Independent publishing

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by its author without the involvement of an established publisher. A self-published physical book is said to have been privately printed. The author is in control of the entire process including, for a book, the design of the cover and interior, formats, price, distribution, marketing, and public relations. The authors can do it all themselves or may outsource some or all the work to companies which offer these services.

Self-publishing is not limited to physical books. E-books, pamphlets, brochures, websites, and other media are commonly self-published.

Despite technology making it both easier and cheaper to self-publish books, going down the independent road is nothing new. In 1931 the author of The Joy of Cooking paid a local printing company to print 3000 copies. Later Bobbs-Merill Company acquired the rights, and since then the book has sold over 18 million copies.

The contemporary trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was originally published online as Twilight fan-fiction before the author decided to self-publish it as an e-book and print on demand.

The science fiction novel The Martian, written by Andy Weir, was originally released as chapters on his personal blog, and then self-published as an eBook in 2011. The rights were purchased by Crown Publishing which re-released it in 2014. The novel went on to become a best seller and then a major motion picture starring Matt Damon.

The key distinguishing characteristic of self-publishing is that the author has decided to publish independently of a publishing house. In the past, self-published authors had to spend considerable amounts of money preparing a book for publication, purchasing bulk copies of their title, and finding a place to store their inventory. Print-on-demand and e-book technology have allowed authors to have a book printed or digitally delivered only when an order has been placed.

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Wikipedia