It’s undeniable that having your book published traditionally lends a certain level of credibility to that book. In bygone days, being a quality writer was enough to make your work stand out. But as more quality writers have brought their voice to print, the publishing industry has become so watered down that it’s really difficult for any one book to stand out. Publishers these days usually only invest their limited marketing dollars to acquire books they know are going to succeed, essentially, on their own. Simply put, publishers won’t acquire a manuscript unless they’re reasonably certain it will sell, which means it can be an arduous process to get your manuscript acquired by a publisher, especially if you’re a first-time author.
Here’s the catch-22: It’s hard to prove salability without sales. A book needs to appear sellable to get published traditionally, but that book can’t be sold until it’s published.
Self-publishing offers a potential way out of the loop. Many authors who self-published initially and used their self-published book to strengthen their platform eventually found even greater success when their work was acquired by traditional publishers. If a self-published book sells well, a traditional publisher may feel more inclined—safer, if you will—investing their money to publish it traditionally later.
The thing is, whereas traditional publishing requires a publisher to invest in a manuscript, self-publishing requires the author to invest in themselves. For some creative people, this is asking a lot. A manuscript is a work of art, and many authors feel deeply attached and protective of their work by the time they’ve finished a draft. Arguably any one of the self-published authors you might encounter would like to be traditionally published and to enjoy the expanded reader base and professional credibility a traditional published book provides. But beneath the potential for fame and credibility is an even deeper desire—the desire to know someone believes in your work.
Here’s the hard truth: No matter what route you take to publishing, you’re taking a chance on your work—a chance that comes with the risk of failure. But being unwilling to risk failure in exchange for potential success guarantees stagnation. At the heart of self-publishing is a willingness to take a chance on yourself, just like you’d be asking a publisher to do when you send them your manuscript. Considering self-publishing means telling yourself that your faith in your work and in yourself is reason enough to try getting your book into the hands of readers.
If you want someone to believe in your work—in the strength of your book, in its potential impact on readers, and in your own skills as a writer and entrepreneur—why not start with you?
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