At first glance, publishing with a traditional publisher seems like a no-brainer. They have a huge network of retailers, producers, and celebrities that they can promote your book. It's a lot of trouble to get a traditional publisher to want to publish your book, but once your foot is in the door, it's smooth sailing from there, right?

Here are five reasons why you shouldn't go with a traditional publisher:

Reason 1: They will want to rework your book

Publishing a book is a big headache for many writers who already have the book done, but can't find anybody to publish it for them. Traditional book publishers will want to read through, edit, and sometimes re-work your book if they think it's a good fit for them. But often, all writers get from a traditional publisher is a letter of rejection saying: "This manuscript is not a good fit for our publishing house at this time".

Reason 2: They still expect you to market your book

This is why they are called "publishers" and not "marketers." Their main job is to publish your book to the general market. They still expect you to promote it for future sales. But they do all the legwork and all the things that you can't do alone. This is why a publisher typically wants to know what your "platform" is like: how many social media followers do you have? How many email addresses and famous connections do you have?

Reason 3: They expect to own the rights to your book

Essentially, the traditional publisher is buying the rights off of you for them to be able to do whatever they want with your book and cutting you in on a percentage of the profits. While you do get to utilise their connections, sell it in popular bookstores like Barnes & Noble, and benefit from all of the marketing that they do for your book, you are now bound to the publisher. Since the publisher now has full rights to your content, they may also restrict you from using that content elsewhere, for example, in an online course.

Reason 4: They keep the majority of the profit

They're a very valuable agent in the book publishing industry. Naturally, traditional publishing houses certainly think so too, which is why they commonly offer a 70-30 cut of the profits their way.

Let me say that again:

They only cut you in on 30% of the profits.

Reason 5: They take a long time to publish your book

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome, even if you do get accepted by a publisher, is timing. Publishers typically take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to publish your book. That's a long time for most entrepreneurs, and you could have easily missed the boat by the time your book is available to the marketplace. Traditional publishers work on their schedule, not yours.

Is there a better way?

Evolve Global Publishing does not stake a claim on your book. We offer to edit and create a cover for your book, and push it out to as many platforms as possible. You are not bound to us; you can take your book wherever you want after the process is done. We also offer a 70% cut of the profits.

To find out more, visit EvolveGlobalPublishing.com.