The Catholic Writers Guild

Why I Chose to Self-Publish

My only lifelong goal has been to write a book, and after years of ideas and dreams, I finally penned my first book. Once the writing and rewriting and rewriting some more had finally ended, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Just like every other aspiring author, I then arrived at the daunting fork in the road: should I publish traditionally or through self-publishing?

I researched both publishing options, and I spoke with an interested publishing company. For some authors, traditional publishing simply isn’t an option because they are never offered a contract from a traditional publishing company. I chose to self-publish when both avenues were viable options for me. After extensive prayer and speaking with loved ones, I decided to self-publish for two main reasons: time and money. But not exactly in the way you might think.

My books are a series called Adventures with the Saints, which are Catholic chapter books designed for kids in 1st through 3rd grade. They are modeled after the Magic Tree House series: the kids time travel, but in my books, they meet a saint and learn a lesson from them. I wrote this series primarily for my own children; my inspiration bloomed while reading aloud with them. In the discussions with the publishing house, I was told my first book would take over two years to release, and any additional books in the series would follow that.

As an aspiring author, I desired for my own children to read and enjoy my books while they remained my target audience age. Because I chose the path of self-publishing, less than a year from those conversations I have the first two books in my series published and in the hands of my own children. This timeline wouldn’t have been possible if I had chosen to traditionally publish.

My other main motivator was money, but not the desire to make more. If you are in the business of writing books, especially Catholic ones, rarely is money a motivator. It is true that as a self-published author I see a larger cut of every book sold, but that’s because I’ve paid out of pocket for my own editor and publicity. The money that motivated me was the price I pay for author copies.

Traditionally published authors typically receive a 40%-50% discount on their author copies, a similar rate to what retailers pay for copies. The list price is also set by the publisher, so there is little wiggle room for that. For self-published authors, the rate of discount for author copies is closer to a 60%-70% discount depending on the printer and the list price. This made a huge difference for me, because this means that I can discount and give away more copies of my book with less of a financial strain to my family. My goal is to have my books in as many kids’ hands as possible, and one of the ways I do this is by donating copies to Catholic schools, libraries, churches, and other places so kids will have access to them. Then with the higher royalty rate for the books I sell, I have enough money to invest in more copies to give away.

My decision to self-publish instead of pursuing traditional publishing was not made hastily, nor without time in prayer. Ultimately, I chose the path to which God led me. In my experience, when I follow wherever God leads me, I am never led in the wrong direction.

Maria Riley

Maria Riley is a passionate Catholic writer and editor who loves volunteering when she’s not writing or mom-ing. She’s the author of a new Catholic children’s chapter book series: Adventures with the Saints (releasing Fall 2022). Visit her at MariaRileyAuthor.com or on social media @mariarileyauthor. She and her family live in Florida.