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I am interested in self-publishing and selling a couple of books. However, wish to have guidance first from someone who has experience in that field. Please help!
Self publishing means that you, the writer, by-pass the traditional publihing methods a go straight to the printer. You also take on all the risks and cost that come with publishing a book.
There is also POD (publish on demand) where a book is printed only after an order is placed. You can find a more indepth explanation on self publishing and POD in this article.
Authors can now bypass the need to get an agent, have that agent sell your book to a publishing company and get minimal royalties (in the case of new authors). Now an author can sell his/her book directly to the public in different ways:
Digital self-publishing
The most cost effective way for new authors is to self-publish via Amazon.com for Kindle eReaders. It is easy, there is no up-front cost and the author gets most of the royalties.
If you want your ebook to the available on iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Sony, then you are required to purchase an ISBN number - the number normally found on printed books, are now required for different ebook formats.
The cost for ISBN numbers are $125 for 1 and $250 for a block of 10. Amazon.com does not require an ISBN number for self-publishing, so for authors on a budget this is the best way to go. Another website that doesn't require it is Smashwords.com this is a online distributor where the author uploads his/her book and it gets offered in many Indie book selling websites.
Print on Demand
It used to be that an author who self-published would need to spend thousands of dollars and fill his house with boxes of books. Now several websites offer Print on Demand (POD), this means that a book will be physically printed only when the book is sold, this minimizes cost and gives authors the added benefit of offering his/her book in print form.
Even though the POD sites do not charge up front there will be other expenses if the author chooses this path. An ISBN number is required as well as a barcode for the backcover, which is sold separately. It might also be neccesary to hire a professional for the layout, since the printing has very specific requirements.
The sites that offer POD are CreateSpace (a subsidiary of Amazon.com) Lulu.com and Lightning Source. Each one has it's pros and cons, so check them out before deciding.
Even though, self-publishing is a great opportunity for many authors that would otherwise never get a book deal. The downside is that all the publicity and marketing work rests solely on the author's shoulders since there is no well-known publishing company or agent behind the ebook.
I've written an article in response to this question:
Self Publishing is far from scary, it's just another option. If you pondering the possibilities of self publishing, her are a few tips to consider... — continue reading...
Lok up SmashWords on the Internet, or Kindle Direct Publishing, both are great publishing sites and will guide yyou through the process.
There's a popular self-publishing website called Lulu.com that offers great tools to help you self-publish your work. I wrote an article about Lulu.com here: http://self-publishing.knoji.com/lulucom-the-allinone-selfpublishing-solution/
Good luck!
