The basis of being able to publish a book that was under your control and you retain the rights, became available to authors, because printing costs fell with the new digital printers available. This means that a book that is a file in a computer can be printed on demand of one copy, or a hundred at a time with only the paper and ink material costs as a variable. The effort was the same. As orders come in, a book or group of books could be printed and shipped via UPS, FedEx, etc., very quickly. The print house, with a publishing staff up front, could become a valuable asset to a new, unknown author. The quality of the book was the same as a major publisher could produce. The quality of writing is another thing.

Traditional publishing is a process of filtering out authors to find a killer manuscript or an author that is a very famous person to select a product with guaranteed sales. Major publishing house have a huge overhead of staffers that require a lot of upfront money to grease the wheels. They don’t do the printing. That is out-sourced. They also go about marketing differently. They tend to blitz the market to determine sales sensitivity. But their analysis of market is usually well established, and sales are good enough to keep the whole giant ball rolling. Notice at this point, the author is out of the loop, except as a face to be exhibited on TV and at book signings. The publisher owns the rights now, and is only interested in the bottom line. If the book doesn’t do as well as the analyst predicted, that book dies and the author will probably never be heard of again. There would also be a garage full of expense books that come out of the “advance”, which is the basic come-on, but means nothing in the long run.

The author can only approach a publisher through an agent. Once engaged, you need an editor to work up the book in a manner agreeable to what the publisher thinks will sell. This is an all commercial venue with purpose and directions of selling words and pictures to the public.

Self-publishing is the antithesis process. It is all about the author and his work. It is easy, doesn’t require a staff of experts to massage to book. But it does threaten the profits of the book industrialists. So, you will hear a lot of dogging on the idea. The term POD is no longer considered a viable term to describe independent publishing anymore, due to the derogatory campaign smears issued to discourage this path.

Here’s what it is. Independent publishing allows a new, unknown author a window to the world for an affordable cost. The quality of his or her work must bare the weight of scrutiny by its readers. The marketing is the responsibility of the author – totally. The author retains all copyright and decides how the book will be done. The publishers that provide this service, also have many experts available to you for a price. Here is where it can get dicey. If you don’t do your homework, and research who is in this business and compare their stats, you could be taken to the cleaners with costs. You will probably get a book, but the costs will be extreme before you get there.

Over the last few years, many of these troublemakers have been eliminated due to their poor service verses costs. Now we have good-ol’ American competition aiding in getting value. So what is the result? Assuming you are happy with the company you are working with, you have a nice book, listed on the Internet with Amazon, Barns&Noble, and Border books. You probably are listed with the publisher’s retail site as well, and they give you the largest profit advantage. You make more royalties per book by far than with a major house, so the potential for success can be surprising, if the book takes off. You also retain the copyright, so if the book gets big, then you can sell it to a major house to expand the sales world wide. It is a win-win for them, because the book has already passed muster. They can probably predict sales down to the dollar and are willing to give you a better deal as a result of this knowledge – only if you ask via representation. It is still big business to them.

So, how do you make it happen? Have a great story to tell. Find a good self-publisher. Respect editors. They are the gold in the Golden Fleece. Realize you have to be a marketing expert. There is no exception here, but you can be aided by professionals that this is their business. Media experts are usually web designers, as well. Get a domain name and get on the Internet. Seek TV, radio, and other engagements that expose you to the public. Join writers associations and go to conferences to lean on the shoulders of other authors. Minimize book signings. They are really for the famous. Find a voice and the public will find you.

The great beauty in being self-published is you are an independent micro-economic in all the depth of being an American entrepreneur. It is fun and exciting. It will get you going as a writer - now, where you could be sitting on your couch for decades, waiting to be “discovered.” That is for dreamers and for the movies. It doesn’t happen to real people. You have to make it happen. Even famous people that have a guaranteed sale are vigorous campaigners for their own success – that’s how they became famous! You can be a published author in your own life time and reap the smiles of doing exactly what you intended to do – let your story live in perpetuity.

John Wolf – Author of Fantastic Tales
“www.wolftracksmusic.com/books”