Top 7 self-publishing companies in the world

Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “if, when you wake up in the morning, you can think of nothing but writing . . . then you are a writer.” But once you are done putting your thoughts on the paper, the next important step is to publish your work. When we think about publishing a book, we can get stuck between self and traditional publishing. Going with the traditional, big publishing houses such as Random House, HarperCollins, and Penguin might look like an easy bet, but making the cut is fairly difficult. According to Forbes, around a million new books get published every year in the United States alone, which makes the task of getting your book published in the traditional manner even more daunting. Most publishers will also tell that they receive 1,000 to 2,000 query letters every month. This shows that only a small percentage of the submissions make it to the publishing stage. Also, only because you’ve been contacted by a publishing house does not mean that your book would garner maximum revenue. So, unless you’re destined to become the best-selling book of the year, you should be either content with selling a handful of your book copies or start marketing your book on your own. So, if you are an author and want to have your book published and get noticed, why not have it self-published?

Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
Self-publishing allows the author to be in control of the literary content as well as the book selling process. As a self-publishing author, you are on your own and responsible for marketing and distribution, as well as for the capital investment required; however, the best part is that the maximum amount of your profit is yours. On the contrary, traditional publishing is where the publishing house prints, and sells the books through various retailers and booksellers. Here, the publishing house bags the maximum amount of the revenue generated from the sale of the book, also because the entire invested capital comes from the publishers in traditional publishing.

With more and more writers choosing their own ways of marketing and promoting their work, the concept of self-publishing is becoming the buzzword in the book’s world. Here are the top 7 self-publishing companies in the world for you to choose from:

  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
    Amazon accounts for 80% of the eBook sales in English-speaking countries. Without a doubt, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) remains one of the top self-publishing platforms among authors for eBooks. The platform allows authors in converting and selling their books to a wide range of reader base. A striking feature of KDP is the 90-day exclusive deal on digital distribution wherein the books are available in the Kindle Lending Library. This lets the Amazon Prime members in checking out the books free of cost and with no due dates. Also, the author receives the royalties for every borrowed book.
  • Draft2Digital
    Comparatively a new kid on the block, Draft2Digital is an aggregator that has already been making news with its services and market reach. Draft2Digital helps in converting your book and distributing it across various retailers such as Nook, iBooks, and Kobo. If you are looking to publish your book and make it available on a wider scale within a short time period, then this is a great choice. The easy-to-use interface of Draft2Digital has made it a preferred choice among authors.
  • Lulu
    One of the most popular sites known for self-publishing books, Lulu is best known for its attention to detail. The company comes up with more than 1000 book titles every day, which speaks for the volume they work with and the market reach. With a wide range of services offered at Lulu, you can simply consider them for everything – right from proofreading to marketing.
  • Kobo
    Although Kobo only has 2% of the current eBook market, one of the reasons why it made to the list of top self-publishing companies is its international sales. Once you upload your book to Boko, the platform makes your book available in 190 countries. They have a wider reach in Asia as compared to the United States and the United Kingdom. The royalty rates at Kobo are at 70% if the selling price of the book is anywhere between $1.99 to 12.99, and 45% if the price is outside this range.
  • Book Baby
    If you’re looking for value for money, then Book Baby is the self-publishing company for you. The simple process helps those who are not quite familiar with the digital self-publishing platforms. The packages start from as low as $99 and the site takes 0% commission from the book sales, which is an absolute treat. Moreover, if you are looking for an all-inclusive package – from proofreading and design services to eBook conversion and distribution, you can make the most of it, Book Baby helps you find it all.
  • Smashwords
    Initiated in 2008, Smashwords is the oldest aggregator website and lets you distribute your book title to library networks such as Gardeners and numerous small-scale eBook retailers such as Baker and Taylor. As far as the pricing goes, Smashwords charges you 15% of the book sales you receive. Fairly speaking, some of the authors are loyal to this self-publishing company, whereas other authors prefer a more modern site such as Draft2Digital.
  • Apple’s iBook’s Author
    Accounting for 10% of the eBook market sales, Apple’s iBook’s Author is particularly an enticing self-publishing platform due to the popularity of the Apple products. iBooks offers a royalty rate of flat 70% across all territories and selling prices. The platform requires iTunes Producer program to run, which is exclusively available for a Mac. To get your book published on this platform, you either need to have a software to run Mac programs on your PC, borrow a Mac to publish your book or visit a third-party publisher such as Smashwords, Kobo, and Draft2Digital to help get through the publishing process.

