For a long time in the writing world, self-publishing was frowned upon. The problem was that if you were going to publish your own work, you were most likely bypassing any form of peer review. But, the problem with going the traditional route and publishing books through a professional team of editors was that you couldn’t just be a talented writer – you had to have a lot of good luck and connections in the industry. Unfortunately, this led to a lot of great books not being published.
So, why self-publish? For starters, you will have guaranteed publication instead of waiting years for publishers to approve. Even if you are one of the lucky few that gets noticed by publisher, it still takes a great amount of time for the publishing process to be complete. By self-publishing, your book will automatically be available to the public and you won’t have to wait around for somebody else to get it out there for you.
Another reason to self-publish is for a new kind of peer review. Although self-publishing was once looked down upon for not having any peer review, now well-written books will gain reviews similar to the ones that you would normally get through a publishing house. If people like your book, nobody will look down at you for publishing it yourself.
Next, self-publishing can lead to a greater profit than if you were to go through a publishing company. Many innovative online publishing platforms, such as Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, iBooks, and Nook, expect it’s authors to earn between 30% and 70% of the profits from the books sale. Of course, this profit directly correlates to how well the book sells, but you are sure to save all of the money you would have spent on a publishing house.
In conclusion, the traditional world of publishing is fading, and becoming a self-publisher could be a huge benefit for yourself as an author. To read more about the perks of self-publishing and how to be a successful author, check out Huffington Post’s article here.