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Self-Publishing 101
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By Chris Tolamalu
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Typically, authors write their books, send them to agents orpublishers, and then hope for the best. However, some authorsopt to not leave anything to chance; they take matters intotheir own hands and make sure that the book is published.Welcome to the world of self-publishing, wherein books or othermedia are published by those who have written them.
Self-publishing enables the author to not only ensure that thebook is published, but also gives the author complete controlover content (traditionally, the publisher does maintain someeditorial control over the matter). Other aspects that thepublisher traditionally controls - design of the book, thelayout of the text, the appearance of the cover, thebookbinding, the quality of the paper, and so on can also becontrolled by the writer when self-publishing.
How is self-publishing different from traditional publishing?Besides the fact that the author is also the publisher,self-publishing means that the author pays for the publicationout of his/her own pocket, and also has to handle marketing onhis/her own.
When self-publishing, the author does not get the printer toprint the typical 7,000 copies that the publisher orders. In theself-publishing model, the author pays for the initial pressrun, which is usually small. Unlike the publisher, the authordoes not warehouse the books, but stores them maybe in a home orstudio. The author may sell the book directly to readers andother end customers. Alternately, the writer may considerretailing by offering it on consignment through retail stores.There are also those writers who print the book themselves,using either a xerographic process or a computer printer.Sometimes writers print on demand, and keep absolutely noinventory.
Cost issues may also mean that the showy full-color cover usedby traditional publishers is absent. Bindings suitable for shortpress runs, like staples, comb bindings, or wire-bindings may beselected over the perfect binding that is used for larger pressruns.
Besides fiction and non-fiction books, other reasons forself-publishing include: Sales brochures, catalogs and pricelists, annual reports, prospectus, flyers, posters, pamphlets,niche market books, invitations to events, and religiousmaterials.
Remember that though routing your book through a publisher hasits own advantages, self-publishing means that your work canreach your audience very fast, you can set your own prices, andyou don't have to share a cent of your earnings with agents andpublishers.
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