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Indie:
- Pros:
- You do it your way.
- You get to see your book out there in the hands of readers.
- Cons:
- You may not have shelf space or an end cap.
- You won't get that third party recognition from the big guys. Unless of course you sell above 50,000 books and attract a little attention, which is difficult to do.
Traditional:
- Pros:
- You made it the "hard" way! You have the recognition.
- You are dealing with others who can do certain things for you that you don't want to deal with yourself.
- Cons:
- You may have to struggle to sell more books if you are a mid-list author, which most people are.
- It may take years. Even decades.
Yup it all comes down to this. What is it that drives us? We don't write because we think it's glamorous - those that do are probably due for a checkup. We write because we HAVE to. But beyond that we each have different goals and preferences.
Over this series we've examined pros and cons to both Indie and Traditional publishing. Does it look like one is better than the other? There's no knockout here. I believe they are both valid and wonderful ways to pursue our art. That's why I'm pursuing both.
Now I don't expect you to rely on my word for it. In the next couple weeks I'm going to have some better authorities weigh in on BOTH sides. Next week we will start with the amazing Susan Quinn and Laura Pauling, both successful Indie authors, discuss the benefits of Indie publishing from their viewpoint. Then we'll give the other side a chance. :D So don't forget to stop by!
I agree with you. They both possess valid pros and cons. It's a personal path and I even think that sometimes it's the book's path not the author's. Thanks for this series.
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, Lisa! These are important points. And I can't wait to hear what all the authors have to say after they've been in the trenches. I'm a big fan of both Laura and Susan Quinn, and they both do such a great job online!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome series, Lisa. I'm really enjoying it. The best thing is all the options that are now available to authors.
ReplyDeleteI think both is a great way to go!
ReplyDeleteI've truly appreciated your honest look at both sides.
ReplyDeleteI think both are viable options as well. I'm planning on self pubbing later on this year, but I don't think I'll rule out trad pubbing in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think both options are great, and I'm thankful we have a choice. Heck, we don't even have to choose. We can do both.
ReplyDeleteI love Sheri's answer that it's the book path. :) I love seeing that more people, even who don't self publish, see it as a viable option. One more choice for the writer. And that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for adding a voice of clarity in this relevant conversation.
ReplyDeleteYup that's the bottom line, writing isn't glamorous but boy it has its creative reward (I call it the creative high!) and we write because we have too. In the end I think indie vs. trad. is just a personal choice. The only people that may make a mistake are those that jump into it too quickly without weighing the pros and cons which is why I really appreciate this series!
ReplyDeleteI agree about writing not being a glamorous pursuit. I'm going to set up a reminder so I don't miss Susan Quinn and Laura Pauling post.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I look forward to reading Laura & Sue's posts! I'm sure they'll be fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAnd you've made awesome points here, LG! I think going for a mix is a good approach. It's one I'm following for now. Who knows, I might decide before it's all over that one's superior to the other. But for now, the ball's still in the air.
Happy Valentine's day~ :o) <3