The question addressed in today’s blog post, by guest writer Desiree Villena, is one I probably get asked more than any other. The cool thing is, there is more that one right answer! Even better is the fact that your guide to helping you decide is incredibly knowledgeable and super friendly. If, after reading this, you have more questions about traditional or self-publishing, put them in the comments of this post, and Desiree and I will do our best to answer them.

Happy reading word nerds, and then, happy publishing!!

Whether or not to pursue traditional publishing is one of the biggest decisions an author can make — and indeed, one that every author must make if they want to get their book out into the world. This combination of facts can make the publishing crossroads feel paralyzing. You know you have to choose, but how can you be sure that you’re going down the right path?

The short, slightly terrifying answer is that you won’t be 100% certain until you’ve taken it. That said, if you know yourself pretty well as an author and a person, you should be able to get a strong sense of what to do purely through research.

Those who read my previous post on how many agents you should query as an author may already be contemplating this issue. Today, I’m going to build on the points established in that article, as well as introduce some you may not have considered re: traditional publishing! Here are three compelling reasons to traditionally publish your book — followed by three reasons why you might want to go in a different direction.

Designed on Canva by Amanda Zieba, photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@thecreative_exchange

1. Your book is especially zeitgeisty

If recent bestsellers and manuscript wish lists are anything to go by, you’ll have a much better chance at trad pub success if your book taps into the current (or confidently projected), wider cultural consciousness.

This can take many forms: a collection of invigorating modern essays (think Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror), a fictional refraction of a real-life movement (Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give), or even a book that doesn’t tackle a specific issue so much as it evokes a contemporary “feeling” (Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends). Clearly, the good news here is that you can write a zeitgeisty book in just about any genre!

The bad news is that a) the zeitgeist is changeable and b) it’s difficult to comment upon it in a unique, meaningful way. You can’t really plan this sort of book, at least not with any consistent success. However, if you happen to have finished a manuscript on a topic that feels fresh and relevant, or in a voice for which there’s high demand, you should try trad pub! Though you may be able to effectively self-publish such a book, a publisher can usually shine a brighter spotlight on it, potentially boosting it to become a cultural phenomenon in and of itself.

2. You want plenty of structure and support

Jumping off that, one of the undeniable benefits of traditional publishing is the support and structure guaranteed when you sign your contract: namely, an in-house team to edit and design your book, and procedures for you to follow between now and the time it is released.

Though I tend to advocate for self-publishing, even I’ll admit that putting together your own team is a much greater challenge than simply stepping into a role surrounded by an existing team. (That said, I can also vouch that many freelance publishing professionals who can help you self-pub a book are just as talented as in-house ones. Many of our Reedsy freelancers have in-house and Big 5 experience!) Still, with a publisher, there’s no doubt you’ll have an established set of professionals behind you, without the stress of having to seek them out.

Similarly, you won’t have to forge your own way as an author. Your publisher will tell you which edits to make, what to post on social media, and where and when to show up for your book tour, if you have one. You may have some sway over these processes, but for the most part, your book will be out of your hands — and for many exhausted or inexperienced authors, that’s a profound relief.

3. Trad pub is your dream

And now for the reason that requires the most self-awareness. If you search your heart and find that what you truly want is to be signed by a Big 5 publisher — to see your book on physical shelves with that publisher’s name leaping off the copyright page — then traditional publishing is the route you should take.

Much as I love self-publishing, I recognize that for many authors, having a book traditionally published is and always will be the ultimate dream. Who am I to deprive anyone of that dream? Self-publishing is practical and profitable in many ways, but it’s not for everyone; if it’s not for you, don’t force yourself into the mold.

Besides, it’s not like the decision to traditionally publish is irreversible — at least not until you’ve signed a multi-book contract. If you don’t receive offers from the publishers you want, you can always self-publish instead, or hit pause on the whole process. And if you have an unsatisfying trad pub experience, you can self-publish your next book! (Again, just beware the multi-book contract if you’re not completely sold on the publisher from the get-go.)

Now that we’ve covered three reasons to publish traditionally, let’s talk about the reasons to not.

1. Creative control is paramount to you

Having an in-house publishing team take over your book is a true double-edged sword: a luxury if you don’t mind ceding control, a constant battle if you hope to be fairly involved. Basically, if you want the final say on everything, from which scenes will get cut to what your cover will look like, you’re going to want to self-publish.

Some may be doubtful that a publisher can exert so much control over your manuscript. Obviously you can try to negotiate your contract, but this is standard for traditional publishing. Yes, in theory, major publishers know what they’re doing; it’s how they got so big in the first place. But that doesn’t mean that they never make mistakes, or that even if they’ve technically done everything “right,” you won’t strongly disagree with some of their creative choices.

For a cuttingly realistic example of an author getting screwed by her publisher’s creative choices, I have to cite Gillian Jacobs’ character in the 2020 film I Used to Go Here. Eagerly anticipating the release of her debut novel, Kate is stunned when her book tour is canceled in the opening scene. Later, we see the cover of her novel and can surmise that it was probably a factor in early sales being so poor; the design isn’t unprofessional, exactly, but totally unsuitable for her dramatic literary work, calibrated instead to appeal to romance readers.

This is the type of thing that can happen if a publisher cares more about selling copies than they do the integrity of your book — or indeed, if the designer simply doesn’t pay attention to the brief. And because the author giving up creative control is the norm in trad pub, the only way to categorically evade this fate is to dismiss it altogether and self-publish.

2. You’re eager to get your book out there

More rare than creative bungles, but perhaps also more distressing, is when a publisher delays a book’s release for a long stretch of time or even indefinitely. This is another iteration of the control issue, but it merits its own point — partly because new authors may not realize how long it takes to traditionally publish a book in the first place!

For context (and as I mentioned in my agents post), most publishers take at least a year to edit, design, and market a book before releasing it. This amount of prep time isn’t a bad thing (even trad pub books need a lengthy promotional period to sell), but add potential delays on top of that and you could be waiting years to see your book in print.

And while you may find creative changes to your book unpleasant, at least they won’t come out of the blue. Publishing delays, on the other hand, can happen at random, or seemingly so to the author who’s kept in the dark. Again, the only way to avoid this is to avoid the entire vehicle of traditional publishing — and when you think about the fact you can self-publish a book on Amazon in less than 72 hours, it does seem pretty preposterous to wait a year.

3. Writing the book is reward enough

I’ve known several writers who have finished their books and don’t feel a pressing need to sell them, nor to ever become renowned for their work! If you relate, this is a sure sign to steer clear of traditional publishing, and maybe even wait on self-publishing as well.

Trad pub is just so firmly rooted in literary establishment and prestige that, if those things don’t appeal to you, you certainly won’t find the arduous process of querying agents and publishers to be worthwhile. Of course, if you already knew that about yourself, you’re probably thinking “Duh!” But if you hadn’t spent much time thinking about how you conceive of traditional publishing and what you’d want to get out of it, now’s a good time to take a step back.

If you find that your motivation to write is simple love of the game, so to speak, consider this my permission to stick your book in a drawer/hidden folder on your desktop, at least for the time being. Maybe you’ll get back to it someday, or maybe not.

The key thing to remember is that publishing a book isn’t what makes you an author; rather, it’s writing the book in the first place. In fact, we would all do well to remember that we’re valid as authors no matter which publishing path we take, and no given path is “better” than any other. There is only what’s right for you and your book, and — despite my best attempts to editorialize — only you can possibly know what that is.

Today’s post post was made beautiful by CANVA. You can check out my blog archive collection here.

Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world's best editors, designers, and marketers. Over 2,500 books have been produced via Reedsy since 2015.

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