There has been a lot of debate recently about whether authors should still collaborate with traditional publishers or set out on their own and self-publish. Strong cases have been made on either side, including one from our own publisher, but even authors who have experience with both avenues are sharply divided on which is better.

The newest voice in the mix is blogger and sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow. After having worked with a traditional publisher to publish several books over the better part of the past decade, Doctorow self-published his short story collection With a Little Help earlier this year and, despite his name recognition and platform, found it more difficult than he imagined. As he writes in Locus magazine:

I figured I could deploy all the stuff I’d done when my other books had been published by mainstream publishers, the stuff that had given my books a little push to get them out of the midlist and into wider circles of attention and discussion. I knew I’d have to do some of the stuff my publisher had done, but like everyone doing something complicated for the first time, I dramatically underestimated how much work this would be. It’s not impossible, and it’s not horrible work – it’s challenging, exciting stuff, but it’s incredibly time consuming and it can be tough.

Locus Magazine: Cory Doctorow, Why Should Anyone Care?

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