Thinking about
a self publishing company like Reedsy or Lulu for releasing your next
book? More and more established and first-time authors are
going the self publishing route, and honestly, there are plenty of good
reasons why self publishing might work better for you than a
contract with a traditional publishing house.
Here
are some things you should know about self publishing companies
in 2019 if you’re one of thousands of authors considering it.
Self
Publishing is the Author’s Advantage
Self
publishing companies put the power in your hands.
Companies like Reedsy and Lulu let you publish when you
think it’s ready, and they put statistics right at your fingertips.
Getting from book sales to money in your account takes days instead of months.
Publishing
a book through a self-publishing company can give you a real advantage
when it comes to sales, promotion and when your book hits the market.
This is serious power if you happen to be good at promotion
(and if you’re not, you better learn that skill now).
Self
Publishing Companies Allow for Mainstream Publication
Twenty
or thirty years ago, self publication meant an author had to
approach a printing company and often front the money
for printing first. This left you with several boxes of copies that
you had to sell yourself while trying to approach and
contact bookstores and other retailers.
Today,
self publishing is much easier thanks to companies like Reedsy.
Authors can write, format, proofread and upload their manuscripts
directly to the platform, request an ISBN number and sell or promote
your manuscript to platforms like Amazon.
On
markets like Amazon, it definitely saves you thousands of trips to
stores you would have needed twenty years ago (and it’s way
easier too).
Self
Published Books Are Strong Competitors
For
years, there was this unspoken “war” between published and self
published authors. Today, that’s mostly faded away, and
self published books have been around long enough to prove that
they can compete hard with traditional publishing houses.
Fans
of an author’s work will keep reading their work no matter who
publishes it. (Would you stop reading Stephen King if he suddenly
owned his own publishing house or picked Reedsy? If you’re already a
fan, most people wouldn’t.)
Self
published works can compete just as hard on the charts as
everything else. Don’t believe it? Angela’s Ashes, the
biography-turned-movie, was self published first.
Self
Publishing Companies Work for New and Established Authors
Self
publishing companies can work for you whether you’re an author
publishing your first or second manuscript, or if you’re
already an established author.
While
some traditional publishing houses will treat these groups differently,
self publishing companies won’t. That’s one of the biggest perks
that self publishing companies offer over going with a
traditional publishing house, and even many established authors are
making the switch.
Self
Publishing Companies Don’t Need an Agent
A
lot of bigger publishing companies won’t even look at unagented
submissions. This cuts first-time (and many already
established) writers out of getting their manuscripts published.
If
you don’t have an agent, self publishing is the perfect way to get
your work out there. And you, as the author, have much more control
over how the final product looks and gets promoted.
Self
Publishing Companies Are Taking Over the Market
Works published through self publishing companies are grabbing a bigger and bigger chunk of the overall market share, giving traditional publishing houses real competition.