Now, I’m perfectly willing to work on the advertising and distribution of my book — provided I earn a decent amount in royalties and, above all, ABOVE ALL, that like the “Mr. Dog” from my childhood Golden Books, I AM MY OWN MASTER!

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Because let’s not forget: the moment you sign with a publisher, YOU BELONG TO THEM. Want to keep writing? Your next book must be offered to them first. Want to translate your book into another language? The publisher is the master and decides. A film adaptation? The publisher is the master and decides.

At every level and forever, your secondary role as author will be to butter up your publisher in the hope that they’ll do what you ask! Yes, sir! And make no mistake — all these “details” will be tucked away in the fine print of your contract.

Well, I dare say, the status of servile employee does not suit me…

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So let’s take a practical look at how modern self-publishing compares to traditional publishing.

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To evaluate the income generated by our patient labor as authors, let’s use a concrete example: a typical book, 5" x 8", around 400 pages. Let’s say we publish this work as a paperback and as an e-book (Kindle), and compare the royalties — per book, and of course at equal sale price.

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(cont.)