs. traditional publishing. One example framed it this way—would you rather have 10% of a whole pizza, or 80% of a single slice?

Overall, not a terrible analogy. Traditional publishing means smaller royalties but higher sales, while independent publishing is the opposite—higher royalties on lower sales.

Except… most self-publishing companies are advertising royalties that are intentionally misleading, and I learned that the hard way. Yes, technically, you are still earning a higher royalty percentage per sale than a trad author would. However, that margin is way smaller than it seems on the surface because the print cost comes out of your share, and it’s probably a bigger cut than you’d expect.

When I factor in print cost and shipping per book, I’m earning around 50%-56% for hardcovers/paperbacks that I sell myself at events or through my website (not accounting for the Square fees). My online sales through other retailers aren’t as attractive. I bring in anywhere between 10%-21% for print books sold through online retailers and 47%-60% for ebook sales.

That margin for online print sales isn’t pretty, is it? That’s because the retailer (Amazon, B&N, or other bookseller) is taking a hefty cut and pocketing more profit per sale than I am. And my wholesale discount is actually below the distributor’s recommended percentage. If I gave retailers the standard 55% off, I’d be in the red!

So, yes, I’m still technically bringing in more than the average 10% royalties (minus the agent’s cut) that I’d likely receive with a traditional publishing deal. (And remember, that’s after the book has earned enough in sales to pay back the advance the author received from the publisher!) But the print costs and wholesale discounts for independent publishing carve a substantial dent in my earnings, especially when self-publishing companies advertise that their authors keep 80%+ royalties on book sales minus the print cost. Not false advertising… but very misleading since those print costs and wholesale discounts are higher than authors expect until they’re uploading their book for the first time and seeing the number breakdown.

10. Share Content & Engage With Your Fans

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I’ll admit that I don’t know how strict publishers are when it comes to sharing content, but that concern was on my mind when deciding which publishing method would suit me best.

I knew that I’d want to share content with my fans. Sneak peeks at upcoming books, deleted scenes, worldbuilding details, cover reveals, maps, character art… and I wondered whether I’d have to ask for my publisher’s permission to do that. How limiting would they be? Would I be allowed to share my own work with followers to keep them engaged between book releases, or would that be forbidden because the publisher would own all of the rights to my world, characters, series, and brand?

I like including my fans in the process. That’s a big part of my Patreon community—pulling back the curtain and showing subscribers my creative process. I didn’t want to risk losing that connection.

COMPARISON: Advantages of Traditional Publishing

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That was a long list about the risks and downsides of traditional publishing, but it’s not all bad! I’ll put it this way—independent publishing trades exposure, risk mitigation, and resources for creative ownership and freedom.

For some authors, that’s a worthy tradeoff. For others, it’s not. They’re perfectly content signing away their rights and letting somebody else manage the complicated facets of publishing and marketing a book. It’s easier to let the industry experts take charge. In many cases, the book actually has a better chance of succeeding if the author steps back and lets the publishing house make most of the decisions.

There are plenty of advantages to signing a contract with an agent and publishing house, including:

• Covering upfront costs: One of the biggest perks of traditional publishing is having someone else take on the financial risks. That includes editing, formatting, cover design, etc. For indie authors, they need to either do all of these projects themselves or hire a freelancer, which can add up very quickly. I have to budget over $1,000 for each of my books, and that’s on the lower end because I do so many tasks such as cover design and interior formatting myself. Freelancing that out means more $$$.

• Absorbing risks: What if your book completely flops? As an indie author, that loss is minimal compared to what a publishing house suffers when books underperform. Not only does the publisher invest money and labor hours into pre-production costs, but they also pour thousands of dollars into the first print run based on the anticipated sales, plus marketing investments as well. This is exactly why authors take home such a small cut of the revenue; the publisher earns more money because they’re taking on much more risk and investing a lot of money upfront. They also have to pay to store and transport those books. Indie authors, on the other hand, rely on a print-on-demand (POD) system that raises the base cost per book, but the product doesn’t exist until someone places an order, eliminating the need for a large-scale print run and warehouse storage.

