Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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I have had a few requests to go over why I am planning on pursuing traditional publishing and the pros and cons as I see them. Of course, I am not in their publishing industry so I just tried to include as much research and references as I could, but if I say anything you know to be untrue because you are in the industry, PLEASE let me know below! There are a lot of misconceptions out there and I don't want to contribute to them.

Also, given the recent drama with the PRH lawsuit and Barnes and Noble, I just want to add that this hasn't changed my opinions on trad vs self pub.

ALSO also, I didn't mention this in the video, but the concept of self-publishing being so pay-to-play is definitely a problem that I hope to hear more people talking about!

00:00 - Intro
02:41 - History of my plan
03:09 - Pros of Self Pub
10:38 - Cons of Self Pub
24:12 - Cons of Trad Pub
29:13 - Pros of Trad Pub
32:55 - Why I'm Going Trad Pub

There are a LOT of links below, but I hope you can find something helpful!

--- Self-Published Author YouTube Channels

The Courtney Project - youtube.com/c/TheCourtneyProject
Heart Breathings - youtube.com/channel/UCasYwEzMc7tjKuAS-vtDYPw
Author Sarah Sutton - youtube.com/c/AuthorSarahSutton
Abbie Emmons - youtube.com/c/AbbieEmmons

--- Traditionally-Published Author YouTube Channels

Alexa Donne - youtube.com/c/AlexaDonne
Brandon Sanderson - youtube.com/c/BrandSanderson
Stephen Aryan - youtube.com/c/StephenAryan44
Lindsay Puckett - youtube.com/c/LindsayPuckett
Liselle Sambury - youtube.com/c/LiselleSambury
Michelle Schusterman - youtube.com/c/MichelleSchustermanAuthor

--- Self and trad pub articles and videos:

Royalty Rate - publishdrive.com/what-is-the-typical-royalty-rate-for-an-author.html

scribemedia.com/self-publishing-vs-traditional/#:~:text=What%20Is%20the%20Difference%20Between,the%20book%20is%20traditionally%20published.

Stephen Aryan and Michelle Schusterman - Traditional Publishing Livestream with Michelle Schusterman
youtube.com/watch?v=lYvEf8pVOAc

Alexa Donne - The Pros & Cons of Traditional Publishing
youtube.com/watch?v=VfKnmbmk33c&t=820s

Alexa Donne - Money Mindsets in Indie vs. Trad Publishing
youtube.com/watch?v=7CBLFh2Hl7Y&t=1202s

Stephen Aryan - Getting Your Book Published Overseas:
youtube.com/watch?v=L-C9l89P-cY

Stephen Aryan and Caelan Peters - The Pros and Cons of Self Publishing and Traditional Publishing
youtube.com/watch?v=UCnFzHgFsAk

Michelle Schusterman - Let's talk about traditional publishing vs self publishing
youtube.com/watch?v=_yMq1dmufMM

Brandon Sanderson - Brandon Sanderson Lecture 10: Mechanics of Self Publishing Online (6/8)
youtube.com/watch?v=PhAqOzz7wc8

Brandon Sanderson - Lecture #12: Publishing Part One — Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
youtube.com/watch?v=-f0biNdwifI

Liselle Sambury - Playlist on Publishing: experiences from a traditional published author
youtube.com/watch?v=ywNoYp6pWcc&list=PL0W2VBaFFFrktHTHffUmnZ08lINnBisdJ

Lindsay Puckett - HOW I GOT MY BOOK DEAL
youtube.com/watch?v=najIgY-utDk&list=PLhhp6VUTzTSUTxRkZ0d1drXXt2R0IF4Gr&index=11

Heart Breathings - How I Sold Over Half A Million Books Self-Publishing
youtube.com/watch?v=IyDruOi1q9A

Author Sarah Sutton - WHY I'M SELF-PUBLISHING MY SECOND BOOK | Self-Publishing my YA Fake Relationship OUT OF MY LEAGUE!
youtube.com/watch?v=Wo1W3hAAjb0

Abbie Emmons - WHY I CHOSE INDIE PUBLISHING (it's not for the $$$)
youtube.com/watch?v=26-9uvuKA-o

--- Articles on Publishing Income:

forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/12/09/how-much-money-do-self-published-authors-make/?sh=3331ba9c65bc
theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/23/authors-earnings-fall-350pa-survey
authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/six-takeaways-from-the-authors-guild-2018-authors-income-survey

------ LINKS ------
Website: madelinejameswrites.com
Instagram: instagram.com/author_mjames
Twitter: twitter.com/author_mjames