subject: Self Publishing Your Book [print this page] Self Publishing Your Book Self Publishing Your Book
You've decided against the route of working with a traditional publishing company to publish your book. You want to retain control of your book and its marketing, and you don't want to share your book's profits with anyone. You make all the financial investments and take all the financial risks, but keep all the profits. Let's take a look at the options before you, if you truly want to self-publish your book.
The most obvious way in self publishing your book is to print it yourself. The development of xerographic printing has made it possible to mass-produce a limited print run of your book. Where you once needed a printing press to make copies of your book, now you can do it with a simple laser printer.
Then, all you need to do is bind your book. There are very simple ways of doing this. While not all of them have as professional an appearance as mass-published books, they will definitely work to dress your book up for the bookshelves. You can literally publish your book from home.
Hundreds of authors turn to the numerous publishing options there are online that will self publish a book. The other way to self-publish your book is to use a Print On Demand company, such as Lulu. You can submit your book to a Print On Demand firm, often using email, and they will print and bind your book for you. You can order as many copies as you like, whether it is five or five hundred. Once they publish your book, they send you the copies to do with as you please.
Print On Demand (POD) is a rapidly evolving industry with lots of competitors that are constantly offering new services. POD firms are continually upgrading their facilities, infrastructure, and pricing to your advantage. Some Print On Demand companies will also work with you on cover design, distribution, and marketing. Many booksellers, while they may not agree to sell your book if you printed it yourself, might accept your book if it was printed by Lulu or a similar company.
When you're just getting started in self publishing your book, you may be appreciative of all the help you can get.
