It's common to hear a potential author ask as to which direction is better to go: Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing. And, there are any number of videos and/or blog posts that address the subject. However, most of them often leave out some pretty essential information that might be handy to know. So, I decided to create a list of the advantages/ disadvantages/differences of each path.

I tried to keep the observations and breakdown between the the two paths as objective as possible. The fact is, some people gets tons of offers from agents to go the traditional path, while people like me get none. There are a lot of variables in play with some of these differences. So, keep that in mind.

So this brings us to the question, "Should I go the traditional publishing route, or should I self-publish?" The answer to that question is pretty simple: if you have what a publisher wants, and fit whatever modern day profile these big publishers have for an author, then you'll most likely get picked up. How long will that take? It's almost impossible to say.You can start down the path to self-publishing about a second after you make the decision.

"But...but I'm a talented writer!" you say. Guess what? Your talent has virtually no bearing on whether you can attract an agent or publisher. The only thing that matters is whether a literary agent sees something in your manuscript that they think they can sell to a publisher. However, if you're a celebrity, or have an angle that a publisher can use to promote you, you'll have a much easier time of it. And, believe you me, I've seen books written by celebrity types that were utterly unreadable, mainly because they were too proud to hire a ghost writer. But they, nonetheless, got published through a big house.

Sound unfair? Yep. But that's they way things are.

Mind you, there are a multitude of specialty publishers out there: publishers of literature focused on women, Black people, Hispanics, Asians, political viewpoints, LGBTQ+ literature, LitRPG, Military SciFi...you name it. So, there are lots of avenues outside of the Big Five publishers and their imprints. However, If you wander into a specialty publisher with something that does not match their publishing goals, you'll get a rejection. Likewise, there are those publishers that have specific preferences. You either write the story to their requirements, or you move on.

The people who get a publishing agreement are few and far between. So when I hear people say, "I'm considering the traditional publishing route," as if it's almost a certainty they'll get published, I just sort of chuckle. Whether you get accepted or not really isn't something you have much control over.

The fact is, you'll spend nothing but time and emotional capital to get your book to market if you go the traditional route. That's if you get published, which is unlikely. You have TONS of control when you self-publish but you'll need money and time to make it happen. Unless you're very fortunate, neither publishing paths have the potential to make you an overnight success. But you'll never see success unless you actually publish something.

So, that's the long and the short of it.