Morris 1

TO:
FROM:
DATE:
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Sister Orme
Joseph Morris
08 October 2015
Research Proposal The Advantages and Disadvantages of Self-Publishing

PURPOSE
I hope that my research will uncover whether it is worth it for budding authors to attempt selfpublishing, or whether they should stick with the traditional route of seeking acceptance from
well-known publishers. To help me determine this answer I will ask the following questions:

How difficult is it to self-publish compared to the traditional method (Friedman)?

How does the reach of audience compare to that of a large publisher (Meg)?
How much control is gained or lost through self-publishing (Camacho)?
What are the monetary costs involved? What are the possible rewards (Poswolsky)?

BACKGROUND
From my perspective I am a prospective author. I am one of maybe hundreds of thousands of
individuals who enjoy writing, have tried their hand at it and even written a thing or two, but
many if not most have come up against the unknowns of publishing and faltered. Even though I
have dabbled in writing a trilogy of 300 page fantasy novels, and although Ive started
groundwork for another set of seven sci-fi, a fantasy novel (that Im attempting to write in
iambic pentameter), and a series that will blend the two genres, I find myself lacking in
confidence. In the face of this unfamiliar territory I find myself frequently asking if should I
publish my books now, if ever? And if so, what is the best route for it? Should I take the
seemingly well-trodden and easy rode down to the publishers office, or should I take the road
less traveled, and publish them myself?
My situation is nowhere near unique. Self-publishing is on the rise as a viable alternative to
conventional publishing. What once was seen as the desperate actions of unaccepted authors is
shifting itself towards mainstream with the advent of digital publishing and websites that
facilitate such. Even mainstream authors are shifting to self-publishing in order to gain more
control over their works and a higher percentage of the revenue from their sales. (Larimer;
McCartney; Palmer)

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SIGNIFICANCE
For authors both new and veteran, this topic is very important for two reasons. Firstly, although
publishing is about sharing knowledge and enjoyment, its mainly about making money
(Kimanzi, Larimer). Unfortunately royalties from commercial publishing of physical books is
only about 10% of retail price (Ellenberg). Secondly, in the past, self-publishing has been
avoided by most authors due to its derogatory stigma as the last resort for the unsuccessful
(McCartney). Thankfully however, this stigmatism is quickly fading as prominent authors and
floods of new ones test the self-publishing waters with success (January 2015 Author Earnings
Report, McCartney, Palmer). This is great because self-publishing offers much higher royalties
than commercial publishing (Ellenberg, Woodward). However, although commercial publishing
offers complete packages of editors, illustrators, advertisers, and more, self-publishers have to
pay out of their own pocket for these services (Versteegh). So in the end the question we all want
to know the answer to is is self-publishing worth the risk and effort?
DESCRIPTION
For this paper I will conduct secondary research, analyzing the opinions and experiences of those
who have dealt with publishing and/or self-publishing. I will primarily use the GALE search
database as well as articles published on relevant websites.
OUTLINE
Working thesis: Self-Publishing is becoming not only a viable alternative to commercial
publishing, but a better option as well.

Introduction

My Position

Personal relation
to topic
Overview of
opportunities
available

Self-Publishing
is becoming
easier
It can reach a
similar size
audience
It cuts out a
middle-man

Opposing
View
Commercial
Publishing offers
a complete
package of
publishing tools
You are more
likely to make
sales with a
commercial
publisher

Response

Conclusion

Although not as
conveiniant,
Self-Publishers
can find similar
tools to help
them
Sales are
dependant on the
quality of your
work and how
you personally
promote your
work

Reaffirm my
positions
Explain the
effect of the
research on my
situation

Morris 3
METHODOLOGY
I dont plan on contacting anyone directly; instead I will consult what authors have written
about their experiences in the publishing world, read recommendations made by those with
experience, and peruse publishing websites for information on what they can and cant offer.
PROBLEMS
Although I dont foresee any real problems, my contingency plan in case of a source
disappearing will be to find a replacement source as quickly as possible.

Morris 4
ANOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Camacho, Jeremy D. "Is The E-Reader Mightier? Direct Publishing And Entry Barriers." Journal
Of Scholarly Publishing 44.4 (2013): 327-339. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Oct.
2015. Article concludes that commercial publishing is better for new authors.
Clark, Dorie. Should You Self-Publish or Commercially Publish Your Book? Entrepreneur.
Entrepreneur Media, Inc. 22 Sep. 2014. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Article weighs whether selfpublishing or commercial publishing is right for you.
Constable, Kimanzi. 10 Truths About Self-Pubilshing for Entrepreneurs With a Book Idea.
Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media, Inc. 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. Article
discusses the good and bad of self-publishing.
Ellenberg, Ethan. All About Royalties. The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. Jul. 1999. Web.
10 Oct. 2015. Standard US commercial royalties from physical books to the author is
10% of sale price.
Friedman, Jane. Start here: How to get your books published. Jane Friedman. Jane Friedman
Media LLC. 28 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Article enumerates the many steps needed
to get a book published commercially or by yourself.
January 2015 Author Earnings Report. AuthorEarnings. AuthorEarnings, Jan. 2015. Web. 10
Oct. 2015. Article charts the success of the commercial market vs the success of the indie
market.
Larimer, Kevin. "Self-publishing perspectives: a successful author, agent, and publisher discuss
the revolution in progress." Poets & Writers Magazine 41.6 (2013): 65+. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. Author discusses the challenges and benefits of
self-publishing.
McCartney, Jennifer. "A look ahead to self-publishing in 2015: industry insiders predict an
increase in diversity, serialization, and hybrid publishing." Publishers Weekly 19 Jan.
2015: 36+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Article discusses the progress
made by the self-publishing world and the decline of stigma.
Meg at Lulu. 12 Tips for Marketing and Sales Success: Tip 2 Finding and Building Your
Audience. Lulu Blog. Lulu.com.14 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. Article discusses
how authors find their audience.
Palmer, Alex. "Best of both worlds: this year's uPublishU encourages self-published authors to
gain insight from both indie and traditional publishing." Publishers Weekly 18 May 2015:
41+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Article discusses the birth of the
hybrid author and the increasing momentum of the self-publishing industry.

Morris 5
Poswolsky, Adam S. Should You Self-Publish Your First Book? The Huffington Post / Books.
AOL Lifestyle. 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Article discusses an authors experience
with self-publishing.
Swanson, Clare. "Dean Hammond: learning the self-publishing ropes." Publishers Weekly 7
Sept. 2015: 10+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Short article summarizes
an authors experience with the changes in publication technology.
Versteegh, Adrian. "Elevated platforms: making sense of self-publishing options." Poets &
Writers Magazine 41.6 (2013): 60+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Article discusses self-publishing and what resources are available to self-publishers.
Woodward, David. Calculate Creator Revenue & Lulu Commission Lulu.com. Lulu Press, Inc.
3 Sep. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. Royalties from print books can be 30% or even more. At
the same retail price an eBook royalty would be 74%.
TIMETABLE AND SCHEDULE
Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Oct. 14
Finish
Rough
Draft
Oct. 21
Peer
Review
Due

Thursday

Friday

Saturday
Oct. 10
Research
Proposal
Due

Oct. 15
Begin
Revision
Oct. 24
Research
Paper Due

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL

I want to complete this research project in order to further understand the options laid out before
me. If I decide to publish my books I want to know whether it would be best to start with a
commercial publisher or to self-publish. I want to understand the hurdles and pitfalls associated
with each one so that I can carefully navigate them if needs be. I therefore request the approval
of my research proposal.