How To Set Up And Run Your Own Home Based Publishing Business

Dan Poytner has been promoting self publishing for years.

Here are his tips on how to start your own home based publishing business.

Anyone can be a publisher. The publisher is the one who puts up the money. If you invest in your own printing, you are a self-publisher. If you begin to take in manuscripts from others, you are a (small) publisher. If you grow, you become a large publisher. Your computer makes it easy and inexpensive to write, produce, publish and sell books. You can work from home and you do not need any governmental licenses.

Book publishing is easy but it is not the same as other businesses; there is a lot to learn. Fortunately, there is also a lot of help available. Unlike most industries, people in publishing are helpful, friendly and supportive. Since each book is unique, there is very little competition and publishers rarely feel threatened by another book. Consequently, we do not mind sharing what we have learned about this wonderful book publishing industry. In fact, we like to say “The greatest challenge in book publishing is managing the day-to-day excitement.”

Many famous books got their start being published by the author; some still are. Self-publishing is an early-American tradition. In the early days of the New World, the person with the printing press was often the author, publisher, printer and bookshop. Some people think that most of those who self-publish do so because several publishers have turned them down. That is occasionally true. However, most people today weigh the advantages and disadvantages of selling out to a publisher and make an educated decision to publish themselves. Those who self-publish find they make more money, get to press sooner and keep control of their work.

Self-publishing should not be confused with “Vanity” publishing where an author pays (an exorbitant price to) a publisher to turn his or her manuscript into a book.

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