The book publishing industry has come a long way since its inception. For decades, aspiring novelists who hoped to get their book accepted by a reputable publishing house struggled as they faced rejection, push-back from editors, and loss of creative control. As the industry evolved, writers were no longer kept in the dark in the editing and publishing process, thanks to the introduction of self-publishing. Here is a look at how self-publishing has forever altered the face of book publishing along with five benefits to self-publishing for freelance writers.
Complete Creative Control
For many writers, the most important benefit of self-publishing is complete creative control. The idea that the book that you have poured your soul into being drastically altered by an editor is utterly heart-wrenching to many writers. Complete creative control allows you to publish the book you want, while keeping your story and cover art intact.
Beginning-to-End Inclusion in the Publishing Process
Another big perk for freelance writers is the beginning to end inclusion in the publishing process. Publishing a book can be a long process, and it is important to many writers that they are involved in the process from end-to-end. From editorial reviews and cover art selection to book binding and marketing, the writer is included in the publishing process.
Writer Maintains All Rights to Material
When you self-publish your book, you maintain all rights to your material. This can be a very big deal to writer’s who are trying to make a name for themselves. If you were to publish with a traditional publishing house, the rights of the book would be transferred to the publisher. The benefit of self-publishing as opposed to using a traditional publishing house is that you maintain all rights to your book, and you can republish with a larger publishing house at a later time, should the interest arise.
Marketing Packages
Another big advantage to self-publishing is the marketing packages that are available through self-publishing press companies like Lulu, Abbott Press, and others. These companies do not just publish your book; they offer end-to-end comprehensive services such as editing, formatting, marketing and more. They offer marketing packages that can fit most budgets, and range from a short but effective media blast to a long promotional campaign. No matter what you select, the marketing services available to self-publishing authors is broad and impressive.
Endless Options and Steep Competition
There is an ever-growing list of self-publishing companies who are looking to assist you with your next big writing project and the competition is heating up. With self-publishing companies looking to best each other in terms of price and services offered, writer’s can take advantage of some excellent publishing and marketing deals. Additionally, with so many quality self-publishing companies to choose from, freelance writers have a many options at their fingertips.