In this course, we're going to discuss the pros and cons of traditional and indie publishing. We’ll also explore some of the differences between self-publishing and indie publishing.

In the How to Get Published section, we’ll discuss how the process for traditional publishing differs between nonfiction and fiction. It’s a different path for each, and if you’re not careful, you could go the wrong direction and make mistakes.

We’ll also cover how to get a literary agent. This will be a quick overview of the process in case you decide to publish traditionally.

We’re also going to talk about how to independently publish a book. We’ll discuss how the process works and what to expect.

Why listen to me?

You may be asking, “Why should I listen to you? What do you know about publishing?”

Let me tell you a bit about my story.

I wrote a book proposal and started writing a book back in 2006–2007. I began taking it to conferences, and in 2007 I started building websites for authors because I kept meeting authors at those conferences who needed websites. Very quickly, I found they were more interested in my websites than in my book.

That first book wasn’t a big success. I didn’t get much interest in it. But suddenly, I was working with dozens, and eventually hundreds, of authors, helping them tell their stories online.

In 2013, we started developing plugins to help authors create better websites for their books, and I launched the Novel Marketing Podcast that same year. I was convinced I would stay behind the scenes, helping authors get published.

Then I wrote a blog post titled Why Courtship is Fundamentally Flawed. That post went viral, receiving over a million page views in just a few weeks. It led to a Kickstarter campaign where we raised $10,000 to fund the book, which became Courtship in Crisis.

Later, I became the marketing director for Enclave Publishing.

In short, I’ve been the marketing director for a traditional publishing company, I’ve gone through the independent publishing process myself, and I’ve worked with hundreds of authors at every stage, from beginning authors to multiple New York Times bestselling authors. I’ve even worked with authors in the middle of publishing crises.

I’ve been around the block. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.

Up Next

Let’s talk about traditional publishing versus indie publishing in the very next session.