In 2002, I self-published my first book for $99.00; it now cost $599.00. It was my 50th birthday present to my self. Self-publishing means you will take complete charge of your manuscript, from production to marketing, self-promotion, or hiring a publicist to do it for you. In most cases, when you self-publish you do not have an editor to guide you through the process, therefore, you will have to do your own editing or pay someone to do it. Most modern day authors tend to skip the proofreading process just to save a few bucks. You should never settle for less so do not short change yourself. Be professional and responsible for the quality of work that is attached to your name as the author so that one day when you are a famous writer, it will not come back to haunt you. Today, there are a lot of self-publishing companies to choose from but self-publishing can range from free to expensive. Even with “Print on Demand” (“POD”) publishers, you will need to use your own money to buy an ISBN number, to pay for advance copies, marketing, promotion and distribution. Promoting your book alone will require you to be unrelenting and willing to go the distance.

I think that everyone should write and publish a book, even if they do not plan to make it available to the public. The main advantage of self-publishing is the immediate self-reward, the real sense of accomplishment, self-fulfillment and the thrill to see your name and book in print, and done exactly as you wanted is beyond compare. The main disadvantage to self-publishing is that self-published books are difficult to place in large chain bookstores. To make a profit you must expend time and energy into selling books. However, with self-publishing, buying bulk and storing large inventories are not necessary.

Traditional publishing requires sending out manuscripts after manuscripts until it is finally accepted, if ever accepted, and dealing with rejections, and maybe even rewriting it to fit a publisher’s or agent’s wishes. Self-publishing allows you to keep your title active long after a traditional publisher would have moved on since in the traditional world, you sign your book away to the publisher and once they lose interest you won’t be able to get your rights back until the book goes out of print and even then you will most likely have to buy it back. In essence, self-publishing allows you to keep your book available and active long after the point at which a traditional publisher would have taken it out of print. Your book will be in print indefinitely thus allowing a longer time to find an audience.

If you want complete control, retain your rights, call the shots, to grow, to gain confidence, you are serious, want to express yourself, sharpen your skills, educate yourself on the publishing market and industry, be linked to readers, get reviewed, make your dream come true and broaden your horizons, self-publishing can be a very rewarding experience for you. The reward is completely in your hands and if you decide to take the risk, then it is up to you to set your own profit margin. Basically, you will get out of it what you put into it.

Some aspiring writers want to print only enough copies of their cherished project for family, colleagues and friends while others feel that they have a book that will sell to a larger audience or one that will make the best seller’s list. Self-published books that make the most money are those that are targeted since they have more of a chance of selling a reasonable number of books. Almost always they are not products traditional publishers are interested in, but they are extremely profitable for authors who can target specific markets. Realistically, few books are huge successes and self-publishing can be complicated. I loved the challenge and enjoyed finding solutions to relieve or simplify the complications. It was a new, wonderful, meaningful, and educational experience for me and out of it several books were born.

Self-publishing is an exciting time with an uncertain and unpredictable beginning and end so whatever you do, do not quit your day job until you have sold a gazillion copies but never give up on your dream.