Self-Publishing

What is self-publishing and assisted self-publishing?

Self-publishing is when instead of using a traditional publisher, an author chooses to manage all publication elements themselves. This means that they take on all tasks that a publisher usually does themselves, or they hire professionals to take care of each task.

Assisted self-publishing is when an organisation provides publishing packages such as distribution, marketing, editing, production and printing for an upfront fee. There are many organisations that fall under this category that could be considered scams—either they do not provide the services they promote, or they provide them to a poor standard. For more information on this, take a look at our fact sheet on vanity publishers and publishing scams.

Should I self-publish my book?

Before deciding to self-publish, consider what your goals are. Who is your audience? How many copies are you aiming to sell? Here are some examples: 

  • Is your book a family memoir you want produced for your family and friends at a low cost?

  • Is it a community book you’d like to sell a hundred copies of at markets and perhaps see in local bookstores? Or …

  • Are you dreaming of producing a national or international bestseller?

  • Successful self-publishing on a larger scale usually means treating the book like you would when starting a small business. If you do not have the time for this, it means you may not recover your financial investment.

Some other questions to consider:

  • Do you want both a digital and a physical edition of your book, or would you prefer to focus on one or the other? Physical books mean you can be in physical bookstores, which can be an advantage—but e-books provide access to an international audience.

  • Do you want a primarily local audience, or an international one?

  • What is your budget?

  • How much time do you have to invest?

  • How will you measure success? E.g. Book sales, critical acclaim, people being drawn to your other services (if you are publishing as part of a wider business), media appearances, attendance at events.

  • What knowledge or networks do you already have, and which do you need to obtain?

  • How have similar books to yours fared? Try to find a successful title and a less successful title in your genre/market that has been traditionally published, and a successful title and a less successful title that has been self-published. What are the differences between them?

If you’re looking to do a smaller scale print run for family and friends, you may choose to forgo some of the major costs associated with self-publishing, such as a structural edit. However, if you’re hoping to be put into bookstores across the country or receive critical acclaim, these services are essential for ensuring that your book is a professional product.

Self Publishing Pros & Cons

Pros

·      Complete control over the book and the publishing process
·      Clear more money from book sales 

Cons

·      Requires a lot of work from the author to be successful; needs to be treated like a small-business
·      Large upfront costs
·      Author needs to organise structural editing, copyediting, proofreading, cover design, book production/printing, marketing, publicity, distribution and any other facets.
·      May need to overcome stigma and assumptions of lesser quality around self-published books
·      Can be difficult to get books into bookstores without established relationships