What is Self-Publishing?

Lots of folks profess to be, or to want to be, self-publishers. Unfortunately, far too many of them don’t really understand what self-publisher really means.

To truly be a self-publisher you must control ALL of the myriad aspects of the publishing process for your book, which include (but are not necessarily limited to):

• Writing (after all, if somebody else writes it…you’re not publishing your own work and can’t be self-publishing it)
• Editing (you might, or probably should, hire a competent editor unless you’ve carefully developed the particular skills associated with impartially editing your own work — and that requires much more than understanding the rules and conventions or the language)
• Cover design (unless you not only know exactly what your cover should look like but also know how to use the tools to make that design come to life, you should probably hire a professional designer)
• Interior design/typesetting (these are often considered a single process but, in reality, are two separate but related processes — again, you should consider hiring a professional or investing the time and money in really learning the art and craft of book design, as well as the software to do it)
• Owning the ISBN (which means you need to buy your ISBN, preferably a block of them, from R. R. Bowker or your country’s appropriate agency)
• Understanding the process of acquiring the LCCN (and maybe CIP or PCIP data) for your book
• Understanding the process for properly registering the copyright for your book
• Determining the right printing technology (offset or digital) and the printer to produce your book in the most cost-effective manner that meets your quality standards
• Determining how to get the book distributed (online and off) and available for potential readers to buy it
• Getting the word out so potential readers know the book exists and generating enough buzz so they care enough to find it

If you don’t actually control those processes and, you are probably not really self-publishing.

If you contract with one of the innumerable publishing services companies (which may call themselves “POD publisher,” “self-publishing company,” “cooperative publisher,” etc. ad infinitum), you are probably not really self-publishing. In most cases, those companies will assign you an ISBN they own and, therefore, they will be listed as the publisher-of-record. Not you.

To become a self-publisher, you need to be willing to devote considerable time to learning what all those aspects of publishing involve. This should mean you invest a chunk of cash to buy a good library of books on the subject, then take time to read and study them.

Or you can hire somebody to guide your through the process step-by-step, making sure that each task is completed in the right sequence and answering all of your questions.

However, you do it, learn as much as possible before making any commitments for printing, distributing, and marketing your book. It is far easier to do it right the first time then to try to recover from a string of bad decisions!