Why I Chose Traditional Publishing (Despite All Its Downsides...)

Let’s not let the fourth Rokus scramble our thoughts today (like she loves doing best). Especially not with... publishing terms. 😵‍💫

Back in my first post, I mentioned traditional publishing being a saga, and I’m not sure if you guys really caught what I meant.

Now, here in Nigeria, when you say "traditional," people might assume you're talking about local deities or ancient rituals.

Or maybe that’s just me. I don't know 😅

Thankfully, this time I meant a type of publishing. Yes, publishing, as in the process of getting books into the world. Whether it’s that shiny book on the shelf at the bookstore, in your school library, or hidden under your bed, you better believe it got there somehow.

Let’s break it down.

There are three main types of publishing:

1. Self-publishing

2. Traditional publishing

3. Hybrid publishing

Trust me it's not as simple as it looks. 😂

🛠️ Self-Publishing (AKA: You Do EVERYTHING)

As the name implies you’re the boss. The writer. The editor. The cover designer. The marketer. The delivery guy. The secret agent. EVERYTHING.

And the really cool part is that you get total control of everything, from the release date to the cover design, you call the shots. And if you’re using something like Amazon KDP, they’ll cover the book production costs. So yay, money saved!

And the not very cool part? 

You still have to do the marketing, get the books into shops, and basically work like a one-person publishing company.

Exhausting? Yes.

Doable? Also yes… but not for the chillaxing gang.

🏛️ Traditional Publishing (The One I Chose)

In traditional publishing, you don’t go solo. You have a team of professionals, like editors, designers, marketers, handling most of the work. You just write (and rewrite 😩), and they polish it to perfection.

They also pay for everything (no production costs for you). Get your book into bookstores. Handle most of the marketing

And of course, the downsides: 

You’ll likely have to rewrite your book like 10,000 times before it ever sees the light of day. Your editor, agent, and marketing team will all give feedback. And getting that agent in the first place? That’s a whole adventure I’m currently on with Alien Fighters (don’t worry, I’ll spill the tea in a future post).

🐤 Hybrid Publishing (High Bird??)

You get the perks of both self-publishing and traditional…

...and the pitfalls of both too.

You’ll get a team, sure, but you pay part of the costs. So it's rather like splitting the bill for a fancy dinner with your date, except that dinner is your entire book career, and the date is your publisher.

I actually got an offer from a hybrid publisher once—will save that story for another post too.

💭 So Why Did I Pick Traditional?

Simple. Because it seemed like the most realistic and affordable for someone like me—an underaged teen author in Nigeria, without a ton of resources.

Self-publishing would mean handling distribution, marketing, and all those overwhelming tasks… alone. And believe me, doing that from Nigeria, while still being in school? Pain. Hybrid publishing? Let’s not even open that intergalactic wormhole today.

🎤 Now Handing the Mic to YOU:

Follow-up question from my first post:

👉 What steps have you taken toward achieving your dream?

Let’s hear it in the comments!