The Book Writer's Guide to Self-Publishing by Brian Scott
Self-publishing has become common
practice for many writers who want accolades of having a book
published, no matter who publishes it. Writers choose self-publishing
for various reasons. Many writers desire the freedom and business
aspects of publishing work independently. A self-published writer is
one who is in control of every aspect of their published work. The
publishing industry defines self-publishing as authors publishing their
own books or other media, instead of with a third-party publisher.
Today's technology has increased the pool of self-publishers, but it
still represents only a small percentage of the publishing industry in
terms of sales. The proliferation of media channels, such as blogging,
video, and audio content, has contributed to the increase in
self-publishers.
THE BUSINESS OF SELF-PUBLISHING
The business of self-publishing books and other media is different from
any other business. The absence of a traditional publisher makes
self-publishing unique. The author of the content takes on the role of
the traditional publisher. The author controls the editorial content,
arranges for printing, markets the material, and distributes the
material to consumers and retailers. Self-publishers publish their
books in printed form, or choose print-on-demand with no inventory.
Many self-published authors decide to subsidize their work rather than
making money from it. Digital printing technology has evolved
self-publishing into digital photo book printing. Self-publishers are
able to get individually printed photo books from firms like Apple's
iPhoto, FotoInsight, Snapfish, and Printing-1.
THE MOTIVES OF SELF-PUBLISHING
Many writers have varied motives to self-publish. One common reason is
the writer's work is not of interest to the commercial publisher, and
otherwise not marketable. Another common reason is the writer prefers
to retain complete editorial control over content. Many writers are
unwilling to compromise editing of their work, and some writers prefer
to have their work presented "as is." Literary agents and book agents
may deny publishing a book because the author is unknown and does not
have a substantial resume. Self-publishing may also be an alternative
for writers who have written material on a popular topic but the topic
is only interesting in a small geographic area. Literary agents and
book agents may also deny publication because the book addresses an
obscure topic in which few people are interested. Writers of
controversial works may also choose to self-publish, as many
traditional publishers refuse to work with controversial writings. Some
authors choose self-publishing because they want a larger royalty from
retail sales.
IS SELF-PUBLISHING A SHORTCUT TO SUCCESS?
Self-publishing is not a shortcut to having a printed book. Depending
on what your goals are, it may or may not be a direction you would like
to take. In the hard copy world, self-publishing is costly. Getting a
book into print costs more money than many writers want to spend. This
is why the Internet is a blessing -- it's free. You can either start up
a free website of your own and post your novel, or pay a small monthly
sum and sell your writing online. If you can write well enough to catch
someone's attention, your readers may be willing to pay for a download
of your book. By self-publishing online, you avoid the normal book
publishing costs and still get exposure. Who knows, you may be lucky
and grab the attention of a publishing guru who thinks you could make a
lot of money from your self-published book.
Whatever your reason is for self-publishing, you should know that
self-publishing requires extensive work. Self-publishing involves a
long list of tasks, which include prepublication and publication.
Prepublication includes editing or obtaining editing for the
manuscript, proofreading, establishing yourself as a legal retail
business, and obtaining an ISBN "Cataloging in Publication" number.
The publication process involves formatting the manuscript, providing
front matter and back matter, and providing cover art for the front and
back covers and the spine of the book. Self-publishers must also obtain
printing quotes, determine how to deliver the manuscript to the
printer, and pay for printing and delivery of finished books.
Publishing a book online is easier than publishing in the world of hard
copy. The result is not as glorified, but it is a step towards success
in the published realm. The more experience you can get writing, the
better writer you will be.
About the Author
Learn how to become a published book author! Download Brian's free e-book, Book Writing for Fun and Profit, at www.BookCatcher.com. Visit Brian's blog, Book Publishing News.