Why is self-publishing gaining momentum?
As it becomes difficult to get your book published through traditional, popular publishing houses, authors across the globe have found self-publishing as something to look up to. Moreover, the penetration of the Internet in all walks of life, including book publishing, has helped authors explore opportunities with self-publishing. From Kindle Direct Publishing to online retailers and aggregators, self-publishing or “indie publishing” is becoming the talk of the town.

  • A silver lining for aspiring authors
    Due to the rising popularity of self-publishing and e-commerce platforms, authors need not wait for half a year to get their manuscript read by a publishing house. Online self-publishing platforms have made self-publishing a reliable and lucrative medium. With Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, authors can upload their books, send it across to readers, and even make money out of it. The site that took the e-commerce world by a storm has also paved the way for reshaping how books are published and read. It is due to these mediums that aspiring and new authors can find self-publishing a great way to kickstart their writing careers.
  • A boon for specific genres
    Some of the genres work great through self-publishing. For instance, if you are a fiction writer, self-publishing is the way to go. This is because you can keep the maximum share of your profits with you as opposed to the 20% share under traditional publishing. Moreover, a cookbook would need aggressive marketing tactics to garner maximum sales, which is the specialty of traditional publishers and therefore would not be a great choice for self-publishing.
  • Great prospects for author-preneurship
    The present and future of self-publishing look bright thanks to the changing role of authors. In today’s hypercompetitive market, writers are constantly taking up the skills and responsibilities of a traditional publisher. This helps the writers to understand various stages of publishing along with learning different ways to use their books as a building block for multiple ways of income. Moreover, it is also due to the fragmentation of the media that led to the changing role of authors from being just the writers of the book to marketing and promoting it through various social media platforms. As authors now can meet and interact with their readers at literary fests and fairs, run their social media pages, and write blogs, they know their target audience well and no longer depend on the publishing houses alone to build the author-reader relationship. So, the prospects of authors in becoming entrepreneurs are continuing to grow.
  • International sales have become a possibility
    Initially, selling a book internationally would only be a dream for most of the authors as they wouldn’t find the way to get through the publishers to make this dream a reality. But today, due to the strong foothold and reach of international sales platforms such as Amazon that international sales through digital platforms have become possible. Moreover, the territorial rights of publishers are no longer seen as an important factor for authors. On the contrary, the traditional rights of the publishers such as not distributing a book in certain countries, are seen as a hindrance in the current marketplace.

What makes self-publishing a hit among authors?

  • Quicker exposure
    One of the notable advantages of self-publishing is the faster exposure that a book receives as opposed to traditional publishing that takes anywhere between 6 to 18 months to publish a book. Self-published books can enter the market in several months or less, whereas traditional publishing of books can take up to 1 to 2 years. Interestingly, with the Internet and various eBook platforms, you can publish your digital book within a few days, including all the completed processes. This means faster market reach and faster cash in your bank account.
  • Higher creative control
    Wouldn’t you like to have the creative control over your book’s content and appearance? Self-publishing is all about higher creative control over your book, which also means you need to spend extra hours making your book a must pick. Publishing houses need you the writers to comply with the requirements set by multiple parties involved in the book publishing, editors, promoters, as well as designers. This hampers the creative control of the writer over the content of the book. On the other hand, self-publishing lets the writer have complete control over the book throughout the stages of publishing. So, when you decide to self-publish, you can write the book, design the cover, and decide the marketing strategy.
  • Greater networking opportunities
    During the self-publishing process, a book goes through a number of stages. It is during this time that you would meet various people from research advertising and marketing fields, consider meeting up a few people for writing a press release or discuss your book with others. This entire journey would help you discover new avenues, which will offer you great networking opportunities. Not to forget, social media does come handy here, but your rigorous marketing and promotional activities would play a key role to network with the best.
  • A longer shelf life
    As compared to traditional publishing, self-published books have a longer shelf life. It is one of the biggest advantages of self-published books as they will find a longer period for its audience to find about the book’s release and market presence. Thanks to the online publishing platform that allows digital books to remain on the platform indefinitely, helping respective target audiences to find the books at the click of a mouse. On the contrary, when you have your book published through a popular publishing company, the book will only have a couple of months of shelf life. This is because the bookstores are constantly revamping their book inventory and bringing in newly published books. Moreover, the longer shelf life of self-publishing books helps newer writers who are yet to find their right target audience.
  • Better royalties
    One of the pros of having your book published is the royalty that you receive. Did you know that when a book gets published through a publishing house, maximum profit of the book sale goes to the publishing house? This leaves the author with a maximum of 10% to 15% of the selling price of the book sold, whereas an author can receive a maximum of 70% of the list price when it comes to self-publishing mediums. An interesting highlight – self-publishing through digital forums helps in retaining the rights for adaptations such as TV shows or films. Also, if at any point, the writer needs to revise the digital book, he or she can freely do so without any constraints by the platform where the book is published. When it comes to publishing houses and print-on-demand services, a writer may face constraints set by the publishing house, making revisions or other adaptation rights difficult.

