The angels and demons of traditional vs. self-publishing.
TL;DR: This blog explores the career-defining choice between pursuing self-publishing and assuming the risk/reward consequences, or querying agents in hopes of landing a traditional publishing deal and reaping the undeniable benefits in return for your creative soul.
The conundrum that faces most creatives: security vs. freedom.
I grew up in an artistic household. My parents encouraged my siblings and me to embrace our creative genes throughout childhood. In hindsight, it is now apparent that our talented father’s career as an ad agency art director, spanning the Mad Men-esque 1960s and turbulent 1970s, overshadowed his passion for fine art that was relegated to nights and weekends, only taking center stage in his later years.
The moral of the story.
Financial security trumps creative freedom, while the elusive combination of FU money and paddling your own canoe remains the stuff of dreams.
The author’s dream: be the next Dan Brown.
I watched a YouTube video of best-selling author Dan Brown’s agent touring Penguin Random House in full activation mode as he introduced a team of professionals working like a well-oiled machine on every facet of Brown’s long-awaited book launch for The Secret of Secrets. Now, of course, innumerable benefits come with selling your creative work by the tens of millions (who didn’t read The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons), including expert hands handling everything from eagle-eyed editors refining the manuscript to experienced creatives perfecting the cover design and interior pages. Not to be left out, a seasoned publishing professional coordinates the book launch like a symphony conductor, ensuring that social media, marketing, PR, and advertising stay on schedule until publication day and beyond. At some point in this expensive and necessary endeavor, even a native in the remotest parts of New Guinea will at least have the opportunity to know Dan Brown’s latest novel is coming soon to his nearest Barnes and Noble. I bet Mr. Brown himself could never have imagined how successful he would become, yet here he is.
See? Dreams do come true.
But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that your manuscript lacks Dan Brown’s well-earned imprimatur. Is it worth the hassle of agent queries and long odds of landing that big book deal? Never say never. Everyone started somewhere—many from extremely humble beginnings, like J.K. Rowling.[1]
On the other hand, since you no doubt have the humble part down cold, shelve the small odds dream of that big publisher contract and put everything you have behind self-publishing, where opportunities abound for those savvy enough to stand out from the herds of indie authors, like Brandon Sanderson.[2]
But wait, don’t shelve that dream just yet. A third option is to do both simultaneously. A successful self-published novel will attract big publishers, like great white sharks drawn to chum in the waters off Nantucket. A case in point, Andy Weir’s The Martian.[3]
Whichever publishing route you decide to take, following that little angel on your shoulder and sidestepping the devilish pitfalls are crucial to your success.
The advantage of traditional over self-publishing: Angels on your side vs. devil in the details.
😇 Traditional: having angels on your side.
Okay. Let’s be blunt. An established publishing house (of angels?), fostering your author journey to success, makes the traditional route very enticing. Sorry, Dad. And as for the selling your soul trope, money talks, bullshit walks. All you need to do is write a novel on par with the likes of Dan Brown, and the world’s your oyster.👍🏻
Now, polish up your half-written query letter and stick it under the noses of that vetted list of agents languishing on your hard drive. And, don’t even think about paying a nickel in advance. No reputable agent will ever ask for up-front dough. Got it? Need help formatting the letter? Among many others, here is an excellent resource for querying agents.
👿 Self-publishing: the devil is in the details. Never-ending details.
Some writers enjoy the picayune minutiae of self-publishing. That’s fine. However, let’s be honest. In the absence of that team of high-paid professionals, the author manages all of the responsibilities, and more, while committing themselves to the age-old practice of storytelling: transforming ideas from the depths of their soul into words strung together, filling the dreaded blank white page while boning up on the latest AI SEO dogma that must be adhered to or your book’s webpage will be cast into the fiery pits of hell, aka, page two in the Google seach results.
Now, let’s flip the metaphorical analogy and highlight the main disadvantage of traditional vs. self-publishing.
👿 Traditional: selling your soul to that proverbial devil.
Signing on the dotted line of your hard-won traditional contract will not earn you Dan Brown money right off the bat. In fact, the royalties from traditional publishing pale in comparison to self-publishing.[4] And most traditional authors find themselves performing many of the same tasks as self-published authors, such as maintaining their own social media presence. The horror. Who do you think you are? Dan … well, you get the picture.
😇 Self-publishing: you are the boss—for better or worse.
Like every other subject known to humankind, numerous websites and blogs overflow with advice on traditional, self-publishing, and hybrid independent publishing options. I have less than zero (an excellent read) interest in getting down in those weeds. By now, anyone in the business of writing should already have their go-to resources bookmarked on their browsers adjacent to important subjects like “Ten Ways to Bake a Chocolate Chip Cookie” or “Get Rich Without Leaving the Sofa.” So, fear not; I will keep this short and pithy by offering a singular piece of advice in the form of a rhyming quatrain out there in the zeitgeist with origins dating back to a 19th-century poem by Sarah T. Bolton. (Probably no relation to John.)
Paddle your own canoe.
“If you want to get rich, you SOB,
I’ll tell you what you should do,
Never sit down with a tear or a frown,
And paddle your own canoe.”
That’s it. So, don’t give up if you feel your book has the makings of a bestseller. And never let the naysayers get you down. And always, and I do mean always, paddle your own canoe. Perhaps an angel is looking over your shoulder as you struggle upstream through devilish white water and pernicious cross currents, navigating blind bends, unable to see what lies beyond. The author’s journey is not for the faint of heart. It’s putting yourself out there for all the world to scrutinize and pick apart like vultures. And yet with true grit and determination, you keep paddling. And whether you pursue your dream of becoming a successful traditional author or a self-published rock star, it is your Author Journey.
Good luck and keep paddling.
The idyllic life of a best-selling author.
An early version of this blog on traditional versus self-publishing featured the following as an allegorical quick read on a traditional writer’s life after hitting the big time. So, please indulge this brief digression into creative writing (I need the practice).
Here’s a summary: An imaginary best-selling author returns to his cabin years after the ink has dried on a seven-figure book deal that his friends and family laughed off as a pipe dream. Who’s laughing now?
The Author
Hiking along a well-trod path, careful to avoid tiny frogs darting this way and that, a man returns to his fortress of solitude with a tackle box in one hand and his fishing pole and a string of blue gills in the other. Coming through the thick green maze, he sees his latest and best acquisition: a remote log cabin nestled along the shore of a placid lake, reflecting the early-autumn sun setting behind the darkening silhouette of a pine-studded ridgeline, backlit by warm hues that mix with the purplish-blue watercolor sky.
Leaving his mud-caked boots and gear on the makeshift stoop in the dusky twilight, he enters the front room’s semi-darkness with his dead-eyed catch swinging from a neon green stringer and gazes upon the sleeping laptop on his messy desk with a sigh. Padding across the creaking floorboards, he taps it awake and scans his emails before heading to the kitchen, grumbling over another round of edits awaiting his attention. The hungry author makes a command decision: First the fish, then the edits. Priorities.
Grabbing a cast-iron skillet off the rack and a long knife from the drawer, his stomach growls in the dimness as he prepares the simple dinner. After a close call with the blade, he lights an antique camp lantern, casting odd, animated light and shadow across the space that reminds him of a back alley setting from his latest novel’s seedy, make-believe midwestern town, very noir. Pouring a glass of pinot from a local winery, he drinks in the tranquility and muses on his obvious blessings since becoming a bestselling author. Nothing like the bad old days before hitting the big time, thanks to his tragicomic make-believe friend, Sonny.
Sure, he has to deal with fussy editors, impossible deadlines, and his psychopathic agent, but a seven-figure five-book deal is a two-way street. And yet, he can’t shake the feeling that he’s making peanuts while his publisher reaps a small fortune. On the other hand, the high-paid team on the 20th floor in midtown Manhattan is handling his latest book launch to the nth degree into the wee hours of the night, as they have for months. Even weekends. The poor bastards. All he has to do is write.
“I wonder if I’m getting screwed? Whatever. It’s more money than I could ever spend.”
Musing on the cheeky teaser ads (that he reluctantly green-lit) already going viral for his fourth installment with a blithe chuckle and a last bite of fish, he marvels at how little he understands the machinations behind such things as advertising and social media. There was a time when he needed to know everything. Hitting the big time flipped that paradigm on its head. Sure, his people would love it if he would agree to more interviews and the like. He might. He might not. The book launch tour is enough.
Abandoning the bony remnants of the sunfish meal in the sink, he moves to the front room with the flickering lantern and sinks into his ergonomic cushioned command chair before the waiting laptop. Sipping from his third glass, he scans the latest list of edits and commences revisiting the part where Sonny confesses. Again. Poor Sonny. Will he ever learn that crime doesn’t pay?
“Not in my lifetime.”
😀 Thanks for indulging my detour into creative inspiration.
Footnotes
Rachel Gillett, “From welfare to one of the world’s wealthiest women — the incredible rags-to-riches story of J.K. Rowling,” Business Insider, accessed August 20, 2025, https://www.businessinsider.com/the-rags-to-riches-story-of-jk-rowling-2015-5.
Trent Toone, “How Brandon Sanderson’s secret pandemic novel became the No. 1 all-time Kickstarter with $33 million,” Deseret News, accessed August 27, 2025, https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2022/3/25/22969907/brandon-sandersons-secret-pandemic-novel-kickstarter-33-million-book-series-utah/
James Altucher, “Andy Weir: The Martian — How to Go From Self-Published to Six Figures,” Medium, accessed August 26, 2025, https://medium.com/the-mission/andy-weir-the-martian-how-to-go-from-self-published-to-six-figures-bffc39c5474c.
Lissie Kidd, “Is Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing More Profitable?” Forbes, accessed August 20, 2025, https://books.forbes.com/blog/self-or-traditional-publishing-profitable/.
