How Your Writing Goals Should Determine Your Publishing Route
Recently on LinkedIn, I saw someone post a poll which read something like this:
Publishing Routes?
Traditional
Self-Publishing
Hybrid
Digital
The post was a bit wanting in context, so I can’t speak as to whether the poster was polling to find out who in the group had done which route or if they were asking about preferences. However, it led to an interesting discussion about the pros/cons of each.
In the end, there’s no “right” route for publishing, though I still encounter stalwarts who believe traditional is the only “real” way to publish. Any of these routes can be right—or wrong—for a writer if they haven’t taken the time to gain a clear idea of their goal.
Yep. Simon Sinek cliché reference time… You have to start with Why.
PERSONALIZING YOUR GOAL
The Why for your book is closely linked to your goal for your book. When I meet with a book coaching client for the first time, this is always one of my first questions: “What are you hoping to achieve with your book?”
I’ve heard a number of answers to this over the years:
“To share my story with people like me who need hope.”
“To create more consulting opportunities.”
“To gain attention in my industry as a thought leader.”
“To sell my business.”
“To pass on my knowledge to the next generation in my field.”
All of these are incredible reasons for writing a book—but they won’t take everyone the same direction because goals are personalized. I’m currently trying to lose 20 pounds, but this would be a terrible health goal for everyone. Some people need to gain 20 pounds of muscle for their health goal!
So let’s break down each of these publishing routes and discuss what goals they fit.
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING
Many writers (myself included) drool over the idea of being traditionally published. It’s the dream. Which is part of why it’s so highly competitive and difficult. So who is traditional publishing right for?
You have an established following (social media, email list, topical community, influencer).
You have a successful track record of published material in other mediums (short stories, flash fiction, academic articles, ebooks, self-published or hybrid-published books).
You have the patience and perseverance to query a parade of agents or publishers and stick it out through lots of rejection.
You’re open to working with an assigned editor (or hire one) to whip your manuscript into shape.
You’re cool with signing over your book rights and getting a smaller margin of royalties even though you’re still expected to shoulder most of the marketing effort/expenses.
You’re willing to build and execute a great marketing plan.
The story of the new author landing a big trade deal on their debut novel isn’t only rare—it’s pretty much extinct. Trade publishers aren’t going to risk their time and resources on the unknown. They need proof.
In trade publishing, the rejection rate is high—and so is the wait time. If your goal is to get your book out into the world and you’re not willing to take the risk of never being published, then trade’s probably not for you. But if you’ve already made a splash with your writing, have a growing base of fans, and you can be a valuable asset to the publisher, then it may be the way to go.
SELF-PUBLISHING
The self-publishing movement has democratized publishing over the past fifteen years. The upside and downside is the same here: anyone can self-publish.
Overall, I’m an advocate for self-publishing, especially as a place to start out or you want more control over your book. Even though you can self-publish really fast, you increase your chances of success if you take care to create a quality book. In other words…hire an editor, hire a cover designer, spend the time to make it look as professional as possible.
So who is self-publishing right for?
You want a guaranteed way to get your book out into the world.
You want to retain full control over the book rights.
You want a higher percentage of royalties from sales.
You’re willing to put in the hard work to market your book.
You’re not worried about this particular book getting traditionally published in the future.
While there are occasional cases of a self-published book being picked up by a traditional publisher, they are very few and far between. Most agents and publishers don’t want to touch a book that’s been self-published, so make sure you’re only self-publishing material you’re cool with keeping self-published forever.
HYBRID PUBLISHING
Grain of salt: not all hybrid publishes are good. But the advantage of going through a good hybrid publisher is it gains you more professional clout than self-publishing. How? Because you’re paying for the clout.
This makes it a particularly good fit for those who want to publish but don’t have time to do much of the work involved in publishing a book: vetting and choosing an editor, vetting and choosing a cover designer, or even writing the book itself.
Hybrid publishing might be right for you if:
You have the financial means to pay for the services, whether it’s ghostwriting, editing, marketing—or all of the above.
You’re willing to commit to meeting deadlines.
You want your book to help you achieve a professional goal, such as gaining more speaking opportunities, serving as a lead magnet for customers, or positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
I owe my professional existence to hybrid publishing. Most of my clients have ideas which are worthy of traditional publishing, but they don’t have the time to write the book alone or they need support with editing or marketing.
Most nonfiction hybrid deals do get pricey, but it might be worth it to you if you don’t want to deal with the headaches of trade or self-publishing. Hybrid makes you put your money where your mouth is.
DIGITAL PUBLISHING
Digital publishing is the latest form of serialized storytelling which has been a staple in publishing since the time of Dickens. Instead of serializing through print, though, you do so through digital means like Substack, Wattpad, Kindle Vella, or Medium. You could also throw podcasts under this umbrella since many a show follows a serialized format.
Digital publishing has many of the advantages of self-publishing in terms of its accessibility. But through these various platforms, it allows for a more intimate level of reader interaction and engagement.
While success here won’t necessarily translate into success with a trade book, there are good reasons to consider it:
Your goal is to connect with like-minded individuals and build a following.
You need to establish a portfolio of work as a new writer.
You don’t want to deal with full layout design and formatting like with trade or self-pub.
You want to test out material and see what sticks before committing to write an entire book.
Finally, it’s likely there is more openness and accessibility here for topics and ideas which would struggle in other publishing routes.
ALIGN YOUR GOALS WITH YOUR PUBLISHING ROUTE
Once you have a clear picture of your goals for writing, it becomes a lot clearer which of these routes is the right one to pursue. Doesn’t mean you won’t pursue other routes later on for other projects. It just means you can become more hyper-focused on the activities necessary to the route rather than spinning your wheels.
If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of each type for further clarity, check out my previous blog “Should I Traditionally Publish, Hybrid Publish, or Self-Publish?”
