Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing?

In the five-year stretch when I was trying to find a publisher, but it looked less and less likely, I asked myself if I should go the self-publishing route. Many writers are doing this, and, with ebooks and sites like Amazon, it's become easier to do. Yet, something seemed to hold me back, and I decided to try to find a traditional publisher for a while longer. In hindsight, I'm glad I did. 

Going through the editing process with two different editors has made me acutely aware of how hard it is to catch your own mistakes. I have taught English and can proof and edit other manuscripts, but my mistakes don't jump out at me in the same way. I tend to read what's supposed to be there. 

With Cleared for Planting, I had a lady, who has spent years proofreading and editing other people's writings read and correct it first. My husband also read the manuscript right before I sent it in. Then, the editor assigned to me at Ambassador International Publishing and I went through it a number of times. She even used an editing software program on it. After all this, mistakes still slipped by us, and we've caught nine so far in the book. I can't imagine doing this without a professional editor. In fact, many of the self-published books I've read on my Kindle has so many errors they're hard to read. Those that come from a publishing house tend to have a lot less. I think the editor and I have done better with Sown in Dark Soil, coming soon.

Another reason is that I wouldn't want to publish only ebooks and not offer print versions, as some self-published authors do. I found that, although I love my e-readers and think they have many advantages, not all people feel the same way. I've discovered that many people out there don't have one and really don't want one. A great many people have told me they still prefer print books - too many to keep count of. In addition, I can't sign my ebooks for them, although, if we can sign a credit card bill electronically, it may not be long before the companies design a way to do so. You can self-publish both, of course, but not all self-published authors do. It is also much easier to get the book into bookstores if published traditionally.

And lastly, my publisher has helped me in many areas. The Chief Executive Officer there has answered every question I've had as I've entered this new role as a published author. When a major bookstore made it hard for me to hold a book signing, he stepped in and took care of it. I've felt supported at every junction.

I know the publishing/book industry is in a transition period, and there's a lot of uncertainty. Changes have come rapidly, and no one knows when it's going to slow down. I guess every situation is different and should be looked at individually. However, I think I made the best choice for me when I decided to go with traditional publishing.

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