This is part of my series of essays for writers. Get them delivered to your inbox by signing up here!

I do a lot of workshops, and a few months ago, I gave one titled something along the lines of “Selling Books in a Digital World” where I laid out the two most commonly discussed business models for indie authors: Amazon-Only with books available in Kindle Unlimited, and Wide Distribution with free first in series. I walked through each of the paths, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as indicating places where I’d seen authors diverge from the paths, or commenting on the various implementations I’d seen other authors use successfully or unsuccessfully.

The workshop was well-attended and well-received, and at the end, I opened it up for questions. Most were standard—asking for me to repeat the names of platforms or services, to clarify a point I’d made, or to elaborate more on a concept. But one woman asked me something that has stuck with me since.

She said, “Ariele, thanks for all this. It makes sense, and it seems like there are a lot of options for authors. But I noticed that many of the marketing strategies you explained involved either being in Kindle Unlimited or doing price promotions. My own book was just published with a small press, and I don’t know how they manage where the book is distributed or how they decide prices. What advice would you give me?”

If you’re curious, my “thinking on my feet” advice was, “Make a plan, and then talk to your publisher about it and see if they’d be willing to work with you to make it possible.”

But since then, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this question. Because here’s the thing—when you sign a contract with a traditional publisher or a small press, you’re giving up something important: control over your product. Any size publisher will become responsible for your book covers, prices, and distribution, and while it may sound like a weight off your shoulders, those are also three of the biggest tools in your marketing toolbox.

If you want to get a Bookbub, you have to have control of the pricing.

If you want to be in Kindle Unlimited, you have to have control of your distribution.

If you want to experiment with genre conventions in your book cover, you have to have control over design.

If you want explore the wide range of marketing options available to authors, you have to have full control over your product.

Otherwise, you’re primarily limited to sending newsletters, talking about your book on social media, or doing PR. And while these methods are certainly valuable and can have an impact, they represent only a small fraction of the marketing landscape.

This is not to say that traditional publishing is wrong or bad—there are other reasons authors choose to go that route, and many publishers have other resources that aren’t available to indie authors. But I think it’s important to keep in mind that many publishing companies no longer provide much in the way of marketing for their authors (as demonstrated by the recent DOJ vs PRH trial). So if you are considering seeking out a publisher rather than being indie, make sure you ask about marketing before you sign any contracts.