Publishing industry experts say we’re heading for a crash as early as 2020. We’ve seen more magazines close in the past five years than ever before, and even the big publishing houses are struggling to keep up with how fast everything’s changing. 

If most of your work is tied up with traditional publishers, this sounds pretty scary. But here’s the thing: many experts think this crash could actually make self-publishing explode while traditional publishing shrinks. 

Are you a traditionally published author who’s worried about how the crash might hit you? Or maybe you’re new to this whole game and feeling nervous about what’s coming? 

I think now is actually the perfect time to jump into self-publishing – even if you’ve been working with traditional publishers for years. 

Let me walk you through the biggest problems with traditional publishing right now, and how going the self-published route might just save you from this predicted market crash.

Traditional Publishing Houses Are Ruled by Politics

When a publishing house decides whether to publish your book, they’re juggling a lot of different factors. Sure, some of it’s about what readers actually want. But way too much of it comes down to investor demands and internal politics that have absolutely nothing to do with you or your writing. You could have a brilliant, polished manuscript and still get rejection after rejection because of boardroom drama you’ll never even hear about. 

Self-publishing cuts through all that nonsense. You control your work and decide when it gets published. No more waiting for someone else’s politics to align with your dreams. 

Traditional Publishing Cuts Out the Author

Here’s how traditional contracts work: you get an advance plus royalties, or just royalties. Either way, once you sign that paper, your book basically belongs to them. They decide how to promote it, when to release it, what goes on the cover – everything. You just have to sit back and hope they make good choices. 

With self-publishing, you stay in the driver’s seat. You decide when your book gets promoted, how it’s released, and what readers see on that cover. 

Traditional Publishing Doesn’t Pay Great Royalties

Royalties sound pretty sweet, right? But traditional publisher royalties aren’t nearly as good as they seem.

Sure, you might do well for the first few weeks when your book is hot and new. But once that initial buzz dies down, so do your royalties. And here’s the kicker: most publishers won’t lift a finger to promote your book after that honeymoon period is over.

Self-publishing gets you instant access to your royalties, and you keep a much bigger slice of the pie. 

Traditional Publishing Comes with Obligation

Sign with a traditional publisher, and you’re locked into their contract for that book. Sometimes an advance means you’re on the hook for multiple books. They might require you to do specific types of promotion whether you want to or not. If you’re trying to figure out how to get a book published, all this bureaucracy can drive you absolutely crazy.

Don’t like something in your contract? Sure, you can fight it legally, but good attorneys cost a fortune. Most of the time, you’re still stuck with whatever you signed. 

Traditional publishing ties you down with obligations. As a self-published author, you skip all that. No publisher telling you what you can or can’t do. No obligations except the ones you choose. You publish what you want, when you’re ready.