Self publishing vs. print-on-demand: Which is better?

What is self publishing?

Self-publishing means you publish the book yourself and not through a commercial publishing company. You don’t need a literary agent and you don’t need someone to accept your work. Instead, you publish the book yourself with a self-publishing company and pay a fee per book.

With self-publishing, you should gain exclusive rights on what you’ve written. This means, you are completely in charge of your book and not the publisher. You choose the cover, price, etc. and you own your book completely.

Self-publishing is a great alternative for those who aren’t interest in commercial publishing or who haven’t had success with them.

What is print-on-demand?

Print-on-demand is a digital form of printing books that is cheaper and faster than the traditional press form. Most often, print-on-demand companies say that they print only the books you need.

Instead of purchasing several hundred or thousand books beforehand, they will only publish what is bought. For example, if your book is listed on amazon.com, they will print only when a customer buys your book, leaving out your fee.

You will be paid a royalty on your books, or a percentage of each sale. Most print-on-demand companies are non-exclusive which means you don’t own complete rights of your book.

Which should you choose?

If you are serious about being and author and want to get your book out to the world, other than commercial publishing, you would be better off going with self-publishing. With self-publishing, you have exclusive rights over your work. This is a benefit you should have if you are serious about writing.

If you are just interested in publishing a book for family and friends or work that doesn’t mean that much to you, them print-on-demand is fine. It’s your choice.

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