• Utilizing in-house teams and resources: Indie authors have to cobble together their own team of freelancers to cover jobs outside of their expertise. Most reputable publishers will have in-house teams ready to work on a project. Even if they don’t, they’ll certainly have a roster of independent contractors on hand. The author doesn’t have to worry about delegating tasks to experts; the publishing house will take care of all that.

• Getting books onto bookshelves: This is another area that gives trad books a much better chance of widespread recognition compared to indie books. Publishers have deals with bookstores all around the world. They can easily open doors when it comes to book promotions and shelf space. For indie authors, it’s an exhausting and never-ending battle. Contacting bookstores for the initial outreach (and then remembering to keep following up with them) sucks up a ton of time, not to mention every bookstore has its own system for accepting and stocking books. Some have an online form, while others require an in-person visit. Some want to buy from a distributor, and others are open to buying directly from the author. If you’re interested in this topic, check out my recent post where I interviewed three local bookstores to learn more about how they each interact with indie authors.

• Protecting intellectual property with a legal team: When a publisher takes ownership of your book, you can bet that they’re going to protect that intellectual property. That means a team of lawyers ready to go to court if necessary. Most indie authors don’t have legal fees in their budget if they need to fight back against copyright infringement or defend themselves against serious accusations. Setting up an LLC can help to provide an extra cushion by separating business and personal assets in case something goes wrong, but it’s no comparison to having a full legal team on standby.

Final Thoughts

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Going indie was the most logical conclusion for me when I considered my goals and desires. I formed an LLC soon after my first book was released when I started doing public events, and I currently publish under a DBA for that LLC.

If you’re going to be setting up a booth to sell your novels at bookstores, conventions, festivals, markets, and other venues, I definitely recommend looking into general liability insurance. Check out my blog post comparing two popular small business insurers because one of them is much better for authors than the other.

Indie vs. traditional is an ongoing debate, and there’s often friction between those two groups of authors, especially when indies land a trad deal and face accusations of being a sell-out. Truthfully, there isn’t a right or wrong answer to publish your book, and with the rise of AI, the publishing industry as a whole is experiencing a rapid evolution.

Both publishing models have changed A LOT over the last decade. Publishing houses used to shoulder a lot more of the work when it comes to marketing, but they’ve pushed that back onto authors for the most part, so they’re much less supportive on that front than they used to be. Self-publishing has expanded its resources and global distribution opportunities for indie authors, but print costs have risen considerably since the pandemic, and the AI surge is hitting this publishing model much harder, making consumers more suspicious of indie titles.

I figured out what worked best for me, and I’m happy with my decision. That doesn’t mean my path is right for you. Do plenty of research, and if you can talk to both indie and trad authors to hear about their experiences, I definitely recommend doing that.

If this article was valuable, you might like some of my other posts:

Author’s 20 Tips for a Successful Book Signing
5 Tips to Help Authors Sell More Books in Person
Self-Publishing a Book: 8 Facts & Hacks You REALLY Need to Know
Perspective: The Freedom of an Indie Author
Pros & Cons: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
4 Affiliate Programs for Authors to Earn More Money with Their Books
Author Q&A: Should You Make Your Books Returnable?
Are Vanity Presses a Reliable Option for Authors?
Self-Publishing 101: How to Purchase & Register an ISBN
Author’s Review: Polgarus Studio Ebook Formatting Service
Author’s Advice: 15 Tips to Write a Compelling Fiction Book Blurb That Sells
NetGalley Review | Author’s Experience Joining a NetGalley Co-Op
Tips for New Authors: How to Overcome 5 Common Fears
Author’s Perspective: Why I Rarely Do Bookstore Signings
3 Ways Indie Authors Can Make Extra Money with Their Website
How to Make Money: 7 Extra Revenue Streams for Indie Authors
IngramSpark Self-Publishing: Process, Royalties, Review, & Advice
Self-Publishing Review: Barnes & Noble Press vs. IngramSpark
3 Interviews: How Local Bookstores Work with Indie Authors
5 Ways Generative AI is Harming Indie Authors
Why I Certified My Newest Book in the Human-Authored Database by the Authors Guild
7 Important (Yet Often Overlooked) Tips for Indie Authors
The Misleading Truth About IngramSpark’s Wholesale Discount