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• Thanks for featuring me Susan - hope that people find this of interest

• You're welcome, John. And thanks for the wonderful article. I'll post PART TWO tomorrow.

• Yes, thank you John. A very interesting read! Thank you, Susan, for starting a new and helpful series. xxx :)

• Hi Fran - glad that you enjoyed it. Kind regards

• Thanks, Fran. I hope we'll get an article from you, too. Would love to hear from you.

• You're more than welcome Susan!

  That would be so lovely! Any hot topics in mind? xxx :)

• You can write about anything that writers might find helpful. Tips on writing a novel or non-fiction book, creating book covers, editing, publishing, staying motivated, learning how to write, critiquing, dealing with rejection, dealing with reviews, writing reviews. Anything you want.

• This is very interesting, John. Having gone with the small publisher option, I've never had to actually self publish, but I admire those, like you, who've learnt how to do it! Maybe some day I'll have to – hope not, the publicity is a heavy enough burden without that!

• Hi Gerry - yes it was a bit of a learning curve, especially the tax thing, which comes later.

• After a number of rejections from publishers, I finally got a contract offer from a well-known publisher. The terms were so bad...including promising the publisher all future work for the rest of my life . . .and the publisher taking most of the profits . . . that we went with self-publishing. It is not a bed of roses but incremental progress is being made.

• Thanks for your comment, and I wish you well. I'm happy enough being self published. Remember one thing - an author can get along without a publisher; but without an author a publisher is dead in the water

• Susan, I hope that you and John Holt will have many contributor comments on this topic. It is a discussion which is long overdue. Self publishing has a bad image, but if one compares self published books to many small press publications as well as to the output of well known publishers, there are often surprises. Every book that receives the "brand" of a recognized publisher is not a better book than every self published book and oftentimes the editing is of these conventionally published works is poor (and the hapless author puts up with it!). In our country today we have an inadequate number of truthful and qualified book reviewers and far too few quality reviewing agencies. Review "by friend" is a popularity contest, not an enhancement to better book quality. There are not enough book reviewers and there are not enough of them who willingly support quality rather than bend with the "brand" of a well known press. Reviewers who lack knowledge or the self confidence to select and recommend books by other than established presses perpetuate the often unfair negative image of self published books.
  Someone should teach a class in how to promote and distribute books, a course
  for authors who have the fortitude to publish their own books. And writers who publish their own books should continue to send their books to the truly critical book reviewing agencies, just in case once in a while such an agency reviews that self
  published book.
  Please, think of some of the worst editors you have had! Think of the editors who try to warp you message with changes because they think readers will respond to lesser ideas!!!!
  There are many reasons that one should never self-publish. But there are quite a few reasons to do so, as well. The writer may find that he or she is a better publisher than others who present themselves.

• Thanks for your comment Ann, I'm glad you found my piece of interest. Self publishing is now so easy, and at no cost, which is great. There are a lot of good self published authors out there. And apart from my old favourites - Alastair Maclean, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, I tend only to read self published authors. Of course there are downsides - Because it is so easy lots of people do it, whether they are any good or not, because certainly a lot of rubbish had also been self published. The more books self published the more competition.

• Thank you, Ann!

• Excellent post, John. Self-publishing is often the best option for an author. Like you pointed out, unless you're already a minor celebrity, it's unlikely a publisher will offer an attractive contract that will be a benefit to you. Self-publishing is the only way to retain complete control of your work and to publish under your own timeline. You can publish what you want, when you want, the way you want. Yes, it's a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

• Hi Tricia - glad you stopped by and pleased that you liked it. I soon realised that I wasn't going to be picked up by a mainstream publisher, and I soon realised that the so-called vanity publishers are only after your money. Steer clear of them. Wish you well Tricia

• One other point about self publishing is a WORD OF CAUTION. There are a lot of people out there who will be ever so willing to help you with formatting; editing; proof reading; uploading to kindle, or Lulu or Createspace; to design book covers for you, or to do a review. BE CAREFUL these people generally want your money, and charge huge fees. Most of the time you can easily do the things yourself (I do) at no cost. I do all of my own book covers; all my own editing; all of my own marketing. And I would never pay for a review. Fortunately I have a lot of friends on Facebook who have helped me, and I, in turn, have helped them.

• I enjoyed your article, John.

• Thanks Al - good to see you

• Thanks so much for hosting John Holt, I hosted him last year over on my author blog, and it was a joy. Such a popular author and deservedly so. Thanks Susan, John talks sense. Hello John. :)

• Thanks, Jane!

• Pleasure. :)