by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author
Your book got published! Did you celebrate? Throw a party? Host a signing event? Getting to join the ranks of the traditionally published is a rare and unique gift nowadays.
So what happens when your traditional publisher shuts down?
Sadly, many small presses are having to close their doors. There are many reasons most of the time. As the former co-owner of a small press that had to close in 2023, I can testify that it’s a heartbreaking situation for both the publishers and the authors.
But as an author, what options do you have to salvage your storytelling career?
As more small presses are being forced to close their doors, more traditionally published authors are having to step up their games to enter the self-published industry. And let me tell you: It’s not intuitive. And if you have tried to self-publish and found yourself discouraged and confused, it’s not you.
Unless you have built a small press from the ground up, it’s highly unlikely that you even know what questions to ask. And let’s face it, Google is only as helpful as the keywords you use to ask your questions. If you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s really difficult to do your own research.
So as I was praying about what to write about in this space throughout 2025, I felt very strongly led to share what I’ve learned about self-publishing. Believe me, I’ve made every mistake in the book (and some that aren’t in the book I’m sure). I have a long list of topics to cover, but if there is something specific you’d like to know about how to self-publish a book that was previously published, let me know in the comments.
Additionally, I am going to focus on self-publishing previously published books, not self-publishing a new title. There are different considerations and strategies for a previously published book than there are for a new release.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
The first part of re-publishing your book after your traditional press has closed is asking yourself about your goals. Maybe that sounds elementary, but you’d be surprised how many people never stop to consider the future before they act.
What do you want to accomplish as an author? Why are you writing books? Do you care more about a paycheck or the story itself? Or are you writing and publishing for the principle of the thing?
Your career goals are vital to establish your strategies and next steps. They are also essential to determining whether or not it’s even a good idea to re-publish your book.
I was first traditionally published in 2014, a space opera novel that was part of a trilogy. Of course that first novel was followed by part two in 2015 and part three in 2016. However, by 2019, that small press decided to merge with another small press. All the titles shifted, though, so that was nice (and not always the case). But by the next year, it was obvious that the space opera trilogy wasn’t selling. The new press needed to rebrand, and in the process of rebranding that space opera trilogy was removed from the catalog. And all the rights reverted back to me (also not always the case).
But even though I got the rights back to that series, I didn’t republish it right away. I got the sales data. I got the marketing and advertising data. The series wasn’t selling, primarily because we were in an era where science fiction just wasn’t as popular as it had been. So I made the choice to shelve it until I saw the trends in the industry swinging back toward sci-fi again (hello, 2025!).
Part of my goals as an author are to make a profit. Granted, I’m satisfied if I break even. But if financial growth is one of your goals, it’s not wise to publish a series that isn’t going to sell.
Consider your book. Consider the royalties you had coming in from the book while your publisher had the rights to it. Consider the industry trends and where publishing is going, and always consider your genre and your audience. Once you have that data, take some time, make some space, and consider your career goals.
If you need to make money from your writing, there are specific strategies you must follow. Career storytelling is a long game. Even the greatest authors rarely strike it rich and never overnight. It takes decades, not just to write your books but to develop your audience, to build your back list, and to establish your reputation as an author readers can trust.
As best you can, decide your goals up front. Know what you want to accomplish with your writing. If you don’t need to make money on your writing, you have a lot of wiggle room. If you don’t need to grow your profit, you can honestly write whatever you want. But for most of us, if we’ve gone to all the trouble and heartache to write a book, we want to see some kind of return on our investment. That takes time and intentionality.
Just know that before you jump to it and re-publish a manuscript that you have regained the rights to, think about what you actually want to accomplish. As an indie author, you will no longer have the support of a publishing team, an accounting team, a marketing team or any of the other services a publisher provides. All of those elements will be your responsibility.
It can absolutely be done. You can do it. But let’s make sure that what you’re planning to do is actually in line with your goals. To do that, first you have to know what your goals are.
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