Self Publishing

Self publishing is largely similar to vanity publishing. In fact, a quick trip through some of the most popular writers’ forums, will show that many writers regard it as practically the same thing.

The primary difference between self publishing and vanity publishing is in the printing and binding methods and in the work done by the writer. In self publishing, the writer generally undertakes the editing, proofreading and (generally digital) typesetting or print formatting of the document.

In general terms, self published books will not be stocked by the mainstream bookshops or online sellers. Certain titles can make onto the pages of Amazon but this is rarely converted into mainstream sales success. The big book retailers like to work with big wholesalers, it makes for efficiencies, slick processes and hassle-free returns. Dealing with a multitude of one-man-bands just isn't going to work for them and the financial returns don't justify the extra effort involved.

For similar reasons, self published books are rarely, if-ever, reviewed by the mainstream press or by well-known book reviewers. given the number of books sent to these reviewers by publishing houses on a weekly basis, it's hardly surprising that private individuals just don't get a look-in.

A major hurdle, will always be the cost of the print run versus the saleable value of the book. The smaller the print run, generally, the higher the unit cost of each book produced. This squeezes the margin on each book, making the project less viable. Self publishing, by its nature requires the private, individual writer to be able to produce short print runs; generally much shorter than a commercial printer or publisher would undertake. As a result, modern desktop publishing, printing applications and hardware have been developed to facilitate this.

If the thought of finding 1000s of dollars to fund your print run still hasn't put you off, you'll need to remember the returns policy. Book publishing must be one of the few industries or retail markets where a retailer can expect a full refund on unsold items. Sale or return policies are usually the preserve of special offer deals in most markets but it's the norm in publishing and book selling. This means that your project carries a risk of having to refund a significant proportion of your sold stock if the book fails to sell and the retailer wants rid of it. Your only option then could be to remainder the book and get back whatever you can in cash terms to keep you afloat.

Self publishing doesn’t necessarily need to involve printed books or publications. The advent of blogging could easily be argued to be a form of self publishing, as the writer is in full control of what is published on the website. Equally, the advent of ebook publishing has enabled paper-free self publishing to take off in recent years but it's still hampered by poor perception and a handful of seemingly insurmountable difficulties.