There is no simple answer to the question of "Which type of publishing is better?" Neither is right for every author or every book. Each has its pros and cons. You have to weigh the pros and cons against your unique situation to determine which solution is better for you.

TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...

--Have one standalone novel.

--Plan to write only this one book.

--Plan to write a series or multiple books, but write only one book a year or so.

--Write picture books, chapter books, or books for young YA readers, because it's difficult to get self-published books in front of this buying audience.

--Have no money to invest up front.

--Want an advance.

--Want to get your book on bookstore shelves.

--Dream of having a movie made of your novel or want to win prizes or get chosen by Oprah.

--Would prefer to minimize (comparatively) the time spent marketing.

--Want the validation of success on the traditional publishing stage or just the reassurance that your book was one of the few good enough to make it through the gauntlet of gatekeepers.

--Are willing to invest the time it takes to query agents, get the manuscript ready for submission to publishers, and produce the final book.

--Can handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.

--Have written a book that falls cleanly into one genre AND meets the narrow word-count guidelines for that genre:

    middle grade fiction = 25k to 40k, with the average at 35k

    mainstream YA = 45k to 80k

    paranormal YA or YA fantasy = up to 120k

    paranormal romance = 85k to 100k

    romance = 85k to 100k

    category romance = 55k to 75k

    cozy mysteries = 65k to 90k

    horror = 80k to 100k

    western = 80k to 100k

    light paranormal mysteries and hobby mysteries = 75k to 90k

    historical mysteries and noir = 80k to 100k

    other mystery/thriller/crime fiction = 90k to 100k

    mainstream/commercial fiction/thrillers = 90k-120k

    chick lit = 80k to 100k

    literary fiction = 65k to120k

    hard sf = 90k to 110k

    space opera = 90k to 120k

    epic/high/traditional/historical fantasy = 90k to 120k

    contemporary fantasy = 90k to 100k

    romantic SF = 85k to 100k

    urban fantasy = 90k to 100k

SELF PUBLISHING might be the better choice if you...

--Have written this book just for fun and want to make it available to family and friends.

--Are writing a series.

--Write prolifically, producing several publication-ready manuscripts per year.

--Write shorts, novelettes, or novellas.

--Write erotica, particularly types that appeal to niche audiences.

--Have written a book that might be deemed hard to sell because it crosses genres or is in a genre not selling well commercially.

--Can afford to invest money in professional editing, a quality cover, or other service.

--Know who your potential buyers are and have a solid plan for reaching them.

--Want to publish quickly (or NOW).

--Cannot handle the rejection, criticism, and rewrites that come with working with agents and editors.

A word about money...

--Self publishing pays a significantly higher royalty percentage, but there are potentially high upfront production costs if you want to put out a professional-looking product.

--Traditional publishing pays a small royalty percentage, but you have NO upfront financial investment (or risk), and the publisher covers all production costs.

--Self published books *tend* to sell only a few copies. The average is around 50 copies. The risk of not recouping your investment is very high.

--Traditionally published books sell an average of around 5000 copies.

--Books that are self published "well" tend to sell more copies. I'll explain more about self publishing well later in this book.

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Did this chapter answer a question you had? It would be great if you would press that little star graphic in the top right corner. If not, just carry on reading and vote for one you find more helpful. Oh, I'd be happy to answer your questions in the comments below, as well. --XG