Self-publishing

The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using print on demand technology.

Although self-publishing is not a new phenomenon, dating back to the 18th century, it has transformed during the internet age with new technologies and services providing increasing alternatives to traditional publishing, becoming a $1 billion market.

In 2022, the Society of Authors and the Writers Guild of Great Britain produced a free downloadable guide to the various distinct types of publishing currently available.

Successful examples are John Locke,[6] Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Martin Luther, Marcel Proust, Derek Walcott, and Walt Whitman.

Franklin Hiram King's book Farmers of Forty Centuries was self-published in 1911, and was subsequently published commercially.

[10] After selection, they then assign an editor to polish the work even further, a proof-reader to check for errors, and a book designer to produce the cover.

Before the advent of the internet and POD (Print on Demand), most self-publishing authors had to resort to a vanity press, which was costly and acted as a barrier to publication.

Such authors are achieving success equivalent to traditionally published writers, lending respectability to self-publishing.

It works by taking two pdf files, one for the text and one for the cover, and then prints an entire paperback book in a matter of minutes, which then drops down a chute.

[17] The Library Journal and Biblioboard worked together to create a self-publishing platform called Self-e in which authors submitted books online which were made available to readers.

These books are reviewed by Library Journal, and the best ones are published nationwide; authors do not make money this way but it serves as a marketing tool.

[16] Barnes & Noble pays 65 percent of the list price of e-books purchased through its online store called Pubit.

Scribd is an open publishing platform which features a digital library, an e-book and audiobook subscription service.

Joara is S. Korea's largest web novel platform with 1.1 million members, 140,000 writers, an average of 2,400 serials per day and 420,000 works.

The original Tristram Shandy , self-published by Laurence Sterne.
Comparison of the traditional vs self-publishing process for a non-fiction book.
An Espresso Book Machine at a bookstore.
An Amazon Kindle.