When I was looking for a publisher in the olden days of 2008 (47 years ago in ebook time), it seemed clear that the way to make a living as a writer was to get an agent, find a publisher, sell your book in stores, and wait for the money truck to back into your driveway, even if didn't always work out that way. But now that Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and other ebook vendors let you self-publish your books electronically (also called indie publishing), many unpublished writers think it's a no-brainer to forgo traditional publishers.
As someone who has seen both sides, first as a self-published ebook author and now as traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster, I can tell you that each avenue has its pros and cons, all of which I can sum up by saying: if you think writing is hard, wait until you try publishing.
Bestselling author Seth Godin ditched his publisher to sell his books directly to readers because he feels that he no longer needs his publisher's support for packaging, marketing, and distribution. On the other hand, Philip Goldberg wrote his own post about why he thinks a traditional publisher is still both relevant and needed. I'm sure both of them thought a long time about why they write, who their readers are, how they'd find those readers, how they want to spend their time, and what resources they have . . .
*excerpt from an article by Boyd Morrison. To read more click here
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