Should you self-publish your book?

So far, I have ghostwritten 8 books in the past 2 years.

Currently I’m working on the 9th book.

Another client, for whom I had already written a book, wants me to work on the second book, so that’s going to be the 10th book.

All my clients have self-published their books.

What is self-publishing?

Once you have written a book (or have gotten it written by someone like me), for publishing, there are two options:

1. Submit your manuscript to one of the traditional publishers such as Penguin or Random House.

2. Self publish the book.

In traditional publishing, do you know that 99% submissions are rejected?

Not all manuscripts are rejected because of substandard quality of writing.

Traditional publishers need to consider whether a certain book will make money for them or not.

If they think the market they address wouldn’t want your book, no matter how well written the book is, they’re not going to publish it.

There are multiple editorial layers through which your manuscript goes. It can be rejected at any stage.

Quite often you may have to go through an agent. So, an agent may reject your book if they think that it is not sellable.

Agatha Christie’s 1st manuscript was rejected by 6 publishers.

JK Rowling’s original manuscript was rejected by 12 different publishing houses.

Even Bloomsbury, that finally published her books, accidentally chose to publish the first edition.

Anyway, the thing is, the traditional publishing industry is quite arbitrary.

Of course, there are benefits of getting published through traditional publishers.

There is greater validation and prestige.

They have their own well-established marketing departments.

They have a wide distribution network.

Want to make sure that your book sees the light of the day and isn’t held hostage by some random editor, agent, or reviewer?

Then you should self-publish.

By self-publishing I don’t mean exporting your Word document into a PDF and then allowing people to download it.

When you self-publish, hundreds and thousands of copies of your book, in actual book form, can be published, depending on your budget.

There are many companies that specifically cater to authors who want to self-publish.

They will edit your book. They will design and format it. They will design the cover.

You can decide between a paperback or a hardcover.

They can even help you publish your book as an e-book on Amazon and other such platforms.

Here are some benefits of publishing a book by yourself:

Complete creative control.

Higher royalty rates.

Faster time to market.

No gatekeepers.

Global distribution.

Ownership of rights.

Longer shelf life.

Flexible marketing and pricing.

Easier post-publication revision.

Complete editorial control.

Zero chance of rejection.

Partnering with a good publisher is the key.

If you want to publish a book to further your brand and establish your leadership and authority, make sure that the finishing of the book is of good quality, including the cover, and the print.

Want to turn your brilliant idea or experiential insights into wonderful book?

You can contact me whenever you feel like.

-- Amrit