One of the most common questions I hear from nonfiction authors is some version of this: “Should I just do this myself, or should I get help?”
It’s a fair question, and an important one. There’s a lot of pressure online to believe that “real” authors self-publish everything on their own, or, on the flip side, that you absolutely need a team behind you to be taken seriously. The truth, as usual, is more nuanced than that.
There’s no single right answer here. There’s only the right answer for you: for your book, your goals, your budget, and the way you actually want to spend your time. So rather than telling you what to do, I want to walk you through how to think about the decision, so you can make a choice you feel good about.
let’s define the two options
When I talk about self-publishing (or independent publishing), I mean doing it all yourself (or hiring individual freelancers to help you): writing, editing, formatting, cover design, uploading to KDP and other retailers, choosing categories and keywords, setting your price, and handling all your own marketing and advertising.
When I talk about working with a publishing partner, I mean bringing in someone (like us) to manage some or all of that for you—the technical setup, the publishing process, the launch, the ongoing marketing—so you can focus on the parts only you can do.
It’s not really an either/or. Some people have more time than money, some people have more money than time. Some people love DIY, others prefer to hire an expert. Most authors land somewhere on a spectrum between “I’ll do every single part myself” and “I’d like someone to handle the whole thing.” The goal is to figure out where you belong on that spectrum.
The case for self-publishing your book
Let’s start here, because for some authors, this really is the right choice.
Self-publishing on your own makes a lot of sense if:
- You enjoy the process. Some authors love learning how KDP works, tinkering with their book description, and figuring out categories and keywords. If that’s you, great! This process can be truly satisfying.
- You have more time than money. Everything in publishing costs either time or money (this is a theme I come back to again and again). If your budget is tight but your calendar has room, doing it yourself is a completely valid trade-off.
- You’re playing the long game and want to learn. If you plan to write many books, the skills you build on your first project will pay off for years. Yes, publishing changes, but the basic project is still the same. (You can read more about this in my book, Business Books.)
- It’s a passion project. If your main goal is simply to get your book into the hands of friends, family, or a small community—and commercial success isn’t the priority—you don’t need to over-invest in professional help.
- You’re self-employed, and you’re used to bootstrapping your business and doing things on your own, and you don’t yet have the budget to hire a partner.
I don’t say any of this lightly. I’d much rather you go the DIY route and feel good about it than hire help you don’t actually need.
In fact, I occasionally have people sign up for a Discovery Call with me, and throughout the course of the call, I realize that it isn’t a good fit for us to work together. They’re on a tight budget and won’t do the work to market the book once it’s published, meaning that it will be hard for them to recover their investment in my services. When this happens, I’m honest with the person that they’re better off doing it on their own, and I usually send them a free copy of the ebook for Business Books.
The case for working with a publishing partner
That said, there are very real reasons authors choose to bring in support — and most of them come down to one thing: your time is not free.
Working with a publishing partner tends to make sense if:
- You’d rather write than wrangle technology. Many brilliant nonfiction authors have zero interest in learning formatting software, ad platforms, or the mechanics of a book launch. That’s not a failing; it’s just not their zone of genius.
- You value your time highly. If the hours you’d spend learning to publish are hours you could spend serving clients, running your business, or writing your next book, the math often favors getting help.
- You want to avoid expensive beginner mistakes. A poorly chosen category, a weak cover, a mispriced book, or a botched launch can quietly cost you sales for months. Getting these right the first time is worth a lot.
- You want your book to actually sell. Publishing is the easy part: you can upload a book to Amazon in an afternoon. Marketing it consistently, week after week, is where most authors struggle. This is another area where a partner earns their keep.
- You’re self-employed, you’re used to hiring experts to support you in your business, and you’ve got the budget to do so.
Remember: simply putting your book on Amazon won’t generate sales. This is a sad truth that many authors don’t realize. You get out what you put in. A publishing partner isn’t a shortcut around that reality, it’s a way to make sure the work actually gets done, and done well. And it will save you time.
questions to help you decide
Instead of asking “which is better,” ask yourself these questions and pay attention to your honest answers:
- What is my goal for this book? Am I building a business asset that needs to sell and generate income, or is this a personal project I simply want to exist in the world?
- How do I genuinely want to spend my time? Not how you think you should spend it, how you actually want to.
- Which parts of this project excite me, and which parts make me want to close my laptop? You can outsource the second list.
- What’s the real cost of my time? If you’d spend 40+ hours learning to do something a professional could do in a fraction of the time, what else could you have done with those hours? If you’re a business owner, what is your hourly rate? Would a publishing partner’s hourly rate be less?
- Do I want to figure this out alone, or would I rather have a guide? There’s no wrong answer; just be honest.
Sit with these for a moment. The right path usually becomes obvious once you stop asking what other authors are doing and start asking what fits your life.
The hidden cost most authors forget
When authors compare the two options, they usually compare the money: “It’s cheaper to do it myself.”
But there are two costs, not one. There’s the money you spend, and there’s the time you spend—plus the cost of the mistakes you don’t yet know you’re going to make. A book that launches quietly because the cover didn’t match the category, or that sells at the wrong price for a year, has a cost, too. It just doesn’t show up on an invoice.
I’m not saying this to push you toward hiring help. I’m saying it because a fair comparison includes all the costs, not just the obvious one.
You don’t have to choose all-or-nothing
Here’s something many authors don’t realize: this isn’t a yes or no decision.
You might write the book yourself, but bring in help for the editing and proofreading (this is a good idea). You might write and edit yourself, but hire someone for the book launch and marketing. Or you might handle all the writing, editing, and proofreading—then get help with the graphic design. Because people do judge a book by its cover, and if yours looks like it was done on Canva, you probably won’t sell many copies.
My point: you get to design the mix that fits your goals and your budget.
The point isn’t to do everything yourself, and it isn’t necessarily to hand everything off. I want you to be intentional about where you spend your time and money so your book has the best possible chance of succeeding.
Which is right for you?
If you enjoy the process, have time to invest, and want to learn the ropes, self-publishing and doing everything on your own can be a very rewarding path.
If you’d rather protect your time, skip the beginner mistakes, and make sure your book actually gets marketed consistently, working with a publishing partner will likely serve you better.
And if you’re somewhere in between, that’s completely normal. Most authors are.
The most important thing is that you make this decision on purpose, based on your own goals — not on what you think you’re “supposed” to do.
If you’d like help figuring out which path makes the most sense for your book, sign up for a Discovery call. We can talk through your goals, your budget, and your book, and help you find the approach that fits. And, as I said earlier, I will absolutely be honest and let you know if I think you should DIY your project—or just work with me for one or two things.
