It is not uncommon for authors who have been traditionally published to go indie. This baffles many people because traditional publishing gives authors freedom to write and not think about the difficulties associated with publishing. What makes authors decide to depart from this security and self-publish? Here are five reasons that cause authors to make the leap to self-publishing.
Traditional ‘support’ offered by publishing houses is no longer valuable or relevant
In the old days, traditional publishers used to give authors big advances. They would take the author’s book, publish it, and use their exclusive distribution channels to get the book to readers. Usually these books ended up in traditional bookstores which only used to take books from big publishers. People also never used to buy books anywhere else. Publishers would later organize book tours for authors to several cities where the authors would meet eager readers.
Financial rewards are no longer what they used to be
As mentioned before, publishers used to entice authors by offering them fat advances. However, such advances are now usually reserved for best-selling authors. Today, unless an author’s books are flying off the shelves, he can forget about a big payday.
Marketing expenses are similar regardless of how an author publishes
In the past, big publishers dedicated a lot of money to marketing their authors’ books. However, they are reluctant to reinvent their marketing strategies despite the changing industry. This means that authors are forced to use their own funds to get word out about their new books to readers. Also, regardless of how an author chooses to get published, the process is still the same.
Self-publishing is becoming better, more affordable, and more readily available
Traditional publishing houses are declaring bankruptcy left, right, and center. Others are choosing to merge to avoid biting the dust. As traditional publishing houses decrease, there are many authors being left without a way to get their works out there. There are also many professional publishers that are out of work. These professionals usually find themselves freelancing. They are not looking for work from traditional publishing houses. Instead, many of them offer their services to indie authors. All sorts of professionals are moving from traditional publishing houses into the freelance market. These include editors, proofreaders, and designers who are now working for indie authors and self-publishing presses.
Authors want more control
It is every author’s dream to write his stories the way he wants and sell them to an eagerly waiting audience that he has cultivated. Authors want to have full control over what they write and what eventually gets to their audience. Agents and editors sometimes want authors to change their books to the extent that they lose the meaning the author intended.
Since self-publishing means that authors are doing most of the marketing, they also want the rewards. They want more control over how much of the sales revenue gets to them. Traditionally published authors receive relatively low percentages of their book sales than indie authors. They often receive between 10% and 30% of the total revenue from the sale of their books depending on their location. However, indie publishers have more control over their income.
