Choosing Between Traditional and Self-Publishing

Most normal people tend to get hung up on such a choice. It can seem like you’re making a life-and-death decision, and it is, since it could determine the survival of your manuscript and your potential career as an author.

When my daughter was very young, I noticed that she would get very upset when given a choice. It could be something as simple as: Do you want to go to the waterpark tomorrow or to the beach? I couldn’t understand what was happening, since those were two great options, and I didn’t realize she was upset about the choice until about the third time it occurred, because she didn’t make it obvious. The choice would be presented, and she would get upset later. Once I understood what was happening, I gave her a more immediate choice so that, as she started to melt down, I could ask her why.

Her response: “I’m afraid of making the wrong choice.”

It seemed so obvious at the moment that I could have kicked myself for not seeing it. Isn’t that something that troubles us all at some point in decision-making? No choice is also a choice, and we’ve probably all been so stuck by a decision that we do nothing, which is still a choice, or we have been annoyed by others who never seem to like making decisions.

Here’s some good news. With a little patience, you can still have your cake and eat it too in this situation. You’ve spent so much time writing your novel, researching, revising, editing, getting beta-readers, and revising again. You feel like you’re finished, and you probably want to be done. You might even feel like a child waiting for Christmas—you just can’t wait; you want to see all your hard work in print now!

Completing your book wasn’t the finish line. It may have been a goal for years, but finishing your manuscript isn’t the end. You might have felt like you were running a marathon while writing, and many people use that metaphor, but the whole process is more like a triathlon. You’ve only finished one part of it.

Having completed marathons and triathlons, I can tell you that it becomes as much a mental challenge as a physical one, both during training and competition. Currently, you need to mentally prepare for a longer journey, regardless of the path you choose.

I believe everyone should try the traditional route to publishing first. We can’t say “never” because it has happened, but generally, agents won’t consider works that have been previously published. Once you self-publish, your book is essentially off-limits to traditional publishers. So be patient with the process and allow the traditional path some time to either work or not.

Did you just spend a year working on your manuscript? Unlike a triathlon, you don’t have to jump into the next stage immediately. Take some time off to clear your mind. Not only do you need a bit of recovery, but you also should step back from your work to start thinking of your novel as a marketable product. This also allows you to consider your long-term goals as an author and accept that this process may take some time.

Give the traditional path six months to work and then re-evaluate. If feedback gives you hope, you’re on the right track, so keep up the good work. If the traditional path has failed you completely, self-publishing remains an option.