Why would a publishing company show you how to publish your own book? Isn’t that the kiss of death for the business?

Not really.

If someone showed you how to change the oil in your car, would you want to do it yourself or would you prefer to pay someone to take care of that for you?
As a business owner, if an accountant showed you how to calculate your annual taxes, would you start doing your own business taxes, or would you still pay an expert to do it for you?

In today’s age of one-click instant-gratification, the whole adage of teaching a man to fish instead of catching one for him may only be appreciated by a few. Technology has made tasks easier for us to complete. Still, we don’t seem to have enough time to execute all of our goals because we’re too busy pursuing the next big money-making project, client, meeting—whatever! The bottom line is if you can afford to pay someone to publish your book—especially if that frees you up to do more writing, then why not?

On the other hand, if you learn how to self-publish a book, you can reduce expenses and increase capital. This is a balancing act that almost every entrepreneur performs!

Have You Considered Self-Publishing?

Why would you ever want to become an independent book publisher? As a writer you have the opportunity to save hundreds to thousands of dollars if you print your own book.

There are plenty of talented writers who are letting their manuscripts collect dust, never to see the light of day because they are waiting for a publisher to say ‘yes’ to them. It’s understandable for any writer to want their work showcased on a platform with the highest amount of readers, but self-publishing—also referred to as independent publishing, is another option that writers ought to consider.

Isn’t Self-Publishing the Same as a Vanity Press?

Yeah, vanity presses are frowned upon by those who hate self-publishing because they believe its diluting the quality of literacy when really, they just don’t want the competition and rather keep the art of publishing as an exclusive industry to keep a steady increase in profits. [Run-on sentence is intentional]. To answer the question, if an independent publisher is publishing his or her own writings, then yes it’s technically considered a vanity press; but here’s a question for you:

Who cares?

Answer: Big publishing houses and the stuck-up literary people—the same people who have rejected your work.

Long Ago in a Cyber Space Far-Far Away…

Before self-publishing was an option, printing presses held all of the power. They decided which writer would proceed through the literary gates of fame. Social media has completely changed the game and has allowed regular people like us with an opportunity to gain a larger following than the actual publishing houses! If you’re popular enough, the publishing company might come to you, because now you’re a social media influencer. Look at the Kardashians—the poster child of being famous for being well-known. No particular talent required.

You Don’t Need Talent to Publish Your Own Book, Just a Good Story

While many literary critics frown at self-publishing, they actually have a point. The quality of some books may have a generic book cover, a bad storyline, and are littered with grammatical errors. Analogously, many television critics frown at reality television because of the quality of its storytelling: superficial characters, a bad storyline, and broken language. Yet, they’re still going! Viewers can choose whether not they want to indulge. So it is with books whether they are independently published or distributed by big-name publishers.
That said, some things, like a good editor—should be outsourced, even if you’re an English teacher. Editing one’s own work is a task that writers strive to master flawlessly.

A Writer’s Dream of Getting a Book Published

Ideally, a writer’s manuscript is accepted by a publishing house in exchange for a big, fat check, a book-signing tour, stardom…and possibly a cash advance for movie rights. While dreams of hitting such a lottery may not befall us all, there’s still the sheer satisfaction of just one person giving you the approbation that you’ve been waiting to hear as a writer: well done – and you don’t need a book publisher for that.

If there’s a chance that a major book publisher will take you on, then do it. But, if you’re going to pay someone to publish your book, then you might consider doing it yourself.

Handling Your Business as a Book Publisher

There are many writers who prefer to pay a publisher to put their book to print. They’re comfortable with being a writer and not getting distracted with the intricacies of book publishing. Others rather do everything themselves.

If you’ve read this far, then you might be the others; and on that note, I beseech you to at least educate yourself on how it’s done. Take a self-publishing class so that you can make the executive decision on whether or not you want to service your own car, or pay for the convenience of having it done for you. Either way, whether you’re trying to learn how to publish a novel, get a poetry book published, or publish a children’s book, you will at least be able to understand the publishing process better. One of the two things will happen: You’ll discover that you’d rather stick to writing or you’ll be inspired to start a publishing company. If you decide to stick to writing and you’re still getting rejected, well then at least you’ll be better equipped to find the expert publisher to do the work for you.

Whatever you decide, just know that as long as the human race is looking for entertainment and information, the publishing business will never go out of business, just evolve with technology.

Ready to Handle Your Business?

Start the course on how you can become an independent publisher. Click HERE to get your publishing certificate online!

Written by Zorina Frey – Miami, Florida

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