The 3 Self-Publishing Paths You Should Understand

Upfront cost: $0 if the book is digital only; around $100 set-up fee if you contract with a print-on-demand printer like Lightning Source for physical copies, plus production/unit cost when you order physical books

You keep: All money earned off the sale of each book if you sell direct off your own website, or in-person at events

Requirements: Know how to prepare book files (cover and interior)—preferably with industry-standard programs like InDesign and Illustrator, but Word works in a pinch. Ability to create PDFs. Ability to create and re-size images.

Risks: Incorrect file formatting, poor book design (unless you contract it out), no shipping/fulfillment support for physical product, non-standard elements/layout

Who this option works best for: Writers comfortable with computers and technology; writers with an entrepreneurial spirit

Upfront cost: Same as Do It Yourself

You keep: A pre-determined percentage of the book's retail price. When a customer makes a purchase, your retail/distribution partner takes its cut before passing on the rest to you. Popular partners: Lulu, Amazon DTP, Scribd, Smashwords

Requirements: Same as above; retail/distribution partners often ask for very specific file formatting, so be prepared to adapt/edit files as needed. For print-on-demand retail partners like Lulu, there is often a set-up fee.

Risks: Sometimes it takes a long time to get paid by these retail/distribution partners. For e-books, it can be difficult to format just perfectly so that it displays correctly no matter what reading device is being used.

Who this option works best for: People who don't want to mess with e-retailing/fulfillment on their own site, and/or see a benefit to their book being distributed across the biggest online retail stores.

Note: This route makes the most sense when you are absolutely sure you need & want physical copies of your book. Otherwise, there's not much point.

Upfront cost: Widely varies, since each service offers many packages and tiers, but anywhere from several hundred dollars to thousands. You can also buy just the services you need a la carte.

You keep: A royalty on sales. This royalty will be better than a traditional publishing deal, but much less than what you'd earn with a straight-up retail partner or turnkey service like Lulu.

Requirements: You hand over the Word document, they take care of the rest.

Risks: The more service you want, the more you pay. At its simplest level, you're paying a service to do what a traditional publisher would do, but if you want the editing and development a traditional publisher would provide, you have to pay extra for it (or have it done yourself before you approach them). They also cannot sell physical copies of your book into bricks-and-mortar bookstores, no matter how much you are willing to pay. (But your book will be available to order from any bookstore as long as it's listed in Ingram.)

As with all services you pay for, know the value of what you're paying for, and make sure you're not paying for stuff you don't need—or that you could easily manage or contract out yourself.

Who this option works best for: Low-tech writers, as well as writers who don't mind paying someone else to manage/execute the project—while giving up a chunk of future earnings should the book sell well. (Giving up future earnings can be avoided if you hire an independent publishing consultant rather than a publishing service like Author Solutions.)