Self-publishing has been around as long as books have existed. Before there were big publishing houses there were authors publishing their own works. Although there is now an abundance of publishers, a large number of self-published books are still being produced each year. There are currently publishers that only assist authors with self-publishing and the numbers are growing with the increase in formats of works, such as print books, e-books, audio books, zines (self-published magazines), etc. Self-published works can also be print-on-demand titles, and are sometimes referred to as vanity publications. There is some belief out there that self-published materials are of lower quality than books published by reputable publishers, that self-publishers have “never enjoyed stellar reputations, and were consistently on the sidelines of the publishing world.” (Dilevko & Dali, 2006, p. 209) Is this really the case? Is this stigma really deserved?

Publication Date