Self publishing

Self-publishing is where you pay for your own book to be printed, published, distributed and marketed.

This form of publishing is often viewed with skepticism by a lot of writers. This is mainly due to the risks involved (it’s your money that’s financing this) and the fact that there are some unscrupulous people out there who take advantage of writers (often referred to as ‘vanity publishers’).

Self-publishing involves a lot of your money and a great deal of effort. Once you have managed to get your book printed, you may find it difficult to get your book into bookshops.

The Internet has helped self-publishing by allowing publishers to distribute e-books. These are electronic versions of books that come in a format readable by e-book readers. You may not have the printing and distribution costs associated with traditional publishing but people may not be willing to pay as much for an e-book as they would a traditional book.

A good place to start if you’re looking into self-publishing is Go Publish Yourself. This is an American site that aims to educate writers on the topic of self-publishing.