What Are The Self Publishing Pros And Cons?

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The pros of self-publishing are higher royalties, control over your book and a clearer path to getting it on sale. The cons are that you have to learn and pay for everything yourself, nobody checks the quality for you, and some people look down on self-published authors. The point I like best: self-publishing can lead to a traditional deal. If you plan to publish on Amazon, see the pros and cons of self-publishing on Amazon.

Which should I choose, self-publishing or traditional publishing?

When I started I had to decide between the two. I chose self-publishing because it is by far the easiest route. The steps are much clearer, and I did not know anyone who had been traditionally published or understand how that process worked. I knew self-publishing takes more time and has more to figure out, but those were the barriers I could see and get past. If you want to compare the two in more detail, see self-publishing vs traditional publishing.

What are the pros of self-publishing?

• Higher royalties. On Amazon.com, KDP pays 70% on Kindle ebooks priced between $2.99 and $12.99 (the band widened from $9.99 on 07-Jul-26, see KDP’s royalty page). Paperbacks pay 60% of the list price at $9.99 and above on Amazon.com, minus printing costs (KDP paperback royalties). Rates change by market, so check KDP’s current rules. My post on how much a self-published book makes walks through the math.
• You learn the whole process. Covers, costs and revenue, running ads, descriptions, keywords and markets. It is exciting.
• It is less demotivating. You are not rejected over and over.

What are the cons of self-publishing?

• Some people look down on it. Their thinking is that if the book were good enough, a publisher would have taken it. That is not a safe test. Publishers pass on books that later sell: most of the publishers who saw J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter manuscript thought it too long, and it was sold only after about a year of trying (Wikipedia).
• Quality can be lower. For the most part that is fair. There are fewer editors and no gatekeepers saying a book is good or poor. KDP does review books, but it checks against its content guidelines, which ask that books give readers a positive experience and not mislead them. That is a basic bar, not an editor.
• You have to learn to do everything yourself. That is both a pro and a con.

What does print really cost you?

This is a con that surprises people. On Amazon.com a paperback pays 50% of the list price up to $9.98 and 60% from $9.99, and then KDP takes the printing cost out. KDP’s example is a $15 paperback of 333 pages in black ink: (0.60 x $15) minus $5.00 printing leaves $4.00. Through Expanded Distribution the rate is 40%, which leaves $1.00 on the same book (KDP paperback royalties). Ebooks have no printing cost, which is one reason I start authors on Kindle.

Will I earn a lot?

Not automatically. In the Written Word Media 2025 survey of 1,346 authors, 44% earned $100 a month or less and 8% earned over $10,000 a month. About 80% of authors with one to three books earned under $100 a month, while authors with 25 or more books had a median of about $3,000 a month. These figures are self-reported (Written Word Media, 2-Dec-25). So the pros of control and royalties come with the con of needing many books and good marketing.

Is it a con to pay someone to run my publishing for me?

It can be. Some agents and services ask you to pay for editing, cover design and marketing, then publish the book under their own account. The Alliance of Independent Authors warns that you can then lose the ability to manage pricing, files and distribution yourself, may give up a share of sales for as long as the deal runs, and may have to leave your sales rank behind if you move the book. It advises caution and suggests limiting how long any revenue share lasts (ALLi, 25-Apr-13). That page is old, so read it as a list of questions to ask, not as today’s market. My advice: keep the account and the files in your own name, and ask any service who owns the ISBN and where the book will be listed before you pay.

Can self-publishing get you a traditional publishing deal?

Yes, and I think self-publishing is the best way into it. Traditional publishers look for books that will sell. They do not want to back a book and find out nobody wants to buy it, because they will not get their money back.

If your self-published books are already selling, they can see that. They may buy the rights to one of them, or they see that you have an audience who like and trust you, so a book from their house comes with readers already waiting. That is the motivating side: you can prove for yourself that it works, and then a publisher may give you a chance.

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