So, you’ve written a book—or you’re dreaming of it—and now you’re staring down the massive question: How do I actually publish this thing?

At the very beginning, I didn’t even know how to turn a Microsoft Word document into a book. I contacted Christine Carter, someone I know, because she published a book that I loved through a small publishing company, and I was curious why she made that decision. She shared publishing options with me, and I am grateful to also be published through Ground Truth Press.

Choosing your publishing route is one of the MOST important decisions you will make, but remember you can publish each book differently (unless it’s a series).

If you’re just getting started, check out another one of my blog posts: The Authors’s Guide: Step by Step for a great beginner’s guide.

If you prefer listening or watching instead of reading this blog, you can check out my The Author’s Guide: Publishing podcast episode..

What do you want your role to be?

Questions to ask yourself:

• What’s my vision?
• How involved do I want to be?
• What are my strengths?
• Where will I need help?

Some writers are writers, and some writers are business people. Huh? For the writers who want to write regularly, you may want to be more hands off on the business side so you can focus on writing. This will impact your decisions with publishing, printing (blog coming soon), and diversifying your business (blog coming soon). Some writers (like me!) write the stories they feel they must write and prefer the business side of authorship. This will also impact the decisions.

It’s not about what’s right or wrong. It’s about what makes the most sense for you and your story!

The Four Main Paths to Publishing

• Traditional Publishing (Big 5)
  • Get a literary agent.
  • It takes about 2 years after your book has been accepted to be published.
  • More hands off approach for you.
  • Understand your contract which is why I recommend getting an attorney in the chart below.
    • What rights to your work do you have? (now and in the future)
    • Where can you sell it?
    • How do you get author copies for your inventory?
    • What is their marketing plan? (You need to know where you can fill in the gaps and expand what they are doing.)
    • How do payouts/royalties work?

• Small Press Publishing
  • Might want to get a literary agent.
  • Publishing time will vary.
  • You will get to be part of the creative process but ask questions so you know how much of a role you will have.
  • Ask about printing, storage, distribution, cover design, illustrations, and their marketing plan.
  • Same attorney advice as listed in the Big 5 Publishing above.

• Self-Publishing
  • You are all in from start to finish!
  • I still recommend an attorney to make sure you are protected.
  • How are you going to design the book and lay it out? Know your margins!
  • How will you print (future blog coming soon), store, distribute, and market the book?
  • This option will cost more out of pocket.
  • If you do this correctly, you have a chance of making a larger profit margin for each book sold. (future blog coming soon)

• Hybrid
  • It’s a combination of small press publishing and self-publishing.
  • You will want to consider the guidelines in both categories.

Publishing Options
	Legal	Illustrations/ Cover Design	Printing/Storage	Distribution	Marketing
Traditional: “Big 5″	Get an attorney	They do	They do	They do	You have to market your book, too.
Traditional: Small Press	Get an attorney	Varies	Varies	Varies	You have to market your book, too.
Self-Publishing	Get an attorney	You will need Canva, Adobe Illustrator, and/or InDesign, OR find an illustrator or person who can do the cover design.	Some printers (like IngramSpark and Amazon) will print, store, and sell the books for you.	Many options: IngramSpark, Amazon, local print shop, overseas. Some only print and some will also store them for you.	You do all of your marketing.
Hybrid	Get an attorney	Varies	Varies	Varies	They may do some marketing, but you will still have to market your book.

As you are making this big decision, remember there are many resources to guide you along the way. SCORE and local universities (like IUSB) often offer free or low-cost consultations with professionals who understand publishing contracts.

A couple of other resources to help you: Book Publishing & 4 Ways to Publish a Book in 2025

Need marketing help? My favorite is Stratos Creative Marketing!

Want to schedule a free mini-session with me? I’m happy to help!

Final Thoughts Before You Choose

• Do you want to be hands-on or hands-off?
• What’s your budget (time & money)?
• Do you have representation or support? (Get an attorney or agent—seriously.)
• What are your goals now, and 5 years from now?
• What’s the exit strategy? (Can you break your contract? Who owns your book?)

Your publishing journey is YOURS. Don’t let anyone tell you there’s only one right way.

Your voice is worth hearing.

Your story deserves to be told.

I. Believe. In. You!