It is something of a growing trend that those who enjoy reading and storytelling often harbor some degree of aspiration of becoming a writer. Many think about it yet decide they do not have the time, others start but end up wandering away from it at a later date, and still, others put in the work but at the end are too nervous to submit their likely beautiful novel to a publisher. And then there are the poor saps that spent years writing a book, which in that time became a series of books, that they then want to get published. Because of a combination to the many aforementioned pitfalls and the fact that those who don’t share the ambition of being an author do not necessarily see it as a real profession a substantial amount of crucial information is not readily available to this final group.

For instance, many authors have said that they wished someone had explained to them exactly how publishing, in and of itself, actually works. Most are at least passively aware that an author submits their work to a publisher and the publisher distributes it commercially. This is technically accurate for a specific type of publisher. Due to the widespread use, and therefore hypothetical appeal, of this type of publishing, it is often referred to as traditional publishing. It involves sending a completed work to a publishing company that will then cover a portion of the cost of advertising and marketing said work to commercial vendors.

Alternatively, an author can self-publish, using services like Createspace or Ingramspark, and take on all of the risks and rewards that come with it.

It is important to remember that in either case, the body of work in question is an investment for both the author and any publishers involved. If an author does decide to go the route of traditional publishing, it is important to keep in mind that the publisher is a business first and foremost. In exchange for covering a portion of the expenses, the publisher is allowed an equivalent percentage of the profits the book makes as well as a degree of control of the content of the said book or other body or work. Alternatively, self-publishing entails the author takes on the full expense of publishing their work by themselves. This ultimately means that the success or failure of an author’s work is entirely reliant on them.

For this reason, it may, therefore, be worthwhile to discuss what those costs may be in either case. Regardless of the type of publishing, an author is still responsible for the cost of edits, and not all editors are the same. Things like line editors and developmental editors are often highly recommended, if not required, by traditional publishers before an author’s work will be seriously considered. As mentioned, these are paid for by the author, and most editors charge between one and three cents a word. For reference, this article would cost between $114.30 and $342.90 per editor. Should an author choose to publish traditionally, publishers may have professional editors on staff, but the above charges are usually still included in their expenses even if that is not explicitly explained. In this case, the publisher has control over the actual editors used, where those who self-publish determine what they need supposing that they can afford it.

Contrarily, a traditional publisher does cover the expenses of cover art and page format. This is in large part because they have executive control over the choices made. This is not to say that the author in this circumstance had no control, they are just consulted by the publisher rather than making their own decisions.

These both pave the way to the central motivator for choosing one method of publishing over another: printing and marketing. This should be done, in either case, after the book has been copyrighted, though this is either done by the publisher or by the author for $35 or so online. A publishing company, as is the case with many of the things contained herein, covers a portion of the expenses as well as the decision-making process of printing and by extension shipping. For those who self-publish, the act of printing and shipping through an online distributor such as Amazon is not charged to the author as an actual expense and is simply deducted from profits the book makes.

However, printing the book for the purpose of sending them to reviewers, as it is done separately, is an actual expense that in turn works toward the act of marketing one’s self. This is likely where one would expect me to say that a publishing company assists in this endeavor. They do not. They cover the costs of getting the book to consumers, but do little if anything to make consumers aware of said book. So whether or not an author chooses to go the route of traditional publishing, all of their money will likely go toward this. Every last dollar not used for rent or food should go toward add space and promotions. This is the main expense of publishing a book. It may even be worth it to hire a dedicated marketing team as many authors do.

So in short, traditional publishing covers a significant portion of the expenses of getting a book ready for distribution, at the cost of a portion of the profits and some control of the content of the body of work. Self publishing preserves the author’s agency in the publication process, but is often more expensive and requires a bit more research and savvy. It is ultimately a matter of preference. But in most cases aspiring authors are ether not aware of the process at all or aren't fully aware of the choices they have to make. To some degree, the daunting task of making these choices is dwarfed only by letting the imagination run wild because the actual choices are unknown.