Honestly, I didn’t give much thought to trying to get my nonfiction books traditionally published. Here’s why:
I’d worked at two book publishers, Texas A&M University Press and Marlowe & Co., so I was familiar with the publishing process.
I knew platform size is the primary determinant of nonfiction book success and that I already had a solid platform.
As a former managing editor at a magazine, I was confident in my page layout skills.
I knew Amazon had 70% of the book market, so being present in that one store would give me exposure to the majority of book buyers. (That made publishing through KDP a no-brainer.)
I knew self-publishing would be much faster.
I also knew I’d have much more control and already had a clear vision for the book.
Thankfully, all of those things turned out to be true. In less than a year, I was able to write the 214-page book, have it edited by some of my trusted industry friends, get it professionally copyedited, and publish it.
But there were additional benefits of self-publishing I didn’t realize until later. For example, a traditional publisher would have never allowed me to publish a 322-page second edition 18 months after the first edition. And they definitely wouldn’t have allowed me to publish a 677-page two-volume fourth edition.
Did all of those decisions maximize profitability? I’m sure they didn’t. But I don’t regret any of them, because those decisions capitalized on my excitement and allowed me to create books I’ve always been proud to put my name on.
Self-publishing gives you lots of control. Make sure you’re using it to maximize your vision.
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