Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing for Your First Book?

The dream of many English majors, book lovers, and writers, everywhere, is to one day publish a book of their own. But there is a lot to take into consideration before taking that step. One major question to ask yourself is how will you publish it? Will you write a proposal, find a literary agent, and send your manuscript away to publishing houses? Or will you take the entire journey into your own hands and self-publish? The stigma around the credibility of self-publishing combined with the rumors of editing limitations of traditional publishing mean that debut authors have an abundance of choices to make before their book hits the shelves. As an English major, a self-published author, and the student of a traditionally published author, I am here to help you destigmatize both paths, so you can make the best decision for your book.

When first considering this topic, I immediately thought of my thesis advisor and Professor of English, Bob King of Kent State University at Stark. Professor King has not only led me and many other English majors and writers through numerous poetry and fiction workshops but he’s also one of my professional role models. Following the publication of his debut poetry collection And & And, King agreed to share some of his experiences as a traditionally published author.

To begin, I popped the big question: why traditional publishing?

“Because of my teaching career, I chose to stick with a traditional publisher, as taboos against self-publication still persist within academia, even though I am a huge fan of the democratization of the publishing industry—a wonderful side effect of the shifting technology is the creation of incredible accessibility.”

As a self-published author, I can’t help but agree with King. I turned my home office into my own publishing house, and worked tirelessly with beta readers, on my own collection, Toast, before releasing it into the wild of Amazon’s digital book shelves. But still upon entering higher education, I began to be met with the insulting question “When are you really going to publish something?”

Like King pointed out, accessibility is incredible for independent writers who may not have access to learning about how to take on traditional publishing but who are seasoned writers and creators. However, with the self-publishing route comes a lack of credibility due to anyone (practiced writer or not) being able to publish their work on a whim. This is something to take into consideration when choosing how you will publish your first book.

In time, the stigma may decrease but for now the conversation around the legitimacy of self-publishing remains. In light of that, will people view you as a serious author?

For two years after the release of my book, I kept it quiet because I didn’t feel serious enough to talk about it. As I inch closer to my BA in English and add more professional writing achievements to my resume, I feel more empowered to talk about the hard work I put into the creation of my book. I don’t think “shame” should ever be an emotion a creator is met with when releasing their art, but this is the unfortunate reality of the self-publishing route.

I chose self-publishing because one of my favorite poets and authors, Rupi Kaur, began her very successful career by self-publishing. I admired the freedom self-published authors seemed to have to make all their own choices when it came to the final copy of their piece. I also brought this up with King.

A common stigma around traditional publishing is that you have to agree to ALL significant changes made to your book in addition to editorial changes. What has been your experience with changes made by your publisher? Did any significant changes have to be made?

“Finishing Line Press has been great to work with. I’m thrilled that I got to choose the cover art (from a local Cleveland artist), choose the color scheme, layout, etc. A lot of writers are even particular about the fonts we use, and as I’m firmly a Palatino Linotype person, I was psyched they agreed to use that font for the entire collection. The editor virtually left the manuscript alone—none of the 42 poems in the original manuscript were removed or significantly altered.”

Self-publishers typically are responsible for all their own marketing. What kind of marketing has your traditional publisher offered you?

“Over the past 20 years, I know that marketing has changed a lot, even for the big publishing houses (my uncle James has a novel at a major press & he had to do much of the marketing himself). More and more, authors are on their own, be it a big press, small press, or through self-publication—websites, social media, mass emailing, it’s all strongly encouraged, and in a way that technology makes an audience a lot more accessible. However, we still rely on networks, right? And the smaller the house (or with self-publication), the more difficult it can be to break into an established network. That said, FLP has done a good job with the marketing thus far, using their established networks, social media, and even their own literary magazine (The Paddock Review) to highlight me and their other authors.”

As for my experience with marketing my self-published book, I relied heavily on social media campaigns. As the self-published author, you are the one responsible for everything pertaining to the book, your book’s marketing plan is only as big as your marketing knowledge. Through careful research, and a lot of perseverance it is possible to sell books as a self-published author, but to do it successfully may take more exploration into other fields than you may have intended.

The goal of this blog post is to inform Sigma Tau Deltans who aspire to publish their books but have yet to do so. So, as a published author what are your overall thoughts on traditional publishing? Do you have any advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors who may be indecisive about self-publishing versus traditional publishing?

“I think a great way to familiarize yourself with current publication practices is to dive in—perhaps beginning with literary magazine publication. Journals are now open to writers all over the world, thanks to social media, email, and outlets like Chill Subs and Submittable. It’s wild to me that I can send out and get poems published on five of the seven continents, right from my own home (still trying in Australia). Through those literary magazines and quickly established relationships with journal editors, I’ve learned about many book publishing opportunities—all over the world. For instance, I’ve had some luck placing individual poems in the UK, and through e-conversations with an editor across the pond, I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to place a future full manuscript at a press just outside of London.

We can be pretty darn elitist in academia and I’ve never cared for that approach. I would never tell anyone to avoid self-publication. After all, so many authors began with self-publication, from Wordsworth/Coleridge to Charles Dickens, Virgina Woolf and heck, even Hemingway. But publication becomes about building relationships, networks, and hopefully persisting, so authors can achieve their dreams. If traditional publication is pursued, persist, persist, persist. You’ll be told “No” more often than not, but there are just so many opportunities out there (as opposed to decades ago). And I’m a strong believer we can all find a traditional, if small, press that will welcome our work, in the event we choose to pursue that after or in concert with self-publication.”

It seems, therefore, that there are traditional publishers who won’t dictate your book choices, that not everyone will discredit your authorhood for self-publishing, and that the future may hold a world where the negative conversation around self-publishing may cease all together. It’s important to realize there are pros and cons of both publishing routes and that choosing either path should not be met by any stigma: the final choice rests with whichever one is best for you.

Webinars Addressing Traditional vs. Self-Publishing

Webinar with Paullett Golden, Author of A Dash of Romance
Bradley Sides, Author of Crocodile Tears Didn’t Cause the Flood

Loustella Perry
Associate Student Representative, Eastern Region, 2024-2025
Alpha Psi Omicron Chapter
Kent State University at Stark, North Canton, OH

Sigma Tau Delta

Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society, was founded in 1924 at Dakota Wesleyan University. The Society strives to

• Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies;
• Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities;
• Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing;
• Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members;
• Exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and
• Serve society by fostering literacy.

With over 900 active chapters located in the United States and abroad, there are more than 1,000 Faculty Advisors, and approximately 9,000 members inducted annually.

Sigma Tau Delta also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature.