: Re: What are the dangers of self publishing? I’m not sure if this has been answered yet, but I always have people tell me that self publishing might not be safe. What are the dangers of self

@Kevin153

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Having done both self-publishing and traditional publishing, I would say this: Self publish only if you are ready, willing and able to treat your book like a product, and to sell all copies personally and directly. The biggest issue with self-publishing is that you have to wear all hats, and do all jobs (or outsource them, often at considerable expense, and sometimes with questionable quality). The biggest of those jobs, by far, is sales. I still have boxes and boxes of my self-published book, not because I quit being able to sell them, but because I got tired of being a salesperson for them.

If you are a public speaker, or would like doing author visits, if you don't mind touring, if you're a marketing genius, and you don't mind flogging your book mercilessly, you could make a great living as a self-publisher --maybe even see your book rise to the best-seller lists. You definitely see a much bigger margin of profit per book sold as a self-publisher (assuming you don't go through a vanity press). But personally, I don't envision myself ever going that route again.

I wouldn't necessarily call it "unsafe" however --I would ask your friends what they meant by that. What comes to mind for me is the likelihood of being ripped off by unethical bottom-feeders providing publishing services, or losing significant amounts of money (even without being ripped off) just from not making back your expenditures.

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