11 Signs You’re Ready to Self-Publish

Today’s post is by author and editor Kim Catanzarite (@kimcanrite).


It’s a tough decision for a writer to make, one of the toughest. All your life you’ve fantasized about one of the big New York publishers buying your book and its subsequent astronomical launch into the stratosphere. But it hasn’t happened yet in spite of your eating, sleeping, and researching the craft of writing for years.

While the non-responses (don’t) come in, and the polite rejections clog your inbox (and your arteries, or so it may seem), the option of self-publishing hangs out there like a flag unfurling in the corner of your eye, waiting for you to take notice and give it some attention. It’s Plan B and has been for a long time.

Are you on the fence?

When do you decide that it’s time to pursue Plan B? When do you turn off the traditional road and drive the indie path? There is no easy answer to this question, but if you take the time to consider the following, you’ll come that much closer to knowing.

  1. The agents, by and large, are not responding with feedback or questions. This is not uncommon, as agents sort through piles of queries every day, and the large majority of submissions receive form rejections. Maybe you’ve sent out a significant amount of queries for a significant amount of time (a year or longer), and you’re frustrated with the lack of response. A few agents may have requested chapters or a full here and there, but afterward they replied with a “no.” Or, you’ve had some luck, enough to keep you motivated, but agents/editors all say the same thing in the end: the premise or hook just didn’t grab them enough or your platform needs work.
  2. You’ve taken your manuscript through the whole nine yards of the editing process, from beta reading to professional editing and the manuscript sparkles. When you read your book, you’re not tempted to make edits. It feels finished. (Learn more on preparing your manuscript.)
  3. You’ve entered contests, and you’ve either won or become a finalist, or simply received high scores and enthusiastic feedback, such as “great hook,” or “I love the protagonist.” You’ve considered the constructive criticism the judges have posed and made changes when that feedback made sense to you. You’ve taken full advantage of the prepublication contest experience. (More on the benefits of contests.)
  4. You’ve enrolled in a course on book marketing and promotion, or educated yourself via blogs like this one that provide quality content, because you’ll need to grow your platform no matter how you publish. You’ve built an attractive author website that includes a bio with some interesting facts about you, a page dedicated to your work-in-progress, a professional author photo, and a means for interested parties to contact you. Your site also has a “subscribe to my email list” pop-up or contact form, and you’ve slowly but surely begun to build a following.
  5. You have a blog or YouTube channel or newsletter featuring the genre or subjects associated with your book, and you enjoy sharing your knowledge and communicating your thoughts and experiences to the public. You’re excited about the prospect of growing your platform by offering helpful content to others. (Here’s blogging advice from Jane.)
  6. You’re engaged with social media. Though you may not love social media, you do like to quote or recommend your favorite authors on occasion, and you’ve started posting and sharing. Or perhaps you’re an amateur photographer, and you share your amazing shots of the forest on Instagram because that’s the setting of your novel. Either way, you start commenting on the posts of others and building some relationships with people who have similar interests. (Here’s social media advice from Jane.)
  7. You like the idea of being in control of all aspects of your book: the cover, the page design, the illustrations, the pricing, and the marketing. You like making decisions and feel educated enough to do so. If you don’t know something, you’re confident you can research the subject or reach out to the pros for help.
  8. You’ve made a “final list” of agents to contact. A couple of dream agents might be on the list because you’ve been saving them until your manuscript was in the best shape possible. Now is the time to send those queries.
  9. You want it to happen sooner rather than later. You don’t like the idea that even if you do land an agent, it will likely be two years or more before your book appears in print—and that’s only if the agent can quickly find an editor to sell it to.
  10. You’re a self-starter. A go-getter. You won’t take no for an answer. Or, maybe you’re not this fervent in every aspect of your life, but when it comes to your book, you’re ready to do what needs to be done. You want your dream of publishing to happen. You’ve been saving money for a possible “self-publishing venture,” your Plan B. You believe your book is worthy and that it will find a readership. Do you have the patience to wait for an agent to make the grand gesture? Or are you fired up and ready to move ahead right now?
  11. You’ve considered your goals for your book, and what you will consider success. Does it have to be a bestseller in order for you to be happy with it? Does it need to make a million dollars? Your goal may not have anything to do with money. It might be something simple like impressing your family and friends with your literary prowess, or even simpler, holding a finished book in your hands (an undoubtedly awesome feeling!). What are your goals, and can self-publishing satisfy them? (Learn about goal setting from Joanna Penn.)

