Is self publishing worth the trouble?

Answer 1

Self publishing is worth the trouble IF . . .

. . . you want your writing in a book form to give as gifts to family and friends or to people you think may need or appreciate your message

. . . you are writing, say, local history, that will appeal to people only in the area where you live or something that you could sell to people in your own line of work or with your genealogical history

. . . you want to have complete independence in the way the book will be formatted, and you are willing to do most of the marketing on your own (self publishing companies promise to distribute your work nationally with publicity, but they are rarely effective)

. . . you are a William Blake or Walt Whitman, a genius whose work is not recognized by the publishers of your day

Have at it, and good luck!

Answer 2

No. Unless you have a book of local interest that you can sell locally. If you want people you don't know to read your books you are better off with a conventional publisher who has the distribution network established to sell your book. If you self-publish you'll be hawking your book door to door. In fact you'll find yourself with a big bill and the spare room full of books that no one will ever read.

Sorry, that's the reality 99% of the time. If your work is brilliant, a respected publisher will pick it up. Good luck.

Answer 3

If you want to share your work, and you can't find someone to publish for you, yes it is. A plus to self-publishing is complete creative freedom.

Answer 4

Not really. You will spend more on the publishing and the promotion than you can ever make back.

Answer 5

to Christopher Paolini - yes; to most of the population, no.