There are three kinds of publishing: traditional (or trade) publishing, self publishing, and vanity publishing.

SELF PUBLISHING

Did you know that in 2013 there were more than 500 THOUSAND books self published? Think about that for a moment. Half a million books in one year alone. And the number is growing every single year!

I think it's fair to say that self publishing is a viable publishing solution.

--In self publishing the AUTHOR also plays the role of publisher. This means you are responsible for not only writing the book but also getting it ready for publication, making it available for purchase, and ensuring your audience knows it's out there.

--Upfront costs: Range from nothing to thousands

--Here are some of the tasks you are responsible for: writing, developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, assessing when the manuscript is ready for publishing, formatting for ebook or print, cover design, making the book available to sales outlets, printing, storage, distribution, publicity, and marketing.

--Being "responsible for" those tasks doesn't mean you have to do them yourself. You can hire freelancers to help you with the tasks you can't do.

--Freelancers have to be paid up front. They are not paid only if the book sells. That means you may be making a large upfront investment with NO GUARANTEE that you will recoup your money.

--There are companies that purport to help you self publish. They sell packages of services. The vast majority of these are NOT worth the money. I'll talk more about these in the next chapter, Vanity Publishing.

--Obviously, doing the above tasks yourself is the cheapest way to self publish. If you stick to ebooks, you can, in fact, self publish with no upfront costs.

--You CAN do it all yourself, but should you? It's rare for one person to be good at everything. A crappy blurb will cost you sales. An unprofessional cover will cost you sales. A poorly edited manuscript will cost you sales (and result in livid, one star reviews, which cost you sales). An upfront investment can be the difference between selling 50 copies and selling 500 or more.

--Self-published books are almost impossible to get into bookstores. If you want to see your book on bookstore shelves, go the traditional publishing route.

--Self-published books sell far better as ebooks than in print in most genres. Print is expensive, and it requires a hefty upfront payment that is almost never recouped.

--The people who excel at self publishing rarely do so with standalone books. Most write series, and they publish VERY frequently. If you have one book or if you write slowly, self publishing may not be the best solution for you.

--Self publishing requires a lot of marketing effort. Remember where I stated above that over half a million self-published books hit the market in 2013 alone? Imagine your book was one of those. How would people find it in that sea of content? They won't unless you do the work to make them aware of it.

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Did this chapter answer a question you had? It would be great if you would press that little star graphic in the top right corner. If not, just carry on reading and vote for one you find more helpful. Oh, I'd be happy to answer your questions in the comments below, as well. --XG