Self Publishing Companies

Considering, researching and using self publishing companies, and more directly, Christian self publishing establishments may be the answer for every every discouraged author. This may especially be true if the return mail from publishing houses is awash in rejection verbiage. Every writer ever dreaming of holding in hand a beautiful, bound, professional book of the author's own words knows the pain of rejection. The questions are often more numerous than answers. "Why wasn't this manuscript accepted? Accolades have been numerous for public oral offerings of these thoughts. Why can't any of those publishers see the genius in these words?" Since as many as 98% of all unsolicited books are rejected by publishing houses, the questions abound in many authors' heads.

Today, the internet, blogs and other sources make publishing accessible to almost anyone for any project, as long as the author has the money to pay for the expense. In some ways, taking charge of the whole project from beginning to end can be more satisfying than allowing another ambivalent party to makes arbitrary changes to text and design of one's personal dream. And since online services include Christian self publishers, there may be more incentive than ever to see one's thoughts put into a public forum either viewed online or as an actual bound piece. Especially true for the Christian writer is the opportunity to share biblical or life experiences that may not be interesting to a large publisher, but may be the catalyst in changing a person's life forever when read. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)

Self publishing companies usually specialize in one specialized type of business over another. For example, there are subsidy publishers which decide whether or not to print the work and subsequently authors pay to have the work created. However, the subsidy publisher owns the book, usually warehouses the piece, distributes and promotes the book and pays the author a royalty on all product sold. There are also vanity publishers who care nothing about whether or not the composition is any good at all, and who will print it under any circumstance as long as the writer pays its price. This kind of option appeals to the person that just wants to see a creation happen in order that the claim can be made that the writer is a published author. Finally, there are also publishers on demand who merely transfer a computer document into a bound book, regardless of editing problems, with the writer getting little choice about cover design or other details.

Christian self publishing houses offer many of the same types of printing services in the fore mentioned paragraph. Of course, if the self advertised "Christian" banner is near the name or in the mission statement, one can only hope that the vanity aspect of the printing business would be flavored with some honest counsel and evaluation with a writer who may need some mentoring before paying the required fees for publication. There are Christian companies that take scriptural responsibilities to heart and give counsel and guidance along the way. One has even adopted a policy where employees of the publisher do not talk to others about poorer quality pieces that are being printed under its brand name. It is possible, though not entirely likely, that this kind of biblical commitment to the customer and to guiding principles might come exclusively with a Christian self publishing company.

Self publishing companies once had the reputation that only vanity writers used their services. One could almost perceive a sniffing of the nose when a self published author walked through the door of a book store, seeking to place the product on shelves only reserved for royalty writers. Times have changed, however, because these services today offer real marketing campaigns, warehousing, beautiful cover designs and low costs for writers who just need a publicity boost for an entry level writing career. These companies are usually subsidy companies that will own some or all of the rights to the product and only share a percentage of the profits with the author. Yet the writer must pay the subsidy publisher upfront costs to print the book.

There are only two major Christian publishing houses in America today. These companies almost never use unsolicited manuscripts. Instead, they are looking for star athletes, politicians, media stars or others with instant name recognition. This ensures a large audience ready to hear what these voices have to say from a Christian perspective. But there is a huge caveat with all of this. Behind the scenes of these major publishers is a huge temptation to use material that is marketable, but not necessarily theologically sound. Pressure from secular ownership has brought about a perceived slide within the industry away from ministry and towards a broader and larger audience appeal.

Self publishing companies offer complete freedom of expression, professional assistance with ideas, editing and cover design if needed and wanted, and total control of the product as one of many options. These businesses give hope to the discouraged writer and with the wise use of Internet marketing campaigns, the possibility that one's very personal message might be heard by a fairly wide audience. Christian self publishing is the fastest growing trend in the business today. It appears that many writers are turning more and more to directing their own career paths rather than waiting on a bolt of lightning to strike them with some sort of miracle success.

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