Which publishing pathway should I take?

Which publishing pathway should I take?

Deciding whether to self‑publish or pursue a traditional publisher is one of the hardest choices writers face, and the “right” answer can change over time. I know my answer to this question has changed over the last 25 years. Both paths are viable; what matters most is doing your homework, being realistic about your marketing capacity, and investing in professional editing, whichever route you choose.​

More and more authors are turning to self‑publishing because it gives them greater control over how their book is created, packaged, and marketed, and over who they collaborate with along the way. On the other hand, successful self‑publishing usually demands a solid grasp of marketing and a willingness to self‑promote—two areas where many passionate writers struggle once the drafting is done.

Traditional publishing can offer editorial support, distribution reach, and brand recognition, but it is highly competitive and slower, and you still need to be prepared to market your own work. Whichever path you choose, one non‑negotiable is quality editing.

Below are some of my go‑to resources for understanding the different publishing paths, the stages of editing, and the realities of marketing. The key takeaway: do your research before committing to any one route!

• Editing A Book – The 5 Stages (David Gaughran)
  Breaks editing into five practical stages (including beta reading and various levels of professional editing) and explains how to build an editing process that suits your book and budget.​
• The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2025–2026 (Jane Friedman)
  Maps out all major publishing options today—big‑five traditional, small presses, hybrid, self‑publishing—and compares them on control, cost, speed, and support so you can see where you fit.​
• Should You Self‑Publish or Traditionally Publish? (Jane Friedman)
  A decision‑making guide that walks through your goals, genre, platform, and risk tolerance to help you decide which model aligns best with your situation.​
• Traditional Publishing: What’s It Good For? (Jane Friedman)
  Explains where traditional publishing really adds value (e.g. print distribution, prestige, certain genres) and where its limitations lie.​
• Calculating the Odds of Getting a Traditional Publisher (Leigh Shine)
  Uses a US example to illustrate how competitive traditional deals are, what publishers look for, and why strong proposals, platform, and persistence matter.​
• How to Write a (Non‑fiction) Book Proposal + Template (Jane Friedman)
  Step‑by‑step guidance and a template for structuring a proposal, essential if you’re pitching nonfiction to agents or publishers.​
• How to Publish on Amazon (Ricardo Fayet, Reedsy)
  A practical guide to using KDP: formatting, uploading, pricing, and basic optimisation for Amazon self‑publishing.​
• Pros and Cons of Publishing on Amazon
  Outlines the advantages (reach, royalties, speed) and drawbacks (competition, exclusivity issues, reliance on one platform) of going all‑in on Amazon.​
• Book Marketing 101 (Reedsy course)
  An introductory course that covers core marketing concepts for authors—audience, branding, launch plans, and ongoing promotion—which you’ll need regardless of your publishing path.​
• What is a Vanity Press? A Guide to Vanity Publishing (Reedsy, Martin Cavannagh)
  A vanity press is a publisher that profits not from selling books but from making authors pay for publishing expenses. Vanity publishers will publish any novel, regardless of the quality, and usually do this with little or no editorial input.

There’s no simple answer to which publishing path you should take. Much depends on your need for expert guidance, your writing ability, and your ability to write to a book that fits neatly into a publisher’s ‘list’, your resources, and your love of, or issue with, self-promotion. Much depends also on how much control you seek to keep over your creation. Whatever path you take, go in with your eyes wide open. Choose a path that sits well with you and your needs, and don’t, whatever you do, get caught up in a vanity exercise. Vanity publishing can be very costly, and hurt, if not destroy, your long-term chances at writing success.

Above all else, do not be in a rush to reach the elusive goal of ‘publishing’. Writing is a journey through self-understanding, and the creation of a skill. It’s not an end goal in itself.

*Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash