Day 3.2: Different Methods of Self-Publishing

There's a lot more to self-publishing than simply signing onto a self-publishing website and clicking a few buttons. The kind of book you want to publish, the distribution and audience, and how much you want to pay or spend all must come into account. For this blog I'm mostly going to examine mass distribution methods, but right now let's just go through all the options.

First is the production of the book itself. Do you want to make the copies yourself or have them printed professionally? If you have a computer, a printer and a stapler, then art books or small booklets can be produced easily at home and then distributed. You can ask local businesses if they would be interested in carrying a few copies, and pass other copies out to your friends. For a more formal copy or a longer book, other types of binding may be needed. The book Indie Publishing by Ellen Lupton has everything you would ever need to know when it comes to self publishing and binding, so if you wish to take a more formal route in making your own books, then I really highly recommend it. The hardest thing I have experienced when it comes to making books is arranging the layout. I've tried several design programs to help formatting the book to make it look professional, and so far the only one that is not a total nightmare is Adobe's Indesign. Even with that, however, it helps to have an Indesign manual or booklet at hand. Take a look at the links below for more info!



Using the services of a professional printer and/or distributor is highly recommended if you want to make a profit from your book. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a big fan of Createspace, but whatever publisher you go with also depends on what you want. If you're going for the best of the best, some companies, like Wine Press Publishing, offer professional cover design, editing, and marketing tools. It's a bit pricy, but the results are incredible.

Whatever you decide to go with, make sure it's in your budget. If you're not an artist or designer, then ask a friend who is. Createspace offers many opportunities for quality self publishing at a low cost--even free, if you're desperate (though you should at least order a proof, for editing purposes).