To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish?

The business of self-publishing has changed in recent years, and is now recognised as an important and growing sector of business. It has successfully distanced itself from vanity publishing and has ridden on the wave of three important developments: the advent of digital printing, which has made it economic to print short runs; the impact of the internet which now gives self-publishers access to new markets; and the growth of self-publishing service companies.

These offer functions from cover design to editing and printing. Mick Rooney’s much-needed guide provides a review and analysis of all these developments, explaining in detail how to use them to your best advantage. He provides an in-depth analysis of over thirty service companies, showing what they provide and how much they charge. This part of his book provides the self-publisher with a benchmark against which to measure services that may be offered, and from which to construct a costing for their own proposed book.