What is Self-Publishing?

Self-publishing is a well-respected tradition. Many famous writers have started their careers through self-publishing, including Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Alexander Pope, Thomas Gray, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Allen Poe. You already know that large publishing houses (royalty publishers) accept very few manuscripts. Because of their large overhead, they must select material they feel will appeal to a mass market and achieve high-volume sales. Your well-written book may be rejected by a royalty publisher for reasons beyond your control. Usually an author has little or no control over the final product if his or her work is accepted for publication by a royalty publisher.

Self-publishing, by contrast, means that the author contracts for professional services in the production of a book. The author pays for all production costs and retains complete ownership and control over the final product. By self-publishing your book, you control its content, appearance, promotion, and distribution.