Self-publishing a book is no more an act of shame! For a while, when the traditional or so-called mainstream publishers had the lion’s share in the book market, authors were afraid to take the proceedings in their own hands and hesitated to publish their books themselves. With time, things changed and a change in the mindset was inevitable, eventually. New authors understood that traditional publishing is not for them. Their passion doesn’t appreciate the long intervals between communication and repeated rejection letters without considerable explanation. And then bloomed the field of self-publishing. Today, the bigger share in the book market lies with those companies which offer self-publishing. Is this good news? Yes, this is very good news for authors, for book lovers and also for publishers. However, this is certainly not good news for the traditional publishers riding on the chariot of their unexplained ego most of the times!

Who should self-publish their books?
Self-publishing is for everyone who writes. If there is a story, that should come to the readers. However, if the story is good then it will find the readers quickly. If you think you are good at writing (everyone thinks the same) then you must publish your book in the self-publication mode. For all the writes who trust their writing, self publishing has become a viable medium to make readers aware of their acumen.

How to choose the best self-publishing company?
This is a tricky part and it demands wisdom. There are many self-publishers in India today. There are many companies in the world as well. In any part of the world, if you really need to get your book published by a publishing house that offers self-publishing services, you should look for their list of services and also the price list. Don’t get trapped by tall promises, you have to look for the services that are essential and the most important part is distribution, number of copies and the cost of printing. Any publisher that offers the cheapest cost of printing and does not promise you success for big money, is worth a try! The publishers who offer newspaper coverage, media coverage and business cards etc are simply shaving your pocket of some good money. Be aware of them and stay wealthy!

What can you do after self-publishing a book?
There are many things to do after you have self-published your book. You should work on promoting your book widely. You can easily make some efforts online. You can also hire a dedicated book promotion service provider to take care of your marketing and focus on your writing. Always be wise and careful while choosing a book marketing company because there are many who promise many things and deliver nothing. Always get into a contract with a transparent, clean and honest team.

The last but very important question – is self-publishing worth it?
Well, that depends on what you have published and who is your target audience. If you have published shit, you cannot expect readers to buy it. If you have published something sane, meaningful and wonderful, people will not see whether it’s self-published or branded by some big publishing house. They will simply read your book and appreciate your writing. So, the biggest thing that matters here is your writing skill. If you really have it, you are unstoppable! If you don’t have that thing in you, even God cannot save you from wealth loss! Improve your writing and polish it – make it sale-worthy and you can do wonders with self-publishing! All the best!

by editorial staff for Indian Book Critics