Getting published now easier, and cheaper, than ever
By Amy Brown-Bowers • Bankrate.com

One Trafford author wrote a book of poetry and published a single copy for his wife for Valentine's Day. Others self-publish with the intention of making a living or at least some money. They're either sick of rejection letters from publishing houses -- "they just don't take your manuscript. It's darn near impossible! Your name has to be Steven King," Zwiers says -- or they want more creative and financial control over their books.

Financial perks
In the past, small-time authors had to pay thousands of dollars upfront for large print runs because publishing houses were unwilling to shoulder the financial risk. "Guys like me who are amateur writers ... we don't have that kind of money," says Zwiers.

Now, with self-publishing companies that offer print-on-demand, the upfront costs are minimal. "Eleven or 12 years ago, how could you possibly afford to print one book at a time ... you used to have to do runs of thousands. People would buy into this for thousands of dollars and end up with a garage full of books that they were never going to sell," Humphries says.

While traditional publishing requires no money upfront and, therefore, presents no financial risk to the writer, there is also little financial gain. In traditional publishing you may get 10 percent of the profits, but if you self-publish, you get 100 percent of the profits. Not only that, but the price and the profit margin of your book are in the self-publisher's control.

"You'll make a lot more if you self-publish," says Arnold Gosewich, literary agent and book publishing consultant who has worked both in traditional publishing -- as president of Macmillan of Canada for many years -- and in self-publishing for the past five years.
"You have the opportunity to make more profit. Your gross margin is far, far superior," he says.

Pounding the pavement
While the potential profit is huge, sales and marketing of a self-published book are the writer's responsibility. "The authors have to be able to support their investments by being involved in the publicity part," Gosewich says.

Successful sales come from creative and strategic self-promotion. You have to tap into alternative sources of marketing and publicity as a self-published writer rather than relying on bookstore sales. It comes back to your ability to promote and distribute your own work -- or paying someone to do that for you.

 "Not every writer is a good person for publicity," Gosewich says. "They really should have the personality, the confidence in themselves and confidence in what they're talking about. Not all people are suitable."

"Writing and marketing are two totally different skill sets," DiMarcantonio says. "Some of the most successful books sold are not necessarily the best books; they're the best marketed books."

Amy Brown-Bowers is a writer in Grimsby, Ont.