Choosing the Right Self-Publishing Company

Getting a book contract with a publisher is getting more difficult. Today you don’t need to seek a traditional publisher to see your book in print. You can self-publish and make a living from it. There is no blueprint to the path of being a successful author, but with the right tools and knowledge, you can do it without any outside help.

When you self-publish, you receive all the benefits of having full control of your work and the time it takes to hit the market. Self-publishing is a viable option for writer’s who are motivated to work hard.

Most self-publishing companies are referred to as print-on-demand companies. With print-on-demand, your book is held in a database and when someone orders a copy, the book is printed and shipped. This prevents you and the company from storing a lot off books that may or may not sell. No shelf space is needed which makes choosing a good print-on-demand company the worthwhile choice.

The top self-publishing companies you’ll hear discussed over and over are Lulu, CreateSpace, Smashwords, Amazon Kindle (KDP) and Barnes and Noble Nook (PUBIT).

Lulu is perfect if you just want to print a few books for family and friends. They offer a range of services, but if you are a serious author and want to get the most exposure, then this may not be your best option. Lulu is a good option test self-publishing because you can do it for the cost of the book.

CreateSpace is Amazon.com’s self-publishing company and they have really taken off in the last year. The best thing about CreateSpace is they offer a wizard that steps you through the publishing process quite easily. You can design your book cover using their wizard which saves you from hiring a book designer.

Amazon.com’s epublishing platform is KDT for the Kindle ebook. This is also an excellence source for getting your ebook out there. They have author forums where writers discuss their top tips for publishing and marketing.

Next is Barnes and Noble’s PUBIT, which is their ebook publishing platform for the Nook. If you publish your book in ebook form, then you’ll want to not only use Amazon.com’s KDP platform, but also PUBIT so your book reaches both audiences.

Smashwords allows you to get you ebook on all ebook platforms, but their formatting guide is quite complicated and you may spend more time formatting your book than writing and marketing it. The best choice is to go directly to the source which would be Amazon.com’s KDP platform and Barnes and Noble PUBIT.

Most authors choose CreateSpace for print version of their books and then KDP and PUBIT for getting their books published as en ebook. This is the simplest approach to get you the widest audience possible.

Lexi Davis is a writer who enjoys writing on a number of different verticals. For more on self publishing, Two Ends of the Pen offers readers information on technology and self publishing.

Author: Lexi L Davis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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