Ad agency principals who either are in the process of writing a book or are seriously thinking about writing one should consider self-publishing. (In the interests of full disclosure, I’ve represented both traditional and self-publishing concerns.)

Self-publishing is one of the fastest-growing industries and with good reason.

Traditional publishing houses are difficult to crack, and you can spend months pitching your book with nothing to show but a string of rejection letters. They’re typically more interested in established authors who are proven money makers, and the chances of a large publisher testing the waters with a new author are pretty slim.

Self-publishing gives you greater control with a higher royalty. Costs are relatively inexpensive, and you can get your books on the market faster. And with print on demand digital technology, you don’t need a lot of storage space.

Ad agencies with specific niches are especially good candidates.

According to Aaron Martin, director of self-publishing and manufacturing on demand at Amazon, “A lot of…niche content is doing fairly well relative to the rest of the economy because it’s very useful to people who have a very specific need.” Mr. Martin was quoted earlier this year in a New York Times article about the growth of self-publishing.

Of course, there are drawbacks to self-publishing, but on balance I believe it is a better option for most new authors than traditional publishers, and is something that could be beneficial for agency principals who already know how to market a product.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.