So you've written an epic manuscript, and you are shopping it around to agents. Or maybe you're skipping the agents and trying to go directly to the publishers. Only you've been at it for six months, and no luck. Should you consider self publishing as an option? If you are, then this article is for you. I'll go over the basics of self publishing and how it works, so you can make a better decision.
Many differences exist between self publishers and traditional publishing companies. In general, traditional publishing companies take care of the design, the editing, and all of the other behind the scenes work. Aside from actually printing your book, everything else is your responsibility with a self publishing company.
One thing you should think about is marketing. Without solid marketing, nobody will even know about your book. With a traditional publisher, they take care of all of that. With a self publishing company, you've got to do all of it on your own. Which means selling it online, or calling every bookstore yourself and seeing if they'll stock your book.
One specific way to market your book is to take it to various book shows. This is where the book distributors look around for new books to stock in the main bookstores. If they see your book there and like it, there's a good chance it will on thousands of shelves across the country. Some self publishing companies offer this as an extra service, which can be pretty expensive.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you go through a self publisher, your book will be print on demand. This means that your book will only be printed if somebody places an order for it, either a bookstore, or customer ordering it online. This will make the cost a few dollars higher. When traditional publishing companies print books, they print thousands at a time, making it much cheaper. So your customers will have to pay a couple extra dollars for your book.
Some of the benefits of self publishing your book is that you get a higher percentage of each sale, and you get much more control of the manuscript itself, as well as the cover design. As the author, you will generally have to approve every change that is made to either one of these. And of course, for many authors, self publishing is the first step in a lucrative career as a novelist, as many others have found.