Perhaps my own story will inspire you. I have been writing for thirty years. I love the writing life, so a long time ago I decided that, published or not, I would write because it’s what I love to do. That said, two years ago I arrived at a point where I felt I’d written a novel that other people would enjoy. In other words, I believed there was a market for my book. So I worked on my query with a freelance editor and sent it out—for months—to no avail. Meanwhile, my novel did well in contests and received inspiring feedback from judges, like the one who said, “This is one of the more creative and unique plots that I’ve come across in all media” and another who said, “I really wanted to keep reading.” Such comments fueled my self-confidence.

I decided to move forward on my own—to self-publish.

Two days after I made this decision, my dream agent came through with a request of three chapters. It figures, right? I provided those chapters, and she came back with a rejection without feedback, but that was okay because I was ready to self-publish.

Weeks later, I received my first-ever professional review from BlueInk Review—my heart pounded as I opened the email. To my great thrill and surprise, my novel received a starred review, an honor BlueInk gives only 5 percent of the books reviewed! A positive Kirkus review followed, with an appearance in their print publication (Feb. 1, 2021), an honor only 10 percent of indies enjoy. This was the same book I couldn’t get more than one agent to look at!

The point is, it’s a crowded market, and failure to land an agent is not a determination of your book’s worth, or its potential success. This is why you must believe in your book.

Now, I’m not suggesting that everyone should go out and self-publish. If you want to traditionally publish, I say go for it. But if things don’t go your way, and you are willing to take on the responsibility yourself, there is a Plan B. And it’s a perfectly respectable one.

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Dianna Winget

Excellent article! It IS a crowded market, and many deserving books are completely overlooked. I am fortunate to have two traditionally published books that served as a great foundation, and now have four self published novels as well. Even though the money may not be as good, and the promotion is tough, I’m happy with the decision I made to go it on my own.

Kim Catanzarite

Thank you for your comment, Dianna! I wish you continued success!

Carole Brown

Love this! Helpful and right-down-to-earth true. Thanks!

Kim Catanzarite

Thank you, Carole! Happy to hear it’s helpful.

Andy Adkins

Great article and for me, timely. I recently self-published my novel after hitting the “11-step program” you described above. While it’s available on Amazon if someone wants a hard copy, I’ve made it available for free to veterans (it’s a story of a veteran’s journey through life after war) to download as PDF or eBook. Thank you for affirming my decision to self-publish.

Kim Catanzarite

You’re very welcome, and best of luck with your book!

Mary Ellen

Your dose of realism and kindness is appreciated. At age 70, either acceptance by a small press or the self-publishing route seem best.

Kim Catanzarite

Thanks for your comment! I wish you the best of luck with your book.

Tricia LaRochelle

Off-the-charts helpful. Kim’s advice covers all aspects of making that dreaded decision about whether to self-publish or not. I appreciated her advice and plan to follow it to the letter. Thank you, Kim.

Kim Catanzarite

Thank you, Tricia! I’m happy to hear it’s helpful.

Kay DiBianca

Excellent advice, Kim. It’s a crowded field, and everyone has to decide which lane they want to run in. My first novel was traditionally published, and I’m happy I made that decision since I knew so little about the publishing world. But I decided to go indie on my second novel so that I would have more control over the process. I believe both decisions were right at the time I made them.

Kim Catanzarite

Best of both worlds! Thanks so much for your comment.

Lisa Tener

An excellent article. And of course, sometimes self-publishing is plan A! Maybe you want to get the book out there quickly, or want total control, or already know it’s more of a niche market that publishers are unlikely to be interested in.

Kim Catanzarite

You are so right. Sometimes it is Plan A! Thank you for pointing this out.

Emma Lombard

An excellent post! It’s like I had a travelling partner alongside me on that path you trod. Exact same steps and all! It’s so empowering to come to the decision to self publish but I also learnt so much from my querying journey too — so no regrets.

Kim Catanzarite

Thank you for your comment. It’s interesting to think about how many people are on this journey and the many different paths they can take!

Thea T. Kelley

Thanks for a very helpful article, Kim. Question about your recommendation that the author’s website include “a page dedicated to your work-in-progress.” Do you mean the work you’ve finished but not published yet? Or literally something you’re still writing? If the latter, what is the benefit of featuring it?

Kim Catanzarite

Good question, and I can see why that might be confusing. I do mean the book you’re intent on publishing. Some writers will build a website far in advance (in order to start building a following) and may share information about their book even before it’s finished. Either way, I see it as a “work-in-progress” because even if the manuscript is for the most part finished, you’re still going to have to proof it several times before it’s published. In other words, small edits and changes will continue to be made. Thank you for your comment!

Joy Anna

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed reading the points you made. Do you feel you have to have your manuscript named for it to be featured?

Kim Catanzarite

Thank you, Joy. If you haven’t selected a permanent title for your book yet, you can use a working title. Simply state what the title is and write (working title) beside it.

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Glad you liked it. Thanks so much for this!