Should I self-publish a physical book in Taiwan? Or just go digital?

I’m expecting to finish the first draft of The Game Mindset this month. So I’ve started reaching out to editors and self-publishing companies. One question has been eating at me: Should I publish a physical book? Or just go digital?

In the US and Japan, this is a no-brainer. Of course you print! Amazon KDP offers Print on Demand: when someone orders, Amazon prints it at a fulfillment center and ships directly to the reader. There’s also IngramSpark for higher quality. Zero inventory, zero upfront costs. You just focus on making a good book. Physical book royalties are 50-60%, and ebooks go up to 70%. Amazon gets criticized as a monopoly, but this aspect truly benefits indie authors.

Taiwan is different.

“Self-publishing” means paying at least $5,000 USD upfront to print 500-1000 copies. Will major bookstores like Eslite, Kingstone, or Books.com.tw stock it? Maybe. Depends on their buyers. After distribution and bookstore cuts, you keep only 40%. (Compared to traditional publishing’s 5-10%, this is actually pretty good.)

Let’s do the math: 300 TWD per book, print 500 copies, sell them all. 500 × 300 × 0.4 = 60,000 TWD. Spend $5,000+ USD, make back $2,000. A guaranteed loss. And that’s assuming you sell every single copy!

I’m not some influencer or celebrity. I have fewer than 100 newsletter subscribers. In a sea of books at the bookstore, why would I think mine could become a bestseller and sell 500 copies? If they don’t sell, I’d have to destroy them or take them back. That would hurt. Why waste the planet’s resources and the bookstore’s shelf space?

Plus, “self-published” books have a reputation for being “unvetted” and “anyone with money can publish.” Looking at self-published books, I have to admit, the covers alone don’t inspire interest. Do I want my book sitting next to those? This bothers me.

There’s also “indie publishing.” 100% royalties, sounds romantic. But you handle layout, printing, distribution, logistics, customer service, and payments yourself. Put it all together, and it’s a headache just thinking about it.

My reason for writing is simple: I just want to share some interesting ideas and have them be read. Writing must be passive income for me. If it creates a troublesome job for myself, then no thanks.

Of course, I really want to hold my own physical book and feel that satisfaction. That feeling is completely different from seeing your book in an e-reader. But the process is full of tedious details and friction.

Publishing an ebook has none of these problems. In Taiwan, ReadMoo and Kobo make it easy to publish. Royalties are also 70%. No publishers, no distribution hassles. None of that tied-down feeling of physical books. I can do whatever I want. So free.

The most frustrating part is that I can afford the self-publishing costs. Writing books doesn’t make money anyway. I don’t need to profit from books. I just want to feel the fulfillment of readers spending their hard-earned money on something I created. But “self-publishing in Taiwan” conflicts with my principles. I’ve always believed in “profit from day one.” That’s why my app has almost no costs. Even if a physical book has costs, it should eventually break even, not be a guaranteed loss.

Publishers say a physical book is an investment that builds your authority. But is it worth spending $5,000+ on a business card that might never be seen? At least, I don’t think the current me is worth it. Maybe I’m underleveled. I should grind more first?

After writing all this, I’m still torn. But I’ve wasted too much mental energy researching something I can decide later. This shouldn’t occupy my brain space right now. Part of it is the self-doubt and self-limiting beliefs that come when you’re close to finishing a creative project. Focus on making the content good first. Physical or digital, it doesn’t matter. The Chinese version of The Game Mindset will be digital-only for now. If it does really well, maybe I’ll make a hardcover edition later.