The truth about SELF-PUBLISHING

Self-publishing is the publishing of books and other media by the authors of those works, rather than by established, third-party publishers. Although it represents a small percentage of the publishing industry in terms of sales, it has been present in one form or another since the beginning of publishing and has seen an increase in activity with the advancement of publishing technology, including xerography, desktop publishing systems, print on demand, and the World Wide Web. Cultural phenomena such as the punk/DIY movement, the proliferation of media channels, and blogging have contributed to the advancement of self-publishing. - (2008, July 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:20, July 14, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=3&oldid=223389944:

You’ve finally finished the book! You’ve written and re-written, proofed and re-proofed. Every word smacks of wonder and amazement; every punctuation mark defines the genius you are; every anecdote brings a wry grin; every sub-plot weaves magic; every…you get the idea.

Now it’s time to ship that puppy off to the hundreds of markets that spelled out in black and white they were just waiting with bated breath for this very story. Then the waiting begins: grass grows, paint dries, seasons change. Finally you receive a form letter that clearly wasn’t meant for you. Surely, this cold, indifferent, vanilla-coated letter couldn’t sum up your blood, sweat and tears in one check-mark: “not for us.”

Many have fallen victim to the infamous ‘rejection letter’. It’s enough to drive some people to drink…or even self-publication. Because of the difficulty to break through the ‘slush pile’, many are throwing caution to the wind and bearing the expense of self-publishing and ‘print on demand’.

Is self-publishing so bad? Or is it the ‘way of the future’? Join me next week for the first of a four-part interview with first-time author Rita Sexton who made self-publishing her first choice.