    RECENT ARTICLE

  • All You Need to Know about Cat Food
  • Everything you need to know about a knee surgery
  • Drain Snake – The right plumber drain cleaner
  • Smartphones – Basic Essentials of this Era

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

  • 7 things to consider while purchasing a smartphone
    With so many different brands of smartphones out there in the market and so many latest technologies, it can get very confusing when you are out to purchase a new smartphone. There are so many different smartphone deals in the market and the fact that a new smartphone is launched once in a while, it adds to the confusion of the buyer. So, when you are out to buy the perfect smartphone, you cannot just opt for any smartphone from smartphone deals. Here are 7 points to keep in mind when you’re looking for that perfect smartphone when you come across attractive smartphone deals. Build The material used in the building the smartphone helps in the durability of the phone. Smartphone handsets are usually made of two types of materials – plastic and metal. Some high-end phones also come with glass-coated panels. So, if you’re the kind of person who tends to drop their phone every now and then, it’s better to go for a plastic or metal smartphone build. Battery The battery is an important factor to consider when you are out to buy a smartphone from one of the smartphone deals. If you tend to excessively use your phone for watching movies, gaming, using apps and streaming videos, you will need at least 3500mAh battery on your smartphone. If you use your smartphone for basic everyday calls, texting, emailing, and clicking photos, you can go for 3000mAh battery for your smartphone. This will easily last you an entire day. Processor A good processor helps the smartphone to function smoothly without lagging. If you use your phone for viewing movies, editing photos and videos, gaming, etc. then you will need a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 or Snapdragon 820/821 processor in your smartphone. For general usage, smartphones with MediaTek processors should work just fine for you. Display If you enjoy entertainment and gaming on-the-go with your smartphone, then you will need a smartphone with the display size of 5.5 inches to around 6 inches. This size of display screen also helps in the photo and video editing. Resolutions of full HD or QHD are added brownie points! However, it is important to note that the bigger the display is, the more difficult it gets to carry your smartphone around. Especially because it won’t fit in your pockets and will be too bulky to hold in your hand all the time. 5-5.5 Inches is the best and most comfortable display size. Storage Generally, a lot of storage space of a smartphone is eaten away by the Operating Software and the pre-installed apps that come with the phone. This means that you don’t receive the exact storage space mentioned in the device specifications. If you like using a lot of apps, capture a lot of videos and photos, you will need a 64GB or above storage. For basic usage, a 16GB or 32GB works fine. If you come across good smartphone deals on the higher storage phones, it is best to pick those so that you can store more information in the long run. Audio and Speakers If you watch a lot of movies and enjoy gaming with the sound on, go for a smartphone with speakers that face the front as these give clear audio in landscape mode. If you are a regular user, then speakers placed at the bottom or even at the back of the phone should work just fine for you. Camera Quality If you are a photography enthusiast and love capturing high-quality photos, you will need a 12MP or 16MP camera. Several other features like ISO levels, pixel size, autofocus, etc. will further enhance your photography experience. For casual photography, you can go for an 8MP or 12MP Camera. These are the 7 most basic features that you’ll need to keep in mind when smartphone shopping. Don’t forget to check the warranty cards during your purchase!
  • Best models to bag during the Cricket phones sale
    Cricket is one of the best and most popular wireless prepaid carriers in the country. Recently, the company tossed a fresh deal that delivers 150GB of cloud storage as a part of the ‘More Unlimited Cricket Plan.’ Even in terms of smartphones, Cricket offers excellent deals on top devices that you can buy and benefit from increased savings. Here are some of the best smartphones that you can purchase during the Cricket phones sale. Galaxy S20 FE The Cricket phone sale is now live, and you can easily bag this amazing device at a hugely discounted price. The Galaxy S20 is one of the most reasonable options if you are looking for 5G- compatible phones. With a 6.5-inch screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, it is a powerful device that facilitates easy photography and gaming. You can get this device at an even lower price if you port your number over to Cricket.  Apple iPhone SE The Apple iPhone SE is another incredible phone that has the same processor as iPhone 11. It comes with the classic home button on the screen and is powered by iOS 14. It is among the best budget-friendly options available in the Cricket phones sale with almost $150 off. The device includes the familiar glass and metal design as featured in the iPhone 8, along with a highly competitive camera. Besides, the A13 Bionic chip and wireless charging further improve the efficacy of the smartphone.  