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7 Reasons to Self Publish Your Book

Scott Grizzle • January 20, 2023

Self-publishing is the new frontier of publishing


Many authors are turning to self-publishing as a way to get their work out there and make money while doing so. There are many benefits to self-publishing, such as complete creative control, higher royalties, and greater profits. In this blog post I’ll go over some reasons why you should consider self-publishing your next book or ebook.


Self-publishing gives you total control over the publishing process

Self-publishing gives authors total control over every aspect of the publishing process. This means that you can publish your book in any format you desire, including paperback, hardcover and e-book. You also have the freedom to publish your book in multiple languages and countries if it makes sense for your target audience.


The best part about self-publishing is that it allows you to publish when it works best for you! You can schedule a launch date months or even years in advance and then decide if another date would be better suited for reaching out to additional readers or reviewers.

If an author wants to see their name on Amazon as quickly as possible, they can skip working with an agent altogether and go directly through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). The only requirement is having a completed manuscript ready to upload onto Amazon when their account is set up correctly.


This is a great option for authors who want to publish their book but don’t have the time or resources (such as an editor) to make it happen. While you can definitely hire someone else to edit your manuscript, it isn’t required by any means.


Be in control of pricing

You might be wondering how a self-published author can set their own prices. It’s really quite simple: you can charge whatever you want for your book and that price can change at any time.


You can competitively set the pricing for your book to maximize your profit while generating consistent sales or price your book to compete with other authors for book sales. The choice is yours to make based on your goals.


You also have the freedom to give your book away for free, which is something that traditional publishers can’t do. If you want to give away copies of your book on Amazon or through other retailers, then go right ahead!


Earn more per book sold

In traditional publishing, the publisher sets the price of your book, and you get a royalty on that price. The publisher also decides when to release new versions of your book (like updated editions), at what price point those versions will be sold for, and whether or not they’ll bundle together multiple books into one package (giving them more flexibility in pricing).


However, if you self-publish, you have total control over these factors: You can set the price of your own book higher than what most traditionally published writers earn per copy sold because traditionally published authors don’t control their own pricing—and even if they did try to raise prices on their books, publishers would probably resist because there are no guarantees that consumers would pay more for eBooks or print volumes than they currently do.


Additionally self-published writers may create special limited editions that aren’t available elsewhere or offer other incentives in order to entice readers with higher prices (e.g., bonus content or early access). In addition many online retailers such as Amazon allow authors who are using CreateSpace as well as KDP Select members who publish exclusively through Kindle Direct Publishing or Kindle Unlimited Program can add information about where customers can purchase an ebook version directly from them rather than relying solely on marketplace listings like those found at Apple’s iBookstore or Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store—and this means it’s easier for readers find out where exactly how much cheaper it might cost them if they purchase directly from its source instead! This option isn’t available when buying directly from amazon web site itself since there isn’t any way.


Print as many or as few copies as you want

Self-publishing is particularly suited to print books, and the reason for this is simple: printing costs are still relatively low. Traditional publishers rely on economies of scale, which means they have to print thousands of copies of a book in order to make it profitable. Self-publishing allows you to bypass this process and print exactly as many books as you need—no more, no less. It also means that you’re charged by the page instead of by the book, so if you only want one copy printed (which might be helpful for distributing at conferences), that’s all that gets charged for!


For example, let’s say I’m writing my next novel and decide I want 1,000 copies printed up for giveaways at events like Comic Con or BookExpo America (BEA). The printer charges me $3 per page plus shipping costs; after adding these together with shipping costs added onto each order individually, what was initially an affordable price quickly becomes cost-prohibitive; if I were able to self-publish digitally then there would be no additional fees associated with distributing 1k eBooks through stores like Kobo or Amazon because everything is done via their respective platforms rather than directly through them which makes them much easier on authors who aren’t making enough money off their hard work yet but still want visibility in front stores like Barnes & Noble etcetera.”


Get your book out faster

Self-publishing is a faster process than traditional publishing, and you can get your book out in a matter of months. This is because you don’t have to wait for the publishing process to complete. Unlike traditional publishers, who only accept manuscripts after they’ve been through an extensive vetting process, self-published authors can publish their books as soon as they’re ready.


Not only that but if there’s ever anything wrong with your book (think typos), it’s easy for you to fix those issues yourself (and quickly) without having to go through the entire editing process again from scratch. Self-publishing allows you to be in control of every aspect of your work and make changes whenever necessary—something that isn’t always possible when working with other people!


Remain in complete control of your rights, including foreign and film rights

You should be aware that if you sell your book to a traditional publisher, they will own it from front to back. This means that once you sign the contract, they control all aspects of the book—including foreign rights (translation into other languages) and film rights. But when you self-publish, those are things that belong to you alone. You have complete control over them and can negotiate with potential buyers based on whatever terms work best for your situation.


Distribute your book internationally

If you’re an author and you want to sell your book internationally, self-publishing is the way to go. Traditional publishers have a long list of countries they distribute their books in. They also have strict rules about what languages a book can be translated into. You may find yourself with a lot of work on your hands if you want to get your book published in other languages or countries beyond those that the publisher has chosen for distribution.


With self-publishing, distributing internationally is much easier because there are fewer restrictions on what language(s) you can publish in and where it can be sold. In fact, some self-publishers have their books translated into multiple languages! Because there are so many options available when it comes to selling and distributing an electronic book internationally as an indie author, this is one option we highly recommend looking into if English isn’t your first language (or even second).


Build a valuable asset for passive income streams

Self-publishing is a great way to build passive income streams. That’s because many authors can continue to sell books long after they’ve written them, sometimes for years and years. There are many examples of self-published authors who have been able to attain this kind of success.


The reason for this is that there are so many different ways in which you can profit from your book once it has been published:

  • You could sell the rights for the movie adaptation or television show based on your novel.
  • You could license out the rights to be sold as an audiobook.
  • You could sell merchandise related to your book (e.g., T-shirts).


Conclusion

In conclusion, self-publishing can be a great option for authors who want more control and are eager to get their work published quickly. There are advantages and disadvantages of this approach, but in my opinion the pros outweigh the cons by far.

By Scott Grizzle January 20, 2023
Writing is an essential skill that takes time and practice to master. Whether you are just starting your book or an experienced author with several titles under your belt, writing a book can be a challenge. Here are some tips I picked up along my own self-publishing journey that can help you navigate the writing […] The post How To Write A Book first appeared on Inspiration Publishers.
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