| With a recession now upon us, many people are | | | | written, it can usually be set up on a disk and |
| scrambling to make extra money, and one of the | | | | sent to the printer in less than two months. In the |
| best ways is to write a book. You might think this | | | | case of a traditional publisher, even after the |
| is a long, drawn-out process, and indeed, it can be | | | | manuscript is accepted, it can take a year or |
| if you publish through a traditional publisher. After | | | | longer before you see a copy of your book. |
| writing the book, it can take six months to a year | | | | - As the publisher, you have complete control |
| or more to find a publisher (if you're lucky), then | | | | over your book. You can decide what you want |
| a wait of eight months to a year before it is | | | | on the cover, and what you want for the overall |
| published. You can get around this, however, if | | | | appearance of the book. |
| you publish the book yourself, in other words, | | | | - You can continue selling the book for years |
| self-publish it. There are, indeed, several | | | | after it is published. Books from traditional |
| advantages to self-publishing, and you can be | | | | publishers usually remain in a bookstore for only a |
| making money within a few months of starting | | | | few months, depending on how well they sell. |
| your book. | | | | You will, of course, have to sell the book yourself, |
| Among the advantages are: | | | | but many sales channels are now available to you |
| - You won't have to spend months (and maybe, | | | | that weren't available a few years ago. Most of |
| years) sending out hundreds of query letters, and | | | | them are associated with the internet, and one of |
| dealing with rejections. | | | | the most important of them is Furthermore, you |
| - You get a much larger fraction of the retail price | | | | no longer have a large up-front investment in that |
| of your book. Publishers usually give you ten | | | | you don't have to publish a large number of |
| percent; as a self-publisher you can get forty | | | | books. You can publish your books one at a time |
| percent or more, even after expenses. | | | | as they sell via POD publishing (Publish-on-demand). |
| - Self-publishing is much faster. Once your book is | | | | |