Samsung Galaxy A52 5G This is one of Samsung’s noteworthy mid-range smartphones for the year. It is available with Cricket, so people can benefit from a good phone without shelling out too much money. The smartphone offers a slew of incredible features such as the 120-Hz display, a great camera, all-day battery life, and remarkable design. For light users, it is also great in terms of performance.  Motorola Moto G Power Another great device to bag from the Cricket phones sale is the Motorola Moto G Power. A mid-range smartphone, it comes with an excellent battery life that may last up to 3 days. The 5,000 mAh cell battery works straight for 150 hours of music playback or 27 hours of watching videos. The smartphone features two cameras along with a Snapdragon 662 chipset. The modern design features a headphone jack and supports expandable storage.  These are some of the best options you can purchase from the Cricket phones sale and save on a lot of money.
  • Top ranked restaurant chains in the country
    If you are a food lover, you should definitely try out new places that offer different cuisines. Some restaurants are classic with high-quality services, while some are new to the industry but are equally popular. Here is a list of the top 10 chain restaurants that you should go. Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar Also known as BW3. Once you are here, you can enjoy three things and that is wings, beer, and sports. The chain is famous for its buffalo-style wings. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar This is an all-American eatery famous for its comfort fare that is tasty and well presented. The chain scores well on a speed of service. It is also distinguished for its ‘green’ practices. Texas Roadhouse It is a popular restaurant chain with a cult following. It scores high on all points of food, service, and ambiance. It offers value for every dollar spent here. The steak and ribs joint would leave you yearning for more. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store The brand boasts of an image synonymous with home-style American cooking and country cuisine. But Barrel also offers healthy choices. The popular chain scores high on cleanliness and its great atmosphere are kid-friendly too. Olive Garden This is a surprising favorite of the millennial generation also, which is otherwise wary of dining chains. It offers value for every dollar spent and the all-favorite breadsticks are a must-have. P.F. Chang’s Bistro Headquartered in Arizona, this restaurant chain is famous for lettuce wraps and dim sum. The entire menu revolves around utilizing fresh ingredients and is made to order. Longhorn Steakhouse The first LongHorn opened way back in 1981. The chain has come a long way since then. It is owned by the parent company, which also owns Olive Garden and Yard House. The dining chain is famous for its considerable selection of steak and margarita. TGI Friday’s The chain is popular among the young crowd for its energetic atmosphere and buzzing bars. The upbeat chain counts well on friendly, efficient service, and accommodating kids as well. The Cheesecake Factory A famous and favorite chain of many foodies, The Cheesecake Factory offers extensive and calorie-rich menu. It keeps launching enticing new versions of top-ranking dishes like Celebration Cheesecake. This place has the best service and atmosphere as well. Abuelo’s This restaurant has been designed to resemble an open-air Mexican courtyard. All dishes are turned out fresh as the chain serves Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. On offer are fajitas, burritos, and margaritas.
  • Cleaning urine stains from your mattress
    Most households suffer from issues related to urine stains on the mattress. There are various reasons for these incidences. If you keep pets or your babies are being potty-trained, the likelihood of the mattresses becoming stained with urine is high. Urine stains might appear on bedding materials if your child pees during nighttime. You may potty-train them, but even then it is possible that they urinate at night. Apart from the mattresses looking distasteful, they tend to stink if they are stained with urine. Also, it is not affordable to buy mattresses every time your child or pet pees on the beddings. In such cases, it is helpful to learn about the ways of urine stain removal. The following details will help you learn an easy method of urine stain removal for getting rid of pee stains. You will need:
    • A measuring cup
    • A spray bottle
    • 40–45g of baking soda
    • 8 ounces of hydrogen peroxide solution
    • 1–2 drops of liquid dishwashing soap
    Instructions
    • Your first step in the urine stain removal process is to combine the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and liquid soap in the spray bottle. Mix the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Only after the baking soda dissolves, the liquid soap should be mixed for giving a bubbly texture to the mixture.
    • Never store the mix because the mixture may leak out. Also, the blend is most effective, if used right away.
    • Shake the bottle contents thoroughly and follow by spraying over the urine-stained portions. Leave the solution to dry for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a fan for drying the solution. You will observe that the stain clears from the mattress.
