The Evolution of Self-Publishing
As technology improves, so do your publishing options. Here's a guide to what's new, what's available and why it's easier than ever to publish yourself.
by Brian A. Klems

      Self-publishing books has become faster, easier and cheaper. Back in the 1970s, after your manuscript was completed, the printer would punch your manuscript out on tape and make corrections, and then run the punched tape through a type-setting machine—which was extremely time-consuming and expensive. When the bill arrived in your mailbox, you'd have a difficult time deciphering whether you'd published a book or purchased South Dakota. And without Amazon or eBay, it wouldn't be easy to sell, either.

     Today, with the advancement of desktop computers and printing technology, it's quick and affordable. You can send your book off and have copies in 30 days for a few hundred dollars. But can it lead to commercial success?

WHY SELF-PUBLISH?

Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual (Para Publishing), contends: "It's virtually impossible to land a publisher unless you can bring an audience with you. They're publishing only books that'll sell based on name recognition, which is why they're publishing great literature like Madonna's children's books and the book supposedly written by Paris Hilton's dog."

      There are about 81,000 small and self-publishers, compared to six large publishers and about 400 medium-sized publishers, according to Poynter. And the Independent Book Publishers Association reports that small and self-publishers produce 78 percent of all the titles. The Book Industry Study Group's Under the Radar says that the smallest publishers (including self-publishers) generated nearly $3 billion in aggregate annual revenue last year. That slice of the revenue is growing because of the record number of people publishing their own work, but also because traditional publishers don't have the time or resources to read all the submissions.

     "If you get turned down by a publisher, it simply means that this extremely busy person didn't `get' it," Poynter says. "There are more than 40 people who didn't 'get' Chicken Soup 14 years ago, and they're much poorer for it." "Self-published books are becoming more accepted by agents and publishers," says Michael Mancilla, literary agent for Greystone Literary Agency. "Someone who goes through the process will learn and realize how difficult it is, which means the author has determination and will do what it takes to make his book a success."

     Mancilla, who's signed and sold two Writer's Digest self-published contest winners to traditional publishers (The Tragedy of Miss Geneva Flowers, Caroll & Graf, by Joe Babcock and The Everything Seed, Beaver's Pond Press, by Carol Martignacco), says that self-publishing can open doors. "If the book gets recognition and has solid sales, agents and publishers can see that it's a proven item and not just a risky proposal."

     While some agents and editors still stigmatize self-published books as mere vanity projects, others (like Mancilla) have begun to take a broader view. Sometimes, the reasons behind that may be surprising.

     "I've had one editor tell me the reason she likes self-published books is that she can carry them on the train with her," Mancilla says. "It's all these kinds of unlikely things that can come together."