The more I've heard people talk about self-publishing over the years, the more I come to the conclusion that it's 90% a scam for the get-rich-quick publishers to sell their marketing advice. You're out the time and labor for writing, you're out the cover, the editing, the marketing, the price of the self-help guides, and more, with very little quality feedback or support. You can pay an editor, and for sure that person will help you, but that editor wants the job and isn't going to tell you when it's a lost cause; there's also only so much they can do. And don't get me started on the writing coaches, the $2,000 courses, and the rest of it.
There are successful self-publishers. It's doable, don't get me wrong. But not enough people talk about it in realistic terms. To be successful you've got to be self-driven to a crazy extent. It's that DIY / Maker mindset, and that's not something that just switches on in you because you don't want a rejection letter. The ones who are successful are the ones who would never consider traditional publishing because for them the DIY-aspect is the whole point of doing it.
Honestly, if you're thinking about that 70-vs-30% royalty number, and not: A publisher isn't going to understand my ideas the way I do.... then I would say that you should think long and hard about whether you're up for it.
There are successful self-publishers. It's doable, don't get me wrong. But not enough people talk about it in realistic terms. To be successful you've got to be self-driven to a crazy extent. It's that DIY / Maker mindset, and that's not something that just switches on in you because you don't want a rejection letter. The ones who are successful are the ones who would never consider traditional publishing because for them the DIY-aspect is the whole point of doing it.
Honestly, if you're thinking about that 70-vs-30% royalty number, and not: A publisher isn't going to understand my ideas the way I do.... then I would say that you should think long and hard about whether you're up for it.