Find Out Why Self Publishing Is Bad?

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Is self-publishing bad? Not in itself. The real downsides are that nobody checks your book before it goes on sale and that the quality can be low, but both are things you control. Below are the reasons people say it is bad, and why I still think it is worth doing.

Why do people say self-publishing is bad?

When I first started, I knew there were issues. Many people say, “You should never self-publish.” Some say that if you’re not traditionally published, it doesn’t count, that it’s a bad way to get a name for yourself, and that you can’t make money. Some of those reasons are legitimate.

I didn’t have a particularly bad idea about self-publishing at first. I had downloaded a lot of free Kindle books and even found some in the library, and some were poorly formatted, with misspelled words, no editing and lousy covers. That was my first introduction to self-published books. But I also found self-published books that were very high quality, and some authors earn a real living this way, as I describe in Can You Support Your Family From Self-Publishing Alone?

What are the real downsides?

When I started publishing, I realized I would need a good cover and several rounds of editing, and there was a whole series of mistakes to avoid. Here are the reasons you might not want to self-publish.

First, there is no gatekeeper. Nobody says your book is good or poor. Amazon and the other services accept the book as is, so the quality can be very low. People know that a self-published book can be a gamble, so if you’re doing it for a job or to impress people, it may not carry the weight of a traditionally published book. (Amazon does have content rules, but they are not a quality check. See Is Self Publishing On Amazon Kindle Difficult?)

Second, it may suggest lower quality. A self-published book doesn’t have to go through multiple rounds with multiple editors, and the cover may be weaker, although I have seen low-quality covers on traditionally published books too.

One thing that is not a downside: you keep your copyright when you self-publish. In the US, the Copyright Office says registration is in general voluntary.

How common is self-publishing, and does spending on editing and covers matter?

It is the usual route now. In the Written Word Media 2025 indie author survey of 1,346 authors (published 2-Dec-25), 77% were self-published, 17% hybrid and 5% only traditionally published. The same survey is self-reported, so it shows a pattern, not proof. Still, 214 authors earning under $100 a month spent nothing on editing, against only 11 of the authors earning over $10,000 a month, and most authors earning $5,000 a month or more spent at least $250 per cover. That matches what I said above: the downside of self-publishing is mostly the quality of the book, and quality is something you can pay for.

Is self-publishing still worth it?

In my experience, yes. The other issues don’t matter that much, because you can earn more money per sale on your self-published books. On Kindle, the 70% royalty option pays 70% of the list price minus a small delivery cost, and the 35% option pays 35% (KDP royalty options). On Amazon.com the 70% option applies to ebooks priced from $2.99 to $12.99, a range KDP widened from $2.99 to $9.99 effective 7-Jul-26 (KDP pricing page). In my reading, many self-published books are also higher quality than traditional ones, with fewer mistakes and better covers.

And if you decide to go traditional later, one of the best ways in is to show traditional publishers that people are willing to buy your self-published books. It proves you have an audience following you and that signing you is worth their while. For a full comparison, read Self Publishing VS Traditional Publishing, Who Wins?

If you still think self-publishing is bad, it may not be right for you, and you might start with traditional publishing or another option. If you are leaning towards it, read should you self-publish? Start with one step at a time. What have you found? Are there other reasons it is bad? Let me know in the comments.

If you want help doing self-publishing well, with a good cover, clean editing and a plan to sell, book a free 25-minute discovery call.

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