Self-publishing – The ease of access
Traditionally, publishing a book involved many nuances. From finding a reputed publishing house interested in investing in an author because they had successful publications previously to an editor to review and edit the work, it was quite a task. Also, once the work was published, it was marketed by the company, who then take a major share of royalty. New authors found it hard to even get a representation, because no company wanted to invest heavily in a rookie and suffer losses if the work was not received well.

However, gone are the days of running from one publication house to another. Today, we can sit in the comfort of our homes and get our work published by choosing the best company to do it, thanks to the advent of self-publishing companies. These companies give authors a platform to publish their work if the author is willing to invest a small amount. Read on to find out more about this magical world of publishing and some of the best companies that are in this business.

What are the main types of publishing service companies?

• Retailer : A publishing house that sells books exclusively through its own retail store is an example of retailer. For example, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble’s Press etc. Sometimes companies allow retailers to carry some of their books (this is like a partnership between the company and the retailer), like CreateSpace’s expanded distribution program.
• Aggregator : A company that not only offers a publishing and retailing platform for e-books, but also distributes them to a number of partner online libraries and retailers is known as an aggregator. By doing this, the authors get the best possible reach, without maintaining multiple publisher accounts or formatting their book to each publisher’s guidelines. Through these companies, the authors can also get their e-books to consumers and marketspaces they would otherwise not have access to; for example, Scribd is a digital library with more than 80 million users worldwide on a subscription basis, which does not accept e-books directly from authors.

What are the benefits of self-publishing?

• The author is the boss of their work, and they have the freedom to express any thought without the fear of it being edited.
• The author can decide the budget for the publishing and also get a bigger part of the royalty.

What are some of the best self-publishing companies?

• Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) : This is Amazon’s brainchild. Amazon is the e-commerce giant that changed the face of book sales. The company also introduced Kindle an e-reader that can hold more than 1100 books on one device. Kindle Direct Publishing can help the author with all their publishing requirements and also allow them to update their book online, even after it is published. Listed as one of the widely respected and trusted companies, it is one of the best for self-publishing.
• Xlibris : This company has a beautiful interface and is very well organized. Additionally, the previous author testimonials and design awards reassure the author that their book is in good hands. They also put in a deep thought and effort in designing the book cover so that the first impression is the best. The amount of effort they put into designing the book and marketing it make it one of the best companies for self-publishing.
• Kobo : This company not only supports self-publishing, but they also have their own e-reader, making the author’s work easily accessible to users who own a Kobo e-reader. The only flipside is that they do not have an in-house PR team, thus leaving the onus of marketing on the author.
• Virtualbookworm : This company has a very quick turnaround time. They provide an all-encompassing publishing experience at a very reasonable price. The author will have to share with the company almost 50% royalty of the book for the services they offer.
• CreateSpace : This is another company that falls under the Amazon umbrella. This company is preferred by authors who get into the self-publishing business for the first time and are looking for the best companies, and also by those with a tight purse string. This company offers its authors a platform to e-publish and publish in print, without having to shell out a dime. The only downside is that you do not get any assistance for editing etc. from the company. Additionally, if you want to sell to other retailers, you will have to pay a small fee to the company.

How can you choose the best one out of the self-publishing companies for yourself?

• Always go with a trusted company that offers benefits like marketing and editing.
• Research and read the different reviews of the companies by previous authors to pick one of the best for self-publishing your book.
• Budget conscious authors must compare the prices offered by different companies and choose one that does not pinch a hole in their pocket.