162: Should You Self-Publish? (Part One)

Should you self-publish? This is a big debate among aspiring authors, and there is no one right answer. Today I’m sharing my take on the three main publishing options you have to get a book into the world: 

1. Self-publishing (including direct-to-ebook or audiobook) where you hire your own team of specialists along the way.

2. Hybrid where you partner with an established publisher, while fronting the costs as an author (for the team they assemble and either print-on-demand or funding a larger print run), and 

3. Traditional publishing with one of the “Big Five” publishing houses, where they give you an advance, and you get the cache of making it through the “gatekeeper” gauntlet.

🌟6 Key Considerations:

1. Cash Flow

2. Your Business Model

3. Quality

4. Speed

5. Team & Process

6. Platform size, connections, and “know that I tried”

📝Permission: Take one small next step towards publishing your book. Remember, you are a messenger. When you get overwhelmed, return to asking, “What is in the highest good for all involved? How can I move forward with ease and joy?”

✅Do (or Delegate) This Next: Check out the Author Toolkit, then draft a one-page query email highlighting the answers to: why me, why now, why this book, and your platform stats. 

📘Books Mentioned:

• Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business 

• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One 

• Life After College

• Published.: The Proven Path From Blank Page To 10,000 Copies Sold by Chandler Bolt

• Write Useful Books: A Modern Approach to Designing and Refining Recommendable Nonfiction by Rob Fitzpatrick

• Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives—Including Your Own by A.J. Harper

🔗Resources Mentioned:

• Free Time’s Author Toolkit

• Article: New York Times’ How to Get Published—One Book’s Journey

• Related Podcasts: Self Publishing School, The Creative Penn Podcast

• Publishers: Page Two, Running Press Publishing, Portfolio Publishing, Ideapress Publishing, Amazon CreateSpace

• Audiobook Publishing: ACX, Findaway Voices

🎧Related Podcast Episodes: 

• 103: How to Land a Literary Agent and Publisher with David Moldawer (Part One)

• 105: “Don’t write the wrong book!” with David Moldawer (Part Two)

• 077: Happy Launch Day! Antonio Neves Guest Hosts (Part 1)

• 079: Behind the Launch with Antonio Neves (Part 2)

• 096: Book Sales Stats—One Month Post-Launch 🎉

• 028: When the Financial Tides Recede

• 045: Behind the Free Time Brand with Adam Chaloeicheep

• 158: How to Decide on a Book (or Big Idea) Topic—10 Filters

• 070: Rough Drafts vs. The Writers Room

• 035: The Long Game with Dorie Clark

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