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the paper. The lithographic plates of the offset press process have effectively been replaced by electronic circuits which can be reprogrammed to print different images at the speed of light.

Laser printing technology has made it possible to print one or a hundred copies of a book, or even print one copy each of a hundred different books in roughly the same amount of time, giving birth to a whole new industry of on demand printing. The traditional publishing process usually involves tens of thousands of copies of a book in a single print run, requiring substantial up front cost and the potential of a whole lot of returned inventory if the book doesn't sell well. On demand printing has made it very feasible for an author to get his or her work published with very little up front cost. Add to this online distribution through Amazon.com, e-books and other similar online web sites, and the potential of self-publishing can be quite attractive.

The self-publishing phenomenon has not gone without notice. In the past three to four years, a number of self-publishing businesses, providing just about any service you could need, have sprung up on the Internet. One example is a company called Booksurge, a subsidiary of Amazon.com that will take your manuscript, provide editing and graphic support, handle copyright and ISDN registration, help you to promote sales of your book on Amazon.com, and provide you with as many copies of your book in hard copy as you may wish or can afford. These services, of course, are provided at a price, but they have several different plans you can choose from. In addition, they offer an on-line newsletter and regularly scheduled on-line seminars geared to helping authors get published. Every week, there seems to be a new business entry in the self-publishing market place, offering the kinds of services authors need to get their work published.

Will self-publishing one day replace the traditional method altogether? Perhaps, but it is not likely to happen over night. What is important is that authors now have new options to consider once their manuscript is completed and their ready to get published. If they can't find a traditional publisher willing to put their book out there, they have the means and opportunity through self-publishing to do it themselves.

RESOURCES AND FURTHER INFORMATION:

Booksurge, Online:http://www.booksurge.co m/content/Google_General.htm?c id=booksurge&gclid=CN-Qyqbi15gCFSMSagod8zYu cw

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing (4th Edition), Tom $ Marilyn Ross, Writer's Digest Books, 2002

Learn more about this author, John Traveler.
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