Day 2: Can I still traditionally publish someday?

Miss a day? Visit the main post for links to each day.

Almost every writer, self-published or not, would love to have a traditional publishing deal at some point in their lives. If you’ve tried to go the traditional route and it hasn’t happened for you yet, you may be asking this question:

If I self-publish my book, does that mean I can never have it traditionally published?

The answer to this one is short. No.

In fact, successfully self-publishing a book may increase your chances of catching a traditional publisher’s eye. Take Sarah Mae’s 31 Days to Clean for example. It was released as an e-book and was very successful. Sarah Mae’s accomplishment caught the eye of an excellent literary agent and then Tyndale House, who wanted to publish 31 Days to Clean. Sarah Mae also landed a deal with Thomas Nelson, who is releasing her upcoming book, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, early next year.

So why would a traditional publisher be interested in someone who has successfully self-published?

The successful self-published author likely has the following skills:

• they know their audience and can write something people want to read
• they can market their own book
• they have enough connections to make sales

And that is an attractive set of skills.

As I said yesterday (and will probably say again), there are no guarantees. That traditional publishing contract may never come your way. But self-publishing done well won’t hurt your chances. If anything, it will likely help.

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During the month of October, we’re chatting about everything self-publishing—design, branding, marketing, formats—you name it! Pulling questions from Design by Insight clients, Re:Write Conference attendees, and you, we’ll take a look at what can often be a confusing and potentially overwhelming subject. Have a question you’d like me to answer? Leave it in the comments!

Miss a day? Visit the main post for links to each day.