There are several arguments for and against self-publishing.

The most often quoted reason against is that all self-publishing is an untalented person’s way of getting their scribblings into print at an extortionate price. With some writers, and with some vanity publishing companies, this may well be true!

Self-publish word cloudThe reasons for are many though. Many great writers get overlooked by traditional publishing houses because they just get so many submissions they cannot possibly read them all. They also have limited budgets to spend on new writers. Even trying to find a suitable literary agent can often be time-consuming and expensive.

Even writers that do find a mainstream publisher would rather not have to wait (literally) years before they see their work in print. With self-publishing you are in control.

And just remember that many famous writers whose works have become bestsellers were rejected many times and often self-published their own work. Sometimes a successful self-publisher gets picked up by major publishing houses if they sell enough books.

Some of the greatest authors in history kept on self-publishing after they and their books were famous. This way they were able to maintain control of how their books were marketed while making more profits too.

Famous writers who self-published:

  • Mark Twain
  • John Grisham
  • T. S. Elliot
  • Thomas Paine
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • George Bernard Shaw
  • L. Ron Hubbard
  • Walt Whitman
  • Henry David Thoreau
  • Beatrix Potter
  • D. H. Lawrence
  • Margaret Atwood
  • Virginia Woolf
  • E. E. Cummings
  • Tom Clancy

Before embarking on a career as a writer though maybe read the following quotes:

‘The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not.’
– Kurt Vonnegut

‘Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman’s name out of a satire, then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized, anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to be a writer – and if so, why?’
– Bennett Cerf, founder of Random House




5 thoughts on “Self Publish

  • 08/10/2017 at 5:25 pm
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    Hi Dave,
    I would like to know the cost of publish and perinting (100 copies)
    of my book – newly written
    Pages 250 last 7 pages have photos scanned in.
    Title Tribla King & 1 ..true love story
    I have someone designing the cover but may need help on the format and size he needs to do
    Standard paperback book size please.
    It is in word docx presently.
    Let me know cost and time span.
    ie: would like to send it to people for Xmas this year
    thanks
    Sue Hadley
    (Author to be)

    Reply
  • 10/10/2017 at 5:56 pm
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    I have typescripts of two books which I would like to publish. The typescript is only partly in Microsoft Word. Each typescript is approx. 200-250 pages of A4.
    Can I come and talk to someone about this, please?

    PS I have previously had several books published – all legal texts except for one biography.

    Reply
  • 06/08/2020 at 3:25 am
    Permalink

    Hello Dave,
    My name is Lois, I have been playing around with different create your own book sites and not quite finding one that can produce what I would like to create. it is essentially a book of images with the image on one side of the page and writing on the other. I create the images myself, they are digital images and I am finding that the colour and vibrancy is often lost in the printing process. It’s a simple book idea and the images the most important thing hence being a bit fussy about the quality. I would love to be able to publish and order a batch of hard cover A4 size books with these images in. I have already created a draft on a site which I send to you to see what I am looking to create but have it of a higher quality.

    Reply

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