In the early days of book publishing, all books were “self-published” in a way. There weren’t many people writing books, and they had only a few sources to go to for publishing help. The author would often take a manuscript directly to the publisher and pay to have it printed, generally in a fairly small number of copies. As publishing houses grew and as more authors joined the crowd, the direct link between author and publisher was lost and agents entered the picture; in addition, the authors often sold their manuscripts to the publishers for a fixed price, rather than getting money from the actual sale of the book copies. More authors wanting to be in print meant that publishers could be selective in who they chose to buy and promote, and many modern authors have found themselves back in the same situation as their 18th-century counterparts, having to pay for the printing of a book release and hoping that the books would sell.

With advances in technology, the relationship between authors and publishers has changed again – in fact, publishers and publishing houses sometimes aren’t involved at all. The “print on demand” option available through outlets like Amazon means that authors don’t have to pay for a hundred copies of their book in print, only to be left with fifty unsold copies. Instead, a book is printed when a customer orders it. The printer/publisher gets a percentage, but the author minimizes their risk.

Some authors don’t even use print for their book releases. According to Bowker Market Research, self-published e-books make up between 12 and 20 percent of new books these days. With more and more people using e-reading devices to read novels, poetry, and even recipes, this is an option that allows an author to put their work on the market for very little money, and still have that book appear in online searches for readers who are looking for works in that category.

Are you a self-published author? How have e-books changed your approach to writing?