| Most authors would love to see their written works | | | | royalty payments. The author will have no say in the |
| in published form even if they have to resort to self | | | | design or other production aspects of the book. |
| publishing. The traditional profit making publishers are | | | | Subsidy publishers help the author to get the book |
| restrictive in what they will accept. Their editors | | | | published but publish the work under their own |
| decide if a written work is publishable and will make | | | | imprint. |
| money. These publishers assign an editor to an | | | | For those authors who want to handle all the |
| author and when the work is finished the book is | | | | production of their books there is what is called true |
| printed, distributed and marketed through normal | | | | self publishing. They can put every aspect of |
| channels and media. The author sometimes receives | | | | production up for competitive bids to get the best |
| an advance payment based on the expectation of | | | | prices and they pay for everything that is done. Self |
| sales and other criteria like the fame of an author. | | | | publishers control all the design of the work, the |
| The author does not take on any financial risk. | | | | distribution and the marketing. The author retains all |
| An alternative way to get published is self publishing. | | | | rights to the written work and they receive all the |
| Books, manuals, pamphlets and other written works | | | | profit. Completed books remain their personal |
| are completed by printing and binding them into hard | | | | property and they can distribute and sell them in any |
| cover or soft cover finished products. Commercial | | | | fashion. They can achieve as high a quality finished |
| publishing houses buy rights to written works, get | | | | product as they are willing to pay for. The author has |
| those books printed and then sell or otherwise | | | | complete control and takes on all of the risk of the |
| distribute the books. Vanity press publishers are | | | | project. |
| available to those authors who are willing to pay all of | | | | Today there are also some web based printers who |
| the production costs in the form of fees. This is a | | | | offer short run print on demand publication of written |
| form of self publishing that is more likely to cost the | | | | works. Files are uploaded electronically and the author |
| author money rather than bring in a profit. One | | | | can select their choice of a variety of packages |
| reason for this is that there is no one responsible for | | | | including design and marketing. Some POD (print on |
| determining the quality and marketability of the book | | | | demand) publishers have connections to Internet |
| at the publisher as is the case with a traditional | | | | outlets such as Amazon. |
| commercial publisher. | | | | Self publishing is an alternative available to authors |
| Subsidy publishers also charge the author a fee but | | | | who cannot get published through traditional publishing |
| they also take on some of the financial risk and all of | | | | houses. Many self published books are offered for |
| the production decisions and they purchase rights | | | | sale but marketing and getting distribution can be |
| from the author. They charge the author a fee and | | | | very difficult. |
| upon publication and sales the author will receive | | | | |