    • If the film of baking soda remains on the bed, then wipe it with a cloth or vacuum the area and see the ring disappear.
    The above urine stain removal procedure is quite simple and within a couple of minutes, your mattress becomes stain-free. Also, thanks to basic ingredients, this process is extremely cost-effective as well.
  • The Best Snow Plow Dealers in California
    Winter is widely loved season as everything is cold and beautiful. Imagine having a hot cup of coffee sitting by the window-side watching the snowfall! It is all good until the next morning when you have to wake up and clean the snow from your front porch and backyard. Yes! As everything will be covered in snow by morning, it will get difficult for you to drive your car through the land covered in snow, so there is no way to avoid it but clean it up. If you are someone who needs a snow plow just to clean the backyard or the front yard, then a basic snow plow will work fine for you. But, if you are someone who makes a living as a snow removal contractor, then you will need to learn some important things before buying a snow plow. It is not always important to buy a brand new snow plow. You can go for a used snow plow as well, which is sold by many snow plow dealers. Given below are some dealers in California. You can get new as well as used snow plows. These dealers sometimes also have used snow plows for sale which will be a benefit for you as that will be inexpensive, especially for the basic snow plows that don't have a lot of features and are easy to use.
    •  Knapheide truck equipment
    This snow plow dealer is located at the 405 Gandy dancer drive, Tracy. If you live near this dealer, then you can get your own snow plow from here.
    • Shawn's muffler & welding
    It is located at the north lake Blvd at Kings Beach. You will find all the snow cleaning equipment you need here.
    • Pete's welding and machine
    This snow plow dealer is located at 521 Searls Avenue, Nevada City. If you live in Nevada City, then Pete's can be the best option to buy your snow plows from.
    • PB Loader Corp
    The PB loader Corp is located at the 5778 W Barstow Ave Fresno, CA. They have all sorts of equipment like truck plows, tailgate spreaders, VBox spreaders, Skid steer, and UTV plows.
    • Village Hardware
    Village Hardware is located at the 54190 Hwy 243 Idyllwild, CA. The Village Hardware has equipment like truck plows, VBox spreaders, and tailgate spreaders.
    • Ramshaw's Ace Hardware
    This snow plow dealer is located at the 328 N Mt. Shasta Blvd, Mt. Shasta, CA. Ramshaw's Ace Hardware has all the equipment you will need like tailgate spreaders, Skid steer, truck plows, VBox spreaders, and UTV plows. These are some of the snow plow dealers that you will find in California. The dealers are well-known, but you can always search for local dealers or online, as you might get a much more affordable deal and they will also help you with any other equipment you may need. If you are unable to find any affordable product, then you should go and check the snow plow clearance sales at stores near you.
  • Foods that are allowed in a low-carb diet
    If you are aiming at weight loss or working on reducing your blood sugar levels with a type 2 diabetes by following a diet that is low in carbohydrates, you might be thinking that you will be deprived of eating most of your favorite foods. While there may be certain foods that are will not be allowed to feast on, there is still light at the end of the tunnel. There will always be alternate foods that can satiate your cravings. While these other foods will keep your food cravings at bay, they will simultaneously work on controlling your intake of carbs. So, check out this list of things that you should avoid in a low card diet plan and foods that you can eat instead.
    • Replace the gluten grains like wheat, barley, rye, etc. with millet. These whole grains are fortified and high in sugar.
    • Enjoy your pizza, cheeseburger or the tacos but without the bread. Bread and related products have a high GI and will raise your blood sugar and increase your appetite making you want to eat quite often.
    • Say no to fizzy soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, candies and ice-creams with healthy vegetable soups or healthy smoothies that are made with fresh ingredients.
    • Instead of rice or rice crackers, you can make cauliflower rice. With almost 80% carbs, rice is mostly used to bulk out a meal.
    • Switch from potatoes or pasta to zucchini noodles. Pasta is loaded with carbohydrates without giving you any important nutrients.
    • Avoid fruits like mangoes, pineapples grapes, etc. These fruits have a very high glycemic index and hence will make your insulin spike leading to weight gain. You can have berries and melons instead that are low carb, nutrient dense and have a high content of water.
    • Ditch candies, cookies, cakes, and pastries. These are high in sugar, wheat, and bad fats. Satiate the cravings of a sweet tooth with an occasional bite of dark chocolate that is 85% cocoa or above.
    • And lastly, you can swap your mug of beer with an occasional red-wine or a gin which has a relatively lower count of carbs per serving.
    The bottom line is still the same – Eat a lot of veggies and greens and drink enough water. Cut down on sugar and flour completely. You will be able to improve your health, weight, and nutrition beyond belief just by sticking to this simple hack.