According to Bowker, a compiler of publishing industry statistics, self-published books now outnumber those released by conventional or traditional publishers. An increasing number of authors have chosen to steer their own course by going the self-publishing route, which involves not only writing the book but also handling production and sales.

Once Patricia Ruth completed the writing and editing phases of her first novel, Holly Heights, she was anxious to see her work in print. Ruth shared, “I did try to go the traditional publishing route by sending inquiries to agents and publishers.” However, the process turned out to be “long, frustrating and, ultimately, unsuccessful.” Ruth further revealed, “I’m a member of a very popular club of authors that get rejected by agents and publishers.” 

Undeterred by the rejections and still resolute on being published, what Ruth saw during a book fair visit encouraged her to do it by herself. “You know I felt it was very doable. . . . It’s as easy to start as just Googling the word ‘self-publishing,’” Ruth said. 

On the other hand, Libby Johnson McKee, managing director of CreateSpace (an Amazon subsidiary), disclosed, “One of the key challenges for authors is coming up with their cover. . . . We’ve created a tool called ‘a cover creator,’ which allows you to use some of our preformatted templates to create your own cover.”

However, it should also be stressed that marketing a book is bound to be more difficult than writing it. Ruth’s recommendation is to “start local.” She expounded, saying, “My local bookstore has a table for local authors. So it’s a matter of getting them to pick your book, maybe do a book signing. I did one. You want to write a press announcement and send it to local radio, TV and newspapers.”

“Obviously self-publishing gives a lot of control to authors and allows them to fulfill their goals without having to go through a pretty difficult, tiresome and lengthy process and rejections,” stated Rees Literary Agency’s Lorin Rees, who represents authors to traditional publishers. “However,” he added, “there are limitations to self-publishing particularly distribution, packaging, editorial support and credibility.” 

The author of the self-published memoir Inheriting China, Margaret Hollister, is of the same sentiment. “Maybe you write naturally. Maybe that’s a natural thing for you. Publishing and formatting a book and trying to find a market, all that, that is not natural,” she revealed.

David Minckler, an editor who assisted Hollister in publishing her memoir, advises others who are keen to self-publish to be prepared. “They would have to learn some software and be pretty good at it,” he said. “They should know enough to be able to scan pictures, organize a text and proofread.”

Even though digital technology has made self-publishing easier for authors, Minckler still thinks authors will continue to favor traditional publishers. He divulged, “A lot of self-published books seem to be pretty trivial and really not of much interest to a wide audience. . . . So if you’re talking about a wide audience, I think established publishers will continue.”

While Johnson McKee agrees that conventional publishing will no doubt persist, she also believes that self-publishing is here to stay. “Since 2002, the growth of independent published books is over 8,000 percent. . . . So there is really a movement in the industry because anyone who wants to tell their story can be out there.”

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