Elizabeth Maria Naranjo on Traditional vs Self-Publishing: My Experience With Both

By: Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

In 2014, a few months shy of my 39th birthday, one of my greatest wishes came true. The book I had secretly written in stolen moments and submitted privately to agents and publishers was released as a beautiful trade paperback by a small press out of Utah. 

I had the standard bookstore launch party with cupcakes and coffee, book swag and prizes, and a signing table where I dedicated to friends and family over fifty copies of my debut novel. It was an experience I will always cherish but am unlikely to repeat. 

My latest book, The House on Linden Way, is self-published. There are many reasons why I didn’t continue the traditional route—I spent years focused on short stories; I pursued agents and a Big 5 publisher rather than submit again to my small press; I stubbornly wrote hard-to-sell books like novellas, story collections, and cozy mysteries with teenage sleuths.

Yet once I experimented with self-publishing, quietly uploading a manuscript to Amazon’s Kindle Vella in the summer of 2021, I made a surprising discovery: going indie was fun, and every bit as rewarding. 

While traditional publishing gifted me with status, accolades, and bookstore placement—however brief—self-publishing has given me freedom, control, and a sense of adventure. Here are some more comparisons between the two:

Editing

When it comes to editing, my experience on the different publishing paths has been very much the same: the editor I was assigned as a traditionally published author is freelance now, and I hired her for edits on Linden Way. Before reaching her, both books were extensively edited through several rounds with critique partners. 

Marketing

Marketing has been similar too. For The Fourth Wall, I organized and paid for my launch party, my blog tour, a festival signing, and two Goodreads giveaways. For Linden Way, I’ve also organized and paid for a blog tour and a Goodreads giveaway, although I happily skipped the in-person events; I enjoy online marketing (like this tour!) much more.  

Cover/Title

I had a better experience with my small press than most traditionally published authors in that I was given a voice on both my cover design and my title—things that authors typically have no say in. Still, there was always the understanding that final decisions were not up to me. I do love the way The Fourth Wall turned out, but I prefer being directly involved in the process of choosing a book designer and working together toward the finished product. 

Profits

Between the two publishing paths, self-publishing has by far been the more lucrative, pulling in enough profits for me to pay for professionally designed covers and proofreading for three separate projects. In the fourteen months since uploading my first indie effort, I’ve made four times as much than with my traditionally published book, which was released eight years ago. 

The choice to pursue traditional or self-publishing is a very personal one, and there is no right or wrong answer. Having experienced both, however, my own choice is clear. Despite having a good relationship with my publisher and being forever grateful to them for launching my debut, I’ve learned I’m an indie author at heart. 

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the award-winning author of The Fourth Wall (WiDo Publishing, 2014). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Fractured Lit, The Portland Review, Hunger Mountain, Hospital Drive, Reservoir Road, Literary Mama, Motherwell, and a few other places. Her stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essay, and Best of the Net. All links to Elizabeth's work can be found on her website at elizabethmarianaranjo.com.

Khristin Wierman on the Inspiration Behind Buck's Pantry

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Khristin Wierman, author of Buck’s Pantry

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

For me, the ideas come at random moments—usually when I’m focused on something else entirely. For this book, the first flash came when I was taking a nap. For one of my other books, the first inkling came when I was in the shower.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I just started writing scenes. From there, I began to get a sense of what fit in the story and what did not.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

I haven’t had a real reversal, but I’ve certainly felt surprised about where and how the story ultimately went. 

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Not often, but they do come—often when I’m thoroughly enjoying something else entirely. 

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

It’s so interesting you ask that because I’ve got two sort of bubbling in my mind. I’ve started writing scenes from both, and I think I’ll just have to see which one takes flight first.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

Rocco, my cat, is the best writing buddy. But he’s my only one. I do have wonderful relationships with my editors and a small group of beta readers, and those help as well. 

Khristin Wierman spent twenty years rising through the marketing ranks of Fortune 500 companies, building a career that was lucrative, ego-boosting, and a little bit soul-crushing. So she quit. And had no idea what to do with her life. Writing novels ensued. She was born and raised in a small East Texas town—which means she came into this world a Dallas Cowboys fan and ardently believes “y’all” is a legitimate pronoun. Some things she enjoys are playing golf with her husband and stepson, poker, yoga, chocolate, the Golden State Warriors, and the daily adventure of life with an adorably imperfect cat named Rocco. She lives in San Francisco, California.

David Bell on How Publishing Does and Doesn’t Change You

It’s time for a new interview series… like NOW. No really, actually it’s called NOW (Newly Omniscient Authors). This blog has been publishing since 2011, and some of the earlier posts feel too hopeful dated. To honor the relaunch of the site, I thought I’d invite some of my past guests to read and ruminate on their answers to questions from oh-so-long-ago to see what’s changed between then and now.

Today’s guest for the NOW is David Bell, author of The Finalists where the competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly.

Has how you think (and talk) about writing and publishing changed, further into your career?

I’ve certainly become more aware of the business side of things. Many moons ago, I wrote just to write, and publishing was a distant dream. Once books were published, I found myself thinking more about publishing trends and the marketplace. 

Let’s talk about the balance between the creative versus the business side of the industry. Do you think of yourself as an artiste or are you analyzing every aspect of your story for marketability? Has that changed from your early perspective?

I never thought of myself as either an artiste or as a businessperson. I always wanted to write entertaining books that a lot of people would read. If the books were well-reviewed or appreciated in some other way, great. But I didn’t expect it. If anything, the longer my career has gone on the more I’ve swung back around to trying to write just for myself. Writers can’t chase the market. Even publishers don’t really know what’s going to catch on and not catch on. So why not have fun?

The bloom is off the rose… what’s faded for you, this far out from debut?

In a good way, I’ve come to realize how little real control I have over my career and the response to the books. Writers have an obligation to promote books they write. But there’s a limit to how much a writer can influence the sales and reception of the book. Again, I can do what I can do. But I’m not likely to be able to create a viral video of me falling on the ice that ends up selling one million books.

Likewise, is there anything you’ve grown to love (or at least accept) that you never thought you would?

Even though public events and readings are nerve-wracking, I’ve grown more and more comfortable doing them. It’s one of the few times we can meet readers and have someone applaud for us. I’m jealous of musicians who can play every night and hear applause. I ear applause a few times a year, but it’s nice.

And lastly, what did getting published mean for you and how was it changed (or not changed!) your life?

It meant I wouldn’t die without seeing my name on a book in a bookstore. It meant that I was good enough for it to happen. And somehow, I’ve sustained it. But it didn’t make me a different person. Whatever problems a writer has when they write the book they still have after the book is published. Publishing isn’t magic. It won’t turn you into a different person. That you have to do on your own. 

David Bell is the USA Today-bestselling author of twelve novels from Berkley/Penguin, including The Finalists, Kill All Your Darlings, The Request, Layover, Somebody’s Daughter, Bring Her Home, Since She Went Away, Somebody I Used To Know, The Forgotten Girl, Never Come Back, The Hiding Place, and Cemetery Girl. He is a professor of English at Western Kentucky University where he co-founded the MFA program in creative writing.