To Self Publish or Not to Self Publish . . . that is the question

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or eBook by the author of that work without the involvement of a third-party publisher. The author is responsible for, and in control of, the design, formatting, pricing, distribution, and marketing. As a self-publisher, an author may choose to take on all the aforementioned tasks, or outsource all or some of the process to companies which offer these services.

Self Publishing is nothing new.  The concept of self-publishing has actually been around for hundreds of years.  But recent technological advancements have had an incredible impact on publishing, and self-publishing in particular.  In 2008, for the first time in history, more books were self-published than those published traditionally. In 2009, 76% of all books released were self-published, while publishing houses actually reduced the number of books they produced

Some authors choose to publish because they can gain more control over their published work.  Others self-publish because they feel there is a greater financial opportunity when cutting out the middleman.  Still, others self-publish because their work was rejected by traditional publishers (the late, great Dr. Seuss was rejected twenty-four times before finding a publisher willing to publish his work).  Regardless the reason, it appears self-publishing is gaining momentum and garnering some amount of respect in the publishing world. A growing number of well known and highly respected authors are even beginning to jump on the self-publishing bandwagon. 

This blog has been created to explore the options of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing.  We'll share the good, the bad and the ugly where both sides are concerned.  - If you have a story you'd like to share about your publishing experience, we'd love to hear from you.