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Updated December 10, 2022
Synopsis
Here I share with you my favorite reasons for becoming a self-publisher. As I see it, self-publishing can be a great way to enhance your current career and business, but it can, with a lot of work and grit, potentially be a career all by itself. So, I hope this list helps get your internal capitalist into gear and get you onto a new, exciting, and more profitable path.
What You Will Learn
1. You will learn the personal reasons that convinced me to self-publish.
2. You will also learn which of these reasons are intriguing for you.
3. You will learn why these reasons might explain why you started a business or wrote in the first place.
Introduction
Here I share with you my favorite reasons for becoming a self-publisher. Some explanations on this list might be more important to me than they might be to you. But I am confident you will find at least one crucial or intriguing reason on this list.
Reason #1. Retain Ownership
As a self-publisher, you retain complete control and ownership of the book – forever. I’m sure that for all of you reading this article, this is a significant reason – as it was for me.
Reason #2. Instant Credibility
The book will instantly give you credibility with your audience and clients – and thereby help boost your career or business. And the more professional your book looks and sounds, the more credibility you will have with your audience. And with self-publishing, you can easily and quickly improve your book – especially with an ebook. We all want this.
Reason #3. Control Fate of My Book
As a self-publisher, you control the fate of your book – not some publisher with no interest in your book or subject other than how much money they can make from you. Self-publishers are writing and publishing books because we love our subject and want to share our knowledge with others – and hopefully make some money and get new clients with our book.
Reason #4. Speed to Market
Traditional publishers take way too long to bring your book to the market. A big publisher would think that you are a silly fool to believe that you could get your book into a worldwide audience within a few weeks. But of course, we all know that we can – and do.
Reason #5. Plenty of Help Available
Self-publishing is where you, the author, can bypass all the intermediaries involved in traditional publishing. These intermediaries do the editing, designing, illustrating, marketing, promotion, etc., of your book. As a new self-publisher, you can choose to be involved with as much or as little of the creative process.
As a self-publisher, these functions will typically be your job. Although, you can easily hire people to do these functions for you and still be considered a self-publisher. As a self-publisher, you get to choose which parts you want to do and which ones you need to hire someone to help you.
Reason #6. Keep All Profits
You keep all of the profits as a self-publisher. A traditional publisher will keep almost all of the profits. Then, after several months, when your book sales start to slow down, they will dump you for someone else that is more profitable for them. Even if your book makes you just a few hundred dollars a year, these profits will come to you year, after year, after year.
The basic formula is simple: the more effort you put into making your book look and sound professional and into your marketing and sales, the more profit you will make. You have complete control over how much success your book will garner.
Reason #7. Low Entry Cost
It is much less costly to produce a book now than it has ever been before. You can get an ebook online with a big-name website for free within minutes. You can also get your book accepted by a big-name print-on-demand company that will distribute your book to the entire world for under $150. Additional expenses, like ISBN and CIP fees, will add about $100. Hiring a professional cover designer can range from $150 to $750.
Reason #8. My Knowledge of The Market
With some effort and study, you can do a much better job promoting your book than a traditional publisher is most likely willing to do for a new unknown author. This is especially true when your book is directly related to your career, business, or field of expertise. You know your market, audience, customers, and readers better than anyone else. This intimate knowledge of their wants and needs will help make your book and career successful.
Reason #9. Niche for Success
Your book’s subject might fit into a tiny slot – one that is too small and unprofitable for a traditional publisher to even bother with – a micro-niche. Filling a small tight niche is where the money and the audience are for many self-publishers.
Reason #10. Creative Outlet
Self-publishing is a great way to satisfy your need to be creative – writing, designing, and illustrating – and be creative with marketing, advertising, and promotion. Self-publishing will force you to be innovative and entrepreneurial in many areas you probably didn’t think much about before you began self-publishing.
Conclusion
Now that you have read all my favorite reasons for becoming a self-publisher, I bet every reason here is important and intriguing to you too. As I see it, self-publishing can be a great way to enhance your current career and business, but it can, with a lot of work and grit, potentially be a career all by itself.
I hope that this list helps to get your internal capitalist into gear and get you onto a new, exciting, and more profitable path too.
Questions For Us To Think About And Discuss
1. Do you have a personal reason that you began, or want to begin, self-publishing that is not on this list? What is it?
2. Which one of my reasons resonated with you the most?
