Self-publishing

Self-publishing is "an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher." Authors publish their own work, hire what help they need, and "are responsible for all associated costs." The trade against traditional publishing is no advance and no gatekeeper on one side, every production task on the other, offset by royalties "sometimes as high as 70%" and a release timeline of weeks. Print-on-demand, a book "printed after an order has been placed, so there are no costs for storing inventory," and Kindle Direct Publishing in 2007 opened the retail path. The article separates vanity publishing, whose restrictive contract involves "surrendering significant rights," from self-publishing proper.

For serial writers self-publishing is the retail half of the standard route: serialize free, then publish the collected volumes. The mechanics, platforms, formats and pricing are how to self-publish a book; the decision against querying is publishing paths.