Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing – advantages and disadvantages

29 March 2022

5 min

A woman is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and reading a book.

Your book is finished. That in itself is quite an achievement! Selling it now is the icing on the cake. There are two ways to Publish a book. You can either a publishing house search for a publisher for your book, or by means of Self-publishing. Both variants have their Advantages and disadvantages To help you get an overview, we’ve summarised the most important key factors for you.

Publishing with a publisher

Which publisher is right for me? Every publisher specialises in one or more genres. It’s therefore important that you find out which publisher is the right fit for your manuscript. Once you’ve found publishers who can market your genre, it’s time to get started: check what you need to send and what it should look like. And then: submit your application! Which publishers are there in Austria? Here is an overview.

What do I need to prepare?

Publishers receive a huge number of manuscripts, so to save them from having to read them all, it’s best to include a synopsis. This should pique the editor’s curiosity about your text. You should then adapt the format of your extract to the publisher’s guidelines. You’ll need a personal letter and a CV.

Benefits – What does the printing company take care of?

Advice in all areas
No financial risk
You will receive an advance payment
Professional proofreading & layout
Professional marketing & sales
Listing in bookshops
Once you’ve set up a publishing business, you’re in the market.

Disadvantages

You’ll need a great deal of patience and perseverance.
You have to be able to cope with rejection.
The publisher has a say in your book and the cover design.
The publisher wants your manuscript on an exclusive basis.
The print run is pre-set.
Your fee has been agreed: approx. 25% of the net proceeds.

Self-publishing

If you want to publish your text yourself, you can decide everything yourself. However, your book should be just as good in every respect as if it were published by a publishing house. You can find out what you need to bear in mind when self-publishing here.

Advantages

You don’t need to apply and cannot be rejected.
You have complete freedom.
You decide for yourself when, how and in what print run your book is published.
You can publish straight away.
You keep all the proceeds.
All rights remain with you.
Self-publishing can be your springboard.

Disadvantages

A very high degree of initiative and discipline is required.
Proofreading, layout, typesetting, covers, binding, etc. must be professional, and every stage of the book production process is your responsibility or that of a service provider.
Attracting attention through effective marketing is something you have to do yourself.
Sales must be handled by the business itself.
You must fulfil all obligations.
You bear the financial risk; you will not receive an advance payment.

A comparison of traditional publishing and self-publishing

Publishing house	Self-publishing
The experts are here to help you	You take care of everything
Marketing and sales are handled professionally	You’re in charge of marketing and sales
You must apply	You don’t have to deal with rejections
You’ll need looooots of patience	You can publish straight away
There is no financial risk to you	You must pay for everything in advance
The publisher wants to have a say in everything	You have complete freedom
You’ll earn approx. 25%	You’ll earn approx. 70%

What is the best method?

Depending on how much time, money and urgency you have, either option is a good choice. As you can see, both approaches have their pros and cons. You’ll therefore need to consider which option offers you the greatest personal benefit. Either way, we hope you enjoy publishing your book!