Self-publish or die

In my ongoing quest to answer emailed questions...

"Why don't you self-publish?"

On the surface, it would seem a great idea to self publish. Because I publish through a traditional publisher, I make between 6-12% of the cover price for each book sold (and far less on book fair editions and the like). Making 25 cents off an eight dollar book seems like I'm getting scammed, doesn't it? If I self-published, I could make everything after cost, over fifty percent at least. Now that I'm established and have readership, why don't I take advantage of that?

Because it would be a living nightmare.

When working with a publisher like Bloomsbury, my part is just writing the book. They take care of copy editing, printing, proofing, jacket art, marketing, publicity, not to mention distribution. If I had to do all of that, I would never have time to write. Some writers are natural salespersons and may enjoy it, but I wouldn't. Besides, many book stores only buy from the large book distributors so they can return unsold books. Self-published books rarely make it into bookstores or libraries or get reviews from the major reviewers. And one of the advantages of working with a publisher like Bloomsbury is I get to work with a professional editor who helps me make my books the best possible. I would never give that up.

Self-publishing is a great way to go if you want to write a story to share with your family and friends, or if you love hitting the road and trying to sell books out of the trunk of your car. Some self-published books do well and get the attention of a major publisher, crossing over to mainstream publishing, but it's literally one out of hundreds of thousands. And for most people whose primary goal is to write stories, this just isn't a good option.