Self-publishing has come a long way. Not too long ago it was an expensive venture which included paying for the designing and printing of the books yourself, likely to have them sit in boxes in your garage. Distribution is a key part of the publishing model which is absent when you become your own publisher.

With eBooks so popular now and so many devices to read books on available, self-publishing has fully entered the digital age. You don’t have to make a printed version of your book anymore!

Or do you?

While Kindle, Nook and iBook sales are huge, they still pale in comparison to traditional ink on paper. I learned as a small boy the importance and attraction of holding the book in your hands, the satisfaction of turning the pages and the sadness when you see that final blank page telling you the book is indeed over. With eBook readers you lose much of that.

So now there are several options for printing paper versions of your book as well, and quite affordably. Actually free. Amazon owns a division called CreateSpace, which is one of many services of this type. It is a Print On Demand service so no books are printed in advance and stored in warehouses (or your garage). The cost per unit is very affordable, enough so to enable very good profit margins. The biggest plus of using CreateSpace is  your book can automatically be available on Amazon.com all around the world. Not having your book on Amazon is like, well, there’s nothing like it. You just have to.

While only available as paperback, the service seems easy to use and also gives good discounts to the authors to be able to buy their own books in bulk for gifts, to send to reviewers, or to set up author signings at your local bookstore.

While my book is going into the editing phase I am now also working hard on my cover art and layout to be ready for the ebook and print version publishing.

Happy writing!