Should You Self Publish

It is truly a magical moment when you read the manuscript and suddenly feel that there is nothing more left to add or to take away. If you add stuff you will feel the need to trim the fat and you cannot take away a single word without leaving gaps in the mind of the reader. It is that moment when you feel the most self-confident. You are ready to take the book to a publisher.You write to the publisher and give them a taste of the good stuff. They do not seem to share your enthusiasm. Hmmm... maybe it is time to take your manuscript to another publisher. Some of them tell you that your work is not good enough, some find it "interesting" but they have their hands full, some say that it would be a couple of years before they can think of publishing your book.Publishers really look for a commercial proposition in every manuscript. They want to understand how many people will buy the book you have written. It is always worthwhile to do that Math before you go to a publisher. The easiest way to do that is to go to a bookstore and see if there are other writers who have published books somewhat like the one you wrote. Ask the store, how many copies of the book they sell in a month or in a year. Now repeat that exercise for a few more stores. Maybe you can ask a friend in another city to do a similar exercise on your behalf. That will tell you if your book will have a market or not. If you have written a text book, ask a few schools if they would recommend your book as a required reading. Be prepared to explain why they should do that.Finally, look into you list of friends, relatives, colleagues etc and ask how many of them will buy your book. Most of them will want you to "gift them a copy of your book." Majority of the planet does not know that authors need to buy their own book if they have to gift it. You will occasionally find some people who will say, "Don't expect me to BUY your book." At this time resist any urge to kick their shin. They speaketh out of ignorance and not malice. Here is where self-publishing kicks in. For a small fee you could see your own book in at least your own bookshelf. NY Times had talked about self publishing thriving as the publishing industry undergoes some huge shifts with many publishers dropping advances paid to writers.Vanity Publishing is used to describe books where the cost of writing, printing, production, distribution and even publicity is funded by the author. If you are a rich dude, this is your chance to be an author. The critics are less than kind to such books. A better version of this is called Subsidy Publishing where the publisher will bear part of the costs. Self Publishing is a good way of doing limited copies of your own book and testing the market. This is a good option if you want a 100% control over the contents - esp if what you are publishing may be controversial or off beat. Publishers do not take any of the proceeds and if the author distributes it too then there are no distribution fees as well. The result is a larger payoff because it is a much larger percentage of the sale price. Don't feel apologetic about self publishing. The Celestine Prophecy, Chicken Soup for the Soul, What Color is Your Parachute are all books which were self published.Some popular sites are Lulu, FastPencil, Create Space and Xlibris. Check out the website of Xlibris for their FAQs on why self publish.Advantages of self publishing

1. TimeTraditional publishing takes too long; most traditional publishers work on an 18-month production cycle. Choose to self-publish and your book could be ready for the market within three months. (AB: I highly recommend that you work with an editor who will trim the manuscript and make it more readable. Imagine if you could edit and clip your home videos and give it some crispness)
2. Your book-the way you want itA book is a reflection of the author. Self-publishing gives you complete control on the direction of your book. The decisions are exclusively yours and not limited by third parties with intentions and interests different from your own. (AB: You can choose the font, the cover design and paper quality of the book, even if you know nothing about it. Each choice will impact your cost. So keep an eye on the tab as you keep ckecking those fancy options. It is like assembling your own computer. Each accessory has a cost and it all adds up. )
3. Retain all rightsAs a self-publisher, you own all rights to your book. If you use a traditional publishing house, they will own all rights. If they lose interest in your book, you will not be able to print additional copies unless you purchase those rights back. (AB: This is one big advantage you have. If some regular publishing house thinks that your book has potential, they will be happy to offer you a deal if they get you to the negotiating table.)
4. Testing the marketBecause your book may fill a niche that has not been met, you can test the market by self-publishing. Find out how well your book will sell, and how successful it will be. (AB: This is a polite way of saying that if your book self only three copies then you know that it was not born to be a mass market product. It is what we will politely call a 'niche product'. You will also realize why publishers did not find it a commercially viable proposition. You can print limited copies that you know for sure you could personally sell and then decide if you want to print more copies to hawk. That is the advantage of print-on-demand technology. If you want to make only three cups of coffee, no point buying a truckload of coffee beans.)
5. A limited market Your book may appeal to a limited market and, therefore, may not be of interest to a large publishing house. (AB: See commentary with point 4 above. Think of a school's yearbook. How many times have you rushed out to buy someone else's yearbook? The same would hold true for say most people's family history unless you have a recognizable surname.)

Writing a book is tough. Finding the right publisher is tougher. Self publishing solves the second problem. But distributing the books and selling it through a bookstore is a helluva task - esp if you self publish. But that story is for another time.Check out this neat piece on self publishing from NY Times or this one from HowStuffWorks