Why Self Publish in Canada?

why self publish in Canada - four hands with open books

Why Self Publish In Canada? by First Choice, A Self Publishing Company

a cartoon of four hands holding up seven books self-published in Canada

Why you should undertake self publishing in Canada.  It’s the first and foremost question on every modern authors mind: should I self publish my new book? Or should I try and get my new book traditionally published instead?

For most authors, getting their book traditionally published is their dream. It’s tried and true proof that your work is good – that a cohort of professionals whose job it is to sniff out good work finds your writing good enough to bet their money on it. And as a writer locked in their room for extended periods of time, that sort of validation can be amazing. Not to mention the significant amount of money (in book advances and recurring royalties) that usually comes with it.

But, for all the good that it can do for you, traditional publishing is also notoriously difficult to do. So difficult that, for many potentially fantastic authors, it becomes the final resting place of their careers.

Here are some unfortunate facts about traditional publishing:

Traditional Publishing Hardships:

  • The vast majority of manuscripts sent do not receive rejection letters. Many previously enthusiastic writers wait years without ever hearing whether or not their work is good enough to be accepted. Such prolonged delays can wreak havoc on their sanity, and has turned many brilliant writers away from traditional publishing altogether.
  • Statistically, over 98.8% of all manuscripts submitted are eventually rejected (for various reasons). That means, out of 100 potential authors, only 1 has their work ever see the light of day. And this is all manuscripts, even those from previously accomplished writers. The reality of the situation for totally new authors is even worse.
  • If your work ever does get accepted, your hardships are still not over. You typically have to wait at least a year (oftentimes more) before you get final confirmation from the publisher, and there’s still a significant chance that you get rejected at this part of the process as your work travels up the publishing hierarchy.
  • Dealing with publishing agents is often the bane of an authors’ existence. They can be incredibly slow, bureaucratic, non-responsive, and keep you waiting for months for a simple response.
  • Even if your work is accepted and, God willing, eventually published, you still have to deal with the cold hard reality of selling your book. And most publishers never sell more than perhaps four or five thousand books after a release. Wildly successful books are in an extremely small minority.

It’s no wonder that so many prolific authors choose to self publish in Canada today. With the vast number of inefficiencies and difficulties with traditional publishing, self publishing looks like a wonderful alternative with many fewer headaches.

The Benefits Of Self Publishing In Canada

Quite simply, self publishing in Canada is the better choice for new authors the vast majority of the time. The chief concern on most authors’ minds is the price, and it is here that most writers are unfortunately misinformed on how expensive the process actually is.

Today, you can get a five hundred-odd books self published for approximately  two thousand dollars (bless our Canadian exchange rate)! It doesn’t need to break the bank, and to many writers this option is much more preferable to waiting on a traditional publishing agency for a year while they try and scrape a living together.

This process can occur entirely within a handful of months (rather than one or two years), and you retain total ownership and creative control over the way the book looks, feels, reads, and costs.

Additionally, you get to keep the majority of the profits – usually more than 60-65%. Compare this to traditional publishing, where you will almost always receive less than 20% royalties on every copy sold. The issue of whether self publishing or traditional publishing is financially better thus is abundantly clear to most new authors who need to make a living fast.

Lastly, self publishing in Canada provides you with an opportunity that authors have never had before: you can test a small market segment with a small initial copy of your book to validate demand. Then, once you’ve established that there’s a market for your book, you can put the rest of the work in writing, publishing, and marketing. This makes the issue of whether authorship is right for you substantially cheaper and quicker to verify, and can save you from going prematurely grey.

Like with most industries, the Internet has put power in the hands of the individual. Modern authors can now publish faster, quicker, and more effectively than ever before. Take full advantage of it by self publishing in Canada today by reading our guide to self publishing in Canada or by requesting a quote now!