Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing - Your Choice!

If you're an aspiring writer, one of the biggest decisions you'll face is whether to pursue traditional publishing or go the self-publishing route. Each path has its pros and cons—what matters most is what fits your goals, lifestyle, and personality.

Traditional publishing means submitting your manuscript to literary agents or publishers. If accepted, your book will be edited, designed, distributed, and marketed by professionals. The upside? Credibility, wider distribution, and no upfront costs. The downside? It’s highly competitive, slow-moving, and you’ll have less creative control and lower royalty rates.

Self-publishing, on the other hand, puts you in the driver’s seat. You’ll manage everything from editing and design to publishing and promotion—either yourself or by hiring professionals. It’s faster, more flexible, and gives you full control and higher royalties. But it also requires more time, effort, and upfront investment.

Neither route is better—just different. If you love independence and entrepreneurial challenges, self-publishing might be for you. If you prefer industry support and don’t mind the wait, traditional publishing could be your path.

The key is to stay informed, be realistic, and choose the path that aligns with your writing dreams and lifestyle.

To help you consider this a little more - here are a few UK publishers who accept non-agented submissions and some self-publishing places to find out more!

• HarperCollins UK imprints occasionally accept direct submissions—follow them on social for updates and opportunities

• Joffe Books (independent) welcomes non-agented entries in crime, thriller, literary, fantasy, romance and saga

Harlequin Mills & Boon consider romance submission across the sub-genres from historical, romantic suspense, medical romance and more

Self-Publishing

1. • Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital for print‑on‑demand and e‑book distribution across global retailers and libraries.
   • Combine with BookFunnel or Gumroad to sell directly and build reader mailing lists.

2. Professional Support (Optional)
   • Hire freelancers via Reedsy, Upwork, or Fiverr for editing, design, formatting, and launch-day promo.

3. Marketing & Community
   • Build author presence using newsletters (e.g. through Mailchimp), social media, promo tools like BookBub, and leverage book promo sites.

Final Takeaway

If you want to go the agent route The Writers & Artists Yearbook 2025 will most likely be the best place to start and have the most up to date agent information.

For non-agented traditional: start shortlisting houses open to non-agented submissions, carefully read their guidelines, personalize your pitches.

For self-publishing: educate yourself, choose your platform, optionally invest in professional help, and commit to consistent marketing.

Happy Writing!

Rachel x