self publishing

Self-publishing has become a catch-all term that can be used to describe vanity publishing, subsidy publishing or independent ("indie") publishing.

A vanity publisher will accept any manuscript submitted to it and turn that manuscript into a book via its own editing, packaging and manufacture processes, all of which are offered to the author for a fee. The author must commit to buying a minimum quantity of the resulting book. Usually, the author must sign over some or all of her rights to the work being published for a fixed term as well. The vanity publisher may also offer ebook or audiobook production services, book distribution and marketing services on a fee basis.

Subsidy publishing is virtually identical to vanity publishing, except that subsidy publishers have a manuscript selection process and some subsidy outfits do not require the author to sign over future publication rights.

Indie publishing is used to describe the activities of individual authors or author collectives who essentially act as their own publishers. Editing, cover design, typesetting, printing, distribution and other services are hired by the indie publisher as needed, but the indie publisher himself manages the entire process and retains all rights to his work.

by April L. Hamilton Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Original Technorati articles tagged “self publishing”

• in Social Media
  Mainstream Publishing versus Self-Publishing ... and the winner is?
  The debate rages on over the benefits of mainstream publishing versus self-publishing
  by authorbriant / on Sep 26, 2011
• in Technology
  Ninety-nine Cent Price No Barrier To E-book Success
  Thriller writer Stephen Leather has discovered that price really is no object when it comes to ebook success.
  by darrell1001 / on Mar 9, 2011
• in Technology
  Barnes & Noble Launches Self-Publishing Platform PubIt!™
  E-books to be New BFF for B&N?
  by wendyscott / on Oct 13, 2010

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “self publishing”

 

• Review: “Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books” by David Gaughran

  
  — Authority:
  By Paul StJohn Mackintosh This book had me diving into my current e-book projects within the first few minutes of opening the review copy, looking at how to improve the preview, feedback hooks, tagging, category choice, etc. And by the end, I had a whole checklist of sites to visit, tweaks to make, programs to [...] ...
  6 days ago

• Author Spotlight: Frances Burke

  
  — Authority:
  Welcome to the Author Spotlight, Frances, and congratulations on the release of your eleventh novel, ‘At Daggers Drawn’. Could you tell us a bit about it and perhaps give us a brief excerpt? AT DAGGERS DRAWN  is a tale of blackmail, sexual jealousy and murder set in a Romance Writers’ Conference. Because I ...
  6 days ago

• Your Brand and You

  
  — Authority:
  ow that you’ve established that you are in fact a brand, we need to figure out more about you and the heart of what you’re trying to sell to figure out what your brand is really all about. If you are a frequenter of this blog chances are high that you’re a writer and chances are higher still that you’re ...
  1 week ago

• Cousin Friendly Publishing

  
  — Authority:
  When you go to the Lulu.com bookstore and search for the term “genealogy”, you’ll get almost 3,000 results. A search for “family history” gives you more than 5,000. There are tons of genealogy and family history books in Blurb , Scribd , Smashwords and any of the other self-publishing platforms. These ...
  1 week ago

• E-Commerce & Social Networking Week in Review May 11, 2013

  
  — Authority:
  Straight from the source, here’s what happened in the world of e-commerce, social networking and selling online in the past week: Spring Seller Update reminder: New seller protections start this month, new categories and item specifics now available Updates to protect your feedback and help reduce unpaid ...
  1 week ago

• Are You a Brand?

  
  — Authority:
  ecently I read an article regarding author obscurity in which the author offered the following bit of advice:  The cool thing about obscurity, in this case, is that I can write whatever I want and NO ONE WILL CARE. I’m not a brand, and by the time I become one, evolution will have put Morlocks in charge of the ...
  1 week ago

• Self Published Mystery & Thriller Bestsellers in May 2013

  
  — Authority:
  Looking for a good mystery or thriller this weekend? Find more independently published mysteries and thrillers in our monthly list below… Our weekly  self-published bestsellers list  is often dominated by the popular genres of romance and erotica. In an effort to help GalleyCat readers find other kinds of ...
  1 week ago

