Self-publishing authors leave publishers
Some authors are leaving traditional publishing to be self-publishing authors.
The number of self-publishing authors has grown dramatically in recent years. Recently, we found a question in a forum that begged an answer from Star Print Brokers. A representative from a traditional publisher asked, “Why aren’t authors leaving traditional publishing to self-publish, if it is so good?” We weighed in on this topic because we’ve heard about this from our clients.
Our answer is that they are leaving traditional publishing to self-publish!
Let’s look at traditional publishing versus the path of self-publishing authors. We print books for authors and design books. We work with authors who self-publish after leaving traditional publishing houses. Sometimes they print a new title. At other times, authors get their rights back from the publisher. In this scenario, they opt to go it alone, that is, to self-publish.
A publisher only has so much budget that they will assign for marketing of a new title. Publishers are not in the business of losing money, and will usually only increase the budget for a bestseller. Authors are advised to use social marketing and any other means to market and promote their title. This is in addition to the publisher’s efforts. Authors are still earning only royalties. However, they didn’t have to pay for design, printing, proofreading, editing, etc.
The philosophy becomes, “Why not print the book myself if I have to market it myself? I’d rather join other more profitable self-publishing authors.”
Client feedback …
The feedback from many of our clients is that they make more profit when becoming self-publishing authors. They can control the revenue. Unless a traditional publisher can put your title in the bookstore versus in a catalog, to self-publish is more profitable. But, authors have more upfront costs. An author can put their title on Amazon without using publisher services. The cost is around 15 percent of the price.
We print high-quality books on press for a reasonable cost. Our books are not print on-demand or gang-run books. They are not printed on web presses which are fed by using large rolls of paper. We use only the best sheetfed presses, and printers who take pride in their craft. All books are bound with fine, secure bindings.
There is a market for our model of self-publishing services. We help authors control their revenue and keep more profit. The ISBN is always owned by the author too! Yes, some authors are leaving. The feedback we get is that they are quite happy about their decision.
We also offer book design as an optional service. Call (844) 603-1777 toll-free, or (425) 603-1777 in the Seattle area. Request a quote today!
