Choosing the right publishing path is one of the most important decisions an author can make—and one that directly impacts your book’s success, your business goals, and your creative control.
With multiple routes to consider—Self-Publishing, Hybrid Publishing, Traditional Publishing, and Supported Indie Publishing—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But each path comes with its own trade-offs, and understanding those differences is key to making a choice that actually supports your long-term vision. You don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. You want to do what’s best for you.
In this guide, you’ll learn what sets each publishing model apart, which factors to weigh before making a decision, and how to align your choice with your goals as a business-minded author.
Criteria for Choosing the Right Publishing Path
Before we dive deeper into each publishing model, consider the following factors carefully. These are some of the key criteria that will help you identify which path aligns best with your goals and plans, ensuring your choice is a strategic one:
- Goals for Your Book: Are you seeking to enhance your credibility, maximize sales, increase visibility, or leave a legacy?
- Timeline and Creative Control: How quickly do you wish to publish, and how much control do you want over the content and design?
- Marketing and Platform Size: What is your current reach, and how much marketing support will you require?
- Financial Considerations: Do you have money to invest in creating your book, or do you need a partner with the funds? Are you willing to give up income later for help now?
A Breakdown of Your Publishing Options
Self-Publishing
Self-publishing, also known as indie publishing, gives you the most flexibility and potential for income…if you know what you’re doing (or can invest the resources to learn).
- Pros: Total creative control, faster time to market, all income is yours, and you have the flexibility to do whatever you need or want to do.
- Cons: Requires a significant personal investment, and success depends on your ability to use all that control effectively.
- Financial Insight: According to a 2022 survey by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the median income for self-published authors was approximately $12,755, with a 50% increase over the prior year. Impressively, 28% of self-published authors earned over $50,000, and nearly 20% ran six-figure publishing businesses.
Hybrid Publishing
If you’re considering a hybrid publisher, choosing the right publishing path comes down to finding a trustworthy partner and making sure they’re flexible in the ways your plans might require. Otherwise, you’re giving up control and income in exchange for little more than you could do on your own.
- Pros: Shared responsibilities between author and publisher, access to professional services and distribution at the level equivalent to a traditional publisher, and experienced guidance along the way.
- Cons: Upfront costs are shared with the publisher, and the quality and reputation can vary widely among hybrid publishers. (Check out these criteria for hybrid publishers you can trust from the Independent Book Publishers Association.) Too, like traditional publishers, some hybrid presses are rigid about things like price changes, giveaways, and experimenting.
- Financial Insight: More and more surveys are revealing that “hybrid authors” (i.e., those with both traditionally published books and indie books) seem to enjoy the most income and success overall. Don’t confuse that rosy picture with authors who publish with hybrid presses. They don’t mean the same thing by “hybrid.”
Traditional Publishing
For some categories—like literary fiction, memoir, and children’s books—traditional publishing offers more exposure to the right audience and gatekeepers who can elevate your book’s visibility. For others, if you’ve already done well with books independently or have a successful business platform, traditional publishing can help you level up to national (and international) visibility, chain bookstore reach, and mainstream media.
- Pros: Prestige, access to professional services and expert guidance, broader distribution channels with opportunities for exposure through mainstream media, and you earn money up front through advances vs. having to lay out cash.
- Cons: Highly competitive, much slower time to publication, lower royalty rates, less creative control, and less flexibility overall.
- Financial Insight: The Authors Guild’s 2023 survey indicates that full-time traditionally published authors have a median writing-related income of just over $25,000, where $15,000 of that comes directly from book sales (the rest may include a variety of related income). (To read the full report, click here.)
Supported Indie Publishing
This model may be the best fit if choosing the right publishing path for you means maintaining creative control while still getting expert support. You’ll pay for everything up front, but all income is yours and you’ll likely earn more on backend sales (such as through services or other products) thanks to the full ownership and flexibility this route provides.
- Pros: Combines the autonomy of self-publishing with professional support, allowing authors to retain rights while accessing expert services.
- Cons: Involves upfront investment, and success heavily relies on the chosen support team’s quality.
- Financial Insight: The data may be a decade-plus old, but the basic takeaway of these surveys remains true—you’ll find in every survey or report that asks the question that authors who invest in professional services earn more from their books than those who DIY.
Which Publishing Path Is Right for You?
Once you’ve reviewed the pros and cons, it’s time to match them to your specific needs. Here’s how to approach choosing the right publishing path with clarity.
- Self-Publishing: Ideal if you desire complete creative control, have the resources to invest in professional services, and are prepared to handle project management and marketing efforts. Best for authors with modest goals, limited income expectations, and plenty of time.
- Hybrid Publishing: Suitable for authors who prioritize access to mainstream (including brick-and-mortar) retailers and media akin to traditional publishing but who are also open to sharing responsibilities and costs without complete control over decision-making. Best for authors with moderate existing platforms and books geared toward a large mainstream audience but who don’t want to wait long or give up control.
- Traditional Publishing: Fits those aiming for prestige, willing to navigate a competitive landscape, and comfortable with relinquishing some creative control and time for massive visibility and mainstream sales. Best for authors with ambitious goals and a desire to grow a large national platform.
- Supported Indie Publishing: Perfect for authors who want to maintain control, rights, and income, who recognize the value of professional support to elevate their work, and who lack the time or interest in figuring out how to do and coordinate all the things. Best for authors with ambitious goals focused on leveraging their books and dominating a niche vs. broader mainstream recognition.
The Smartest Way to Publish Is the One That Aligns with Your Goals
Choosing the right publishing path is about more than just logistics or picking what’s popular, and it’s certainly not about which way is “real publishing.” That’s a bunch of nonsense in this technology-driven age.
Choosing the right publishing path is very personal. It’s about aligning with your bigger vision and needs. Whether you crave complete creative control, value the support of a trusted team, need a book fast, or are chasing industry prestige, there’s a model that fits. The key is clarity—and knowing which trade-offs you’re truly willing to make.
Once you think you’ve settled on a path, you might enjoy learning about “3 Costly Mistakes Authors Make When Publishing” so you can understand what to watch out for as you move forward.
Ready to explore publishing options that don’t require doing it alone?
Check out our article “The Hidden Costs of Doing It All” to learn why delegation is one of the smartest publishing moves you can make.
Or, if you’re ready to talk through what your ideal path might look like, let’s start that conversation. We specialize in working with authors who are:
- Self-publishing and want their book to earn rave reviews
- Looking for a supported indie publishing partner for editing, publishing, and marketing
- Planning to compete for a traditional book deal and need help with their manuscripts, proposals, and query letters
Sign up for your free Book Strategy Call today!
Ally Machate is on a mission to help authors make great books and reach more readers. A bestselling author and expert publishing consultant, Ally has served small and “Big Five” publishers, including Simon & Schuster, where she acquired and edited books on staff. Her clients include authors with such companies as Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Rodale Inc., Chronicle Books, Kaplan Publishing, Sourcebooks, and Hay House, as well as independently published bestsellers. As founder & CEO of The Writer’s Ally, Ally and her team lead serious authors to write, publish, and sell more high-quality books.