This is a legit question but imho coming at it from the wrong angle! It's not a question of better vs worse, it's a question of what best complements your needs, goals, and resources as an author.
Replies
Tradpub and selfpub are not equally accessible — tradpub is gatekept and selfpub (mostly) is not. I remember a decade ago a man telling me he was older and couldn't wait for tradpub — he didn't have time. Some spend decades trying to sell a book. You can also pursue both...learn a lot that way.
aug 30, 2025, 6:41 pm • 0 0 • view
I would argue that while both paths require an investment of time on the manuscript, self pub is gatekept by the additional time and money required from the author if they want the book to have similar reach as trad pub!
aug 30, 2025, 6:49 pm • 3 0 • view
I've been selfpublishing since 2011. I've known NYTimes bestsellers on the selfpub and tradpub sides. The odds of that approach zero for both paths. I've watched many authors try both sides and the odds of moderate "pay the electric bill" success is massively higher on the selfpub side. 🤷♀️
aug 30, 2025, 7:00 pm • 0 0 • view
You're still implying that I can simply choose to have a manuscript published by a publisher if I want "more reach" — when the slots for publication are very few, that's simply not a choice. Yes, there's additional time/money for selfpub but that's more accessible for most.
aug 30, 2025, 6:57 pm • 1 0 • view
I'm a little confused what you mean by 'accessible' here. There's a binary approach-- that you can or cannot publish trad or self, but what would be best would really depend on one's goals. Publishers publish to make money, not to satisfy authors as customers or clients. Usually.
aug 30, 2025, 7:25 pm • 0 0 • view
By "accessible" I mean "how hard is it to access?" In theory selfpub is accessible to everyone. Tradpub is only accessible to a small number who land the publishing slots available (by defn not everyone). But even selfpub requires some $/time, which might be in very short supply for some folks.
aug 30, 2025, 7:28 pm • 0 0 • view
Yes, but why do they need to be equivalent to access?
aug 30, 2025, 7:30 pm • 0 0 • view
If the topic under discussion is the advantages/disadvantages of each path, the accessibility of each seems pretty relevant (and one that seems to get skated over a lot)
aug 30, 2025, 7:41 pm • 0 0 • view
Also: you *can* pursue both (although that's a lot of effort), both simultaneously or one-after-the-other. I've seen about a 1000 variants on this, and I'm just adding the perspective that odds of making "electric bill" money are much higher on the selfpub path.
aug 30, 2025, 7:47 pm • 0 0 • view
It might be more clear to frame it as 'what goal do I want as an author, and which avenue fulfils it?' Some people are satisfied with writing something, some people are satisfied with a living wage, some people are satisifed with tv interviews. Also vanity pubs, which are a (usually bad) choice.
aug 30, 2025, 7:25 pm • 0 0 • view
For sure, understanding your goals is vitally important. I just see a lot of framing about the indie vs. tradpub debate like it's a lifestyle choice (and it is!) without the context of the odds of success in reaching any of those goals being *very* different on those two paths.
aug 30, 2025, 7:29 pm • 0 0 • view
it really depends on the goals though? still? if your goal is to have published a book, obviously that is most easily reached by self-pub. there are no barriers whatsoever to producing a book shaped thing--you can skip paying for ANYTHING if you really want! that is one goal. there are many!
aug 30, 2025, 9:39 pm • 1 0 • view
Yes, there are many goals! You can have any one you like! I was specifically adding that the odds of reaching a monetary goal ("paying the electric bill") are much higher with indie... IF THAT'S YOUR GOAL. Which is one of the goals people have. I really shouldn't because convo always devolves.
aug 30, 2025, 11:03 pm • 0 0 • view
It's important to have those convos, though. It may seem like devolving, but it's also a filter for communication or changing minds. It's a massive field, and what may seem true in one may not in another. Thank you for working this out with me 💜
aug 30, 2025, 11:10 pm • 0 0 • view
That's a part I'm confused about, actually. When considering *all* the avenues of self-publishing, I've seen it to be the inverse. Self pub does mean it's more in your hands, but you only get two of them. You're limited not only by your product, but time and connections and luck and resources.
aug 30, 2025, 11:08 pm • 0 0 • view
I've been in this for 15+ years. I've coached lots of writers (indie & trad) on how to run their business. I've paid close attention to people's full career trajectory. Do I have perfect knowledge? No. But I have a big database. And my database says...
aug 30, 2025, 11:15 pm • 0 0 • view
Yep! Though I will say it's a lot harder to pay my electric bill with indie in this economy than it used to be. 😩
aug 30, 2025, 11:06 pm • 1 0 • view
some people have goals that can only be met in trad and to them, investing the time & trying to get a slot makes sense because they would simply not be happy in self-pub. some people would be miserable in trad pub. (I mean, I don't do great with it!) they should never, ever do it. it's complex!
aug 30, 2025, 9:41 pm • 2 1 • view
Exactly. I don't think dividing the discussion into one or the other is the most useful. When you boil it down, trad pub can have the prestige of desirability because it means *some* kind of exclusivity or appraisal, but becaue of that it has to draw a line. and for business that's profit.
aug 30, 2025, 10:45 pm • 0 0 • view
I'd much rather focus on the long-tail of smaller publishers, hybrid publishers, and something more inventive like a co-op or circle that can offer the strengths of industry and the flexibility and empathy of self-pub. Bringing that accessibility out, raise all ships.
aug 30, 2025, 10:45 pm • 0 0 • view
Susan, I’m afraid you can’t make up what you wished I said and then claim I implied it. But thank you for the reminder to update my bio! ✌️
aug 30, 2025, 7:13 pm • 2 0 • view
True, true. Re-reading my comment makes me see that saying “well, just self-publish then” is a distraction from the main topic. Thank you for engaging with me on this.
aug 30, 2025, 6:15 pm • 3 0 • view
If you can shoulder the up-front costs and time investment that self pub demands, aren't worried about placement in venues like schools, libraries, big box stores like B&N/Target/Walmart/etc., and don't want to pursue foreign rights sales right away, self pub could be great!
aug 30, 2025, 6:11 pm • 23 0 • view
But it can take a very long time to build up enough of an audience to make Quit Your Day Job money, while you're still shouldering the costs of editors, designers, promo, etc. But you DO get a better sales cut. With trad pub, you don't start in Quit Your Day Job money territory either. (Usually.)
aug 30, 2025, 6:16 pm • 20 0 • view
Your publisher advances you roughly the amount they think the book will make in royalties, and then they pay for the editing, the formatting, the printing, some promo, etc. They have in-house teams of marketers and publicists who will at LEAST pitch your book to libraries, retailers, etc.
aug 30, 2025, 6:18 pm • 14 0 • view
They may also pay for travel, events, etc.; increasingly, they HAVE become over-reliant on authors taking on a lot of promo work/costs themselves. My hunch is that because readers are increasingly relying on influencers to find new books, publishers are struggling to market in this environment...
aug 30, 2025, 6:22 pm • 16 0 • view
... and thus authors who can cultivate a following and *become* the product more than their books are, for good or for ill, moving a lot of copies. That's a whole separate thread, though. And it's not something you escape by going self pub either imho.
aug 30, 2025, 6:27 pm • 11 0 • view
tl;dr With self-pub, you *will* take on all the significant associated publishing costs up front, but take home all the proceeds... which MAY net a profit. With trad pub, you will receive a lower share of the profit, but the only up front cost is your time, and you benefit from a publisher's reach.
aug 30, 2025, 6:30 pm • 13 0 • view
They both have their upsides and downsides and if you go hybrid you can experience the twin roller coasters of both. 😂
aug 30, 2025, 6:12 pm • 4 0 • view