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.