Writing And Publishing A Book

Writing a book is such a significant accomplishment that when you are finished, you may not be anxious to give up the control over the book to a publisher. You have just poured your heart and soul into a manuscript as if it were your baby and then you have to give your baby away in order for it to get published. Signing over your rights means losing the final say over how the book is ultimately presented to the public.

Not only are you relinquishing creative control of the manuscript, you are also relinquishing much of the profit. Because large publishers pay for the book to be published, they also retain the lion's share of the profits made from the book. This arrangement is a trade off because as an author, you will receive a smaller royalty by publishing with a large publisher, but they may sell more books than you could on your own. If you think you can successfully market your book, however, self publishing is a great option.

Self Publishing a Book Means Keeping Control

If you self publish your book, you can maintain the rights to the manuscript. Maintaining the rights means having sole control both creatively and financially. Self publishing, however, does not come without its disadvantages. You may maintain control, but you will have to pay for the privilege. You will have to pay all of the production and publishing costs. Without the weight of a major trade publisher behind you, you also may not see as large of a return on your investment.

It may be that making a profit is not what is important to you. If you are only interested in publishing your book for a limited audience, self publishing is a great option. Maybe you have written a book that you would like to present to your community, your school or your church. For situations like these, you can get the professional quality of a published book for a fee.