• Use Digital Publishing Software to Reduce Usage of Papers

  
  — Authority:
  Flippagemaker.com released the newest digital magazine making software that can turn the life of people in digital publishing industry at ease. E-book is popular nowadays and it offers plenty of advantages and benefits. Some of the key advantages of e-book are cheaper, easy to distribute, space saver, and lighter. ...
  1 week ago

• Become An iPublisher

  
  — Authority:
  Become An iPublisher is an over 30 page step by step PDF guide with screenshots and examples on how to publish multimedia books directly to Apples iBookstore. You will learn exactly how to incorporate videos, widgets and more to create truly awesome books. You will discover how to publish to the iBookstore without a ...
  1 week ago

• Putting your LIFE out there

  
  — Authority:
  A few weeks ago I wrote about writing a memoir when the memories are fresh. That was before the physical books arrived for distribution. The eBooks are somehow not quite as real, I understand why some of our readers waited for the paperback, the physical book. Even our Mr O Jnr 2 fanned the pages in […]
  1 week ago

• Self-Publishing, Content Strategy, and Book Sales

  
  — Authority:
  Often, when we’re working with self-publishing authors, a question we hear is, “But, I’m just a small-time author. Why do I need a content strategy for my marketing efforts?” The simple answer is, “Because you want to sell books,” but there’s lots more to it. Here’s four reasons you should have a ...
  1 week ago

• How to Use Google Plus: A Guide to Hangouts for Authors

  
  — Authority:
  Google Plus, Google’s social network, has a lot of great features for users to create and engage with communities online. From developing groups to cultivating circles for vital, engaging long-form conversations, the social network has set itself apart from Twitter and Facebook in a lot of interesting ways. In many ...
  1 week ago

• Want a $25 Gift Card?

  
  — Authority:
  Want a $25 Gift Card? Read up! http://on.fb.me/1777bLS Bookmark and Share: Connect to us via our other social media buttons. Just pick your click!
  1 week ago

• Best of the Web Book Marketing Tips for the Week of May 1, 2013

  
  Author Marketing Experts, Inc. — Authority: 131
  Some great insights have appeared on Twitter, and we’re highlighting a few of the top tweets from the past week, courtesy of bloggers, marketers, authors and others. The topics include proof that social media drives sales, whether free eBooks hook readers, a Twitter guide for authors, and more. Best of luck with ...
  1 week ago

• Living on Hope!

  
  — Authority:
  Tip of the Day: Shucked is on a book blitz this week, with 77 bloggers signed up. You can enter to win a copy - all the details are on my blog . Shucked is the book I queried. Its the book I wanted to traditionally publish. I queried only eight agents. Not a whole lot, I know. The chances were infinitesimal. ...
  1 week ago

• Publishing Service Index - May 2013

  
  — Authority:
  This is the PUBLISHING SERVICE INDEX for MAY 2013. This update reflects some review updates and the review of Llumina Press. TIPM continues to receive a regular feedback on services since the last index at the end of March, both positive and negative, and this is also reflected in the latest index ...
  1 week ago

• What’s the best price for a self-published ebook? $3.99, Smashwords research suggests

  
  — Authority:
  One of the biggest decisions that self-published authors have to make is how to price their ebook. What’s the sweet spot? Self-publishing platform and digital bookstore Smashwords analyzed 11 months’ worth of sales — $12 million, 120,000 ebooks sold — to discern some best practices for self-published authors. ...
  1 week ago

• Why Hire An Editor? by Robert Doran

  
  — Authority:
  The Catherine, Caffeinated blog has a great guest post about  hiring an editor by Robert Doran.  Catherine is a great fan of self published authors hiring an editor and has pointed this out in many venues and at various times.  She is hoping this post by Mr. Doran will get through to those stubborn self published ...
  1 week ago

• How to Write, Publish and Market Your Book

  
  — Authority:
  Tweet D o you want to write a book but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you have a manuscript that hasn’t been published. If so, this article is just for you. These days it is next to impossible to get a major publisher interested in a book deal, particularly when you’re a novice writer without an ...
  1 week ago

• Weekly Self Published Book Review: Because I Said So

  
  — Authority:
  Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy , requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written. When we read ...
  1 week ago

Comments about self publishing