Self-publishing has a bad name to those who know nothing about it. It is often thought that bad writers whose books don't make the cut with traditional publishers are the only ones that resort to self-publication. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When you decide to join the ranks of the self-published you will be in good company.

Famous Self-publishers:

Mark Twain
Benjamin Franklin
Walt Whitman
James Joyce
Virginia Woolf
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Rice Burroughs
D.H. Lawrence

To understand what drives authors to self-publish, lets take a look at the publishing industry. There are several classes of publishing businesses, each with their pros and cons from the author's point of view.

Self Publishing:

• author pays total cost of publication
• author hires editor
• author designs cover
• author does text layout
• author hires printer
• author owns copyright
• author markets book
• author distributes book
• author keeps all profit after expense

Vanity Publishing:

• author pays total cost of publication
• publisher may assist with editing
• publisher designs cover
• publisher does text layout
• publisher prints book
• author owns printed copies
• author owns copyright
• all books and authors accepted
• typically very expensive
• author markets book
• author distributes book
• author keeps all profit after expense

POD (print on demand) Publishing:

• author pays partial cost of publication
• publisher provides editor for a fee
• publisher designs cover
• publisher does text layout
• publisher prints book
• author owns copy right
• most books and authors accepted
• publisher prints only when consumer or bookstore order is received
• publisher may give minor marketing aid
• author earns %15-%20 commision on books sold

Small Press:

• large number of companies
• large variety of packages
• packages can resemble self publishing, traditional publishing, anything in between
• new author friendly
• niche markets

Traditional Publishing:

• publisher not receptive to new authors
• author's agent required
• publisher pays total cost of publication
• publisher hires editor
• publisher designs cover
• publisher does text layout
• publisher hires printer
• publisher owns copyright
• publisher can sell rights or cancel book
• publisher may market book for predicted big sellers
• publisher distributes book
• author keeps 15% of sales minus fees

A quick glance at the publication options above shows the big difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing. A self-publisher must bear all the costs and do all the work, but keeps all the profits. Also, the self-publisher does not turn down his or her own book and does not waste any effort selling, marketing and pitching to agents and publishers. If he or she is willing to do the work, the book will be published.

A traditional publisher, once signed on, does all the work, but keeps the lions share of the profits. What's more, for first time authors, non-celebrities, and 2nd-tier authors, the large publisher traditionally does not invest any money in marketing. This is a little known fact. If you are the lucky one-in-one-thousand that gets selected by the publisher, your product will not be marketed. Marketing is still up to the author. Exceptions to the rule include authors Bill Clinton, OJ Simpson, Monica Lewinsky, and Oprah Winfrey. Their publishers invested quite a lot into marketing their works.

The result of big publisher's short sighted policys are that fewer authors even give them a try. Having to jump through a lot of hoops in order to lose their copyright and perhaps get a small amount of marketing help, turns authors off. The largest publishers based in New York City are merging, downsizing and going out of business.

Never-the-less, book sales in the US alone are about currently about $25 billion annually. That money is going increasingly to small press companies and self-publishers.

People with something to say don't want to play games with traditional publishers anymore. They want to short-circuit the baloney, the middle men, the naysayers, and the gatekeepers. They want to get something done. Personal computers, new software, digital printing, and the internet provide more tools for the self-publishing author than ever before, and they are succeeding.