Self Publishing

So you've written your book, edited it to the best of your ability and now you're ready to publish!

You have 3 options here:
1. You can submit your book to an agent
2. You can submit your book directly to a publishing house
3. You can self publish your book

If you've tried 1 or 2 or both and have not been satisfied with the results then maybe self publishing is for you. But how do you self publish? Well, it's really not as difficult as you may think - as long as you have something capable of selling.

There are several companies that will allow you to publish with them where you will receive a percentage of sales revenue, called a royalty.

Amazon.ca is probably the most popular route. Not only is it FREE, yes, I said FREE, to publish with them, but they offer you 2 different royalty options. Reading through these options will let you know which is best for you. They also offer something called KDP, which is like a lending library where readers can borrow your book for an certain amount of time (without paying for it) and you earn a different kind of royalty off of it.

Now, the only downsides that I've been able to find is that you're publishing specifically for the Kindle and Kindle apps for the iPad, iPhone, android-based phones, Blackberries, PC and Mac. So, anyone who doesn't have any of these items will not be able to purchase your book. Also, it takes roughly 12 hours to upload your book, so if you need to make any changes to your cover or content, remember that it will take about 12 hours for those changes to take effect. Though, your book will still be available in the current edition.

Barnes & Noble will also let you publish with them. Now, taking a look at their requirements and sign-up process, it looks like a lot of work, but if you feel they're the way to go then by all means! You must first register to become of "vendor on record' with the Barnes & Noble warehouse and then once accepted they will put 2 copies of your book on their website. However, all titles you send to them need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), which is free in Canada and will take 10 days to be issued. You can apply at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

They have several options in which you can send in your manuscript: email, file transfer or disk. And if you're sending a book that requires bibliographical information you'll need to supply them with that information no less than 180 days prior to publication. The "How to Submit Content" page will go through each step with you on sending your content and images.

The downside? It can take considerably longer to publish with them than Amazon and they will only commit to selling 2 copies of your book, unless, of course, it sells quite well.

If selling through the internet is not for you, there are several hard-copy self publishing websites you can use. They include, but are not limited to, lulu.com, createspace.com and authorhouse.com

Each of these websites have different registration requirements and costs, but they are good if you want to be able to hold a copy of your book in your hand. What's better is that Createspace works together with Amazon, so you can sell hard copies of your book along with your digital copies. And, it's FREE!

Lulu gives you the opportunity to publish hard copies and digital copies of your book, and it's also free. They provide step-by-step instructions and a variety of sizes in which to publish your book.

Authorhouse, though, is not FREE. Their basic publishing package is available for $349 for ebook publishing, childrens' book publishing for $599 and paperback/hardcover publishing also for $599. If you feel that it's necessary to make a financial contribution to your own success, then go for it! For those of you who do not have the financial means to do this, stick with one of the other free companies. Now, even though they ask for your country of origin for their FREE information package (actually it's a requirement), there is no option for entering a Canadian province, which leads me to believe they only publish American authors.

I hope this has helped you come to a decision in your writing and publishing career. It may seem scary and intimidating, but don't let that stop you from following your dreams. This may be they perfect way to get your name, and writing, into the right hands!