A little time on Google yields an important, but often misunderstood fact of self-publishing. We often apply the term “self-publishing” to any kind of non-traditional, pay-to-publish publishing. However, true self-publishing means that you buy the ISBN number and bar code for the book. The ISBN number is the “International Standard Book Number” that is assigned to every newly published book. Even E-books often have ISBN numbers to give them credibility and open additional sales avenues. In order to buy an ISBN number, you have to register a business name. So, the true self-publisher starts his or her own publishing company.
It’s easy to see why we still apply the term self-publishing to pay-to-publish publishing. I mean, who wants to say, “So, did you go with a regular pay-to-publish publisher, or was it print-on-demand pay-to-publish publisher?” And certainly, nobody wants to call these options “vanity” publishing any more. The industry has changed, and paying to publish can be a very smart step for authors.
The same situation is true in the music industry. A truly “self-produced” CD would be one where you did the recording and editing yourself, hiring someone to record you produces a “Vanity Record”, and it used to be that only a record contract was considered “serious”.
That just isn’t so any more, and since there is no better catch-all term for hiring a publisher (or recording studio), I still prefer to use the terms “self-published” and “self-produced”. The important thing is that the prospective self-published author knows that doing it all him/herself is an option, right down to getting the isbn number.
If a person has a book and wants to get it out there, here are the basic options:
1. Self-Publishing
- Buy an ISBN number and hire printing services.
- Ebook (for on-line reading, home printing, or for download directly to Kinkos for printing and binding).
- Blogging can be considered a form of “self-publishing”.
2. Pay-to-Print Publishing (“vanity” or “subsidy” publishing)
- Large-run pay-to-print publishing companies
- Print-on-Demand publishing companies
3. Contract with Traditional Royalty Publisher
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