by Paul Rance

Created on: April 19, 2010   Last Updated: April 20, 2010

If you like being in control of your poetry from start to finish, then the option to self publish is an attractive one.

You don't need that much money to self publish your own paperback book - less so a booklet, which you could produce yourself on your computer. A small print run of 200 paperbacks, consisting of 100 pages, would work out cheaper than you might think - especially in an age where most people are skilled enough in DTP to prepare their own work for printing.

Before DTP, you would have had to really consider paying out for a professional layout, which upped the overall cost considerably. That hurdle has really been overcome for most writers and poets now. There are many printers, too, who can print your work after its been mailed to them electronically, and there are also a number of print-on-demand companies, who will print as many copies as you need.

Your poetry book will look better with some photographs and artwork, and if you want to include photographs in a book (and in terms of cost, black and white photographs are the better option), then you will need to have them scanned. You can cut down the price of scanning, by putting several photographs on one piece of card. For artwork, again, black and white is the better option. Using black-and-white copies of full color artwork will not work so well.

To self publish you do need a certain amount of drive and confidence. The copies won't sell themselves. Try to get a local bookstore to stock some of your books. You will also need to get some publicity. Don't be shy about contacting your local newspaper, local radio and television station. You can try and sell your work via the internet, but that is the most difficult option.

If you are determined to sell anything you publish yourself, then you do need to hustle. Of course you may just want to self publish your work as a gift to yourself and your family and friends, which a lot of writers and poets are happy to do. That's good, too. If you think you've written a lot of good material, then it's a classy way of getting your writing in one place. If you are really ambitious then you can apply for your own unique International Standard Book Number (see this Wikipedia article here), and also donate your book to various libraries.

Unless you're patient enough to endure the possibility of many rejections by major publishers, it is a good idea to to self publish. And it's certainly a better option than choosing vanity presses. If you're really successful at promoting your own work via the self publishing route, then the major publishers may well take notice of you anyway.

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