More and more people are choosing to self- publish their books. Some people have the time and patience to do it themselves and others employ self- publishing companies to do this for them.

     Self- publishing companies differ in the way they make money. Some will profit from fees, some from mark-ups on printing, and some from add-on services. When shopping for a self-publishing company it is important to listen carefully to the sales pitch and decipher items that seem to be pressure points for sale.

     All companies offer most of the same services. Be sure to ask specific questions about the services. For instance, a custom cover may be a cover done on a canned template. What does that mean? It means that consumers should ask questions about the cover prior to purchasing. Will I be able to supply my own artwork? How many graphics will I be able to use. What are the colors I will be able to use? What seems like a bargain may be a custom cover that doesn’t look like anything you envisioned.

     Another area that needs to be carefully scrutinized is book pricing. If you check out the self- publisher’s website and find that books are sold at one price and then go to Amazon and the same book is listed for retail at higher price, this is a publisher who takes their profit from marking up your book. The problem with this business model is that your books will not be priced competitively. They may be a competitive price on the self-publisher’s website. The problem with that is that people don’t go to the publisher’s website to buy books. They shop with the distributers they trust.

     Lastly, the add- on self-publishers, are the companies which will get you in the door with a cheap package and then start piling on the extras. This is deceptive if you thought you were paying $499 to have your book published and suddenly you are at several thousand dollars to publish.

     This practice is deceptive. These are the same companies who will pump you up with promises and then hit you with add-on fees. Use common sense when purchasing add-ons. Some may be beneficial but most will be useless. These companies play on your ego. I recently had a friend with small book that was less than a hundred pages. The company she used wanted her to pay twenty thousand dollars to have it developed into a screenplay.

     Do your research judiciously and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more questions you ask, the better your decisions will be.

Juliet Dillon Clark is the author of four novels and CEO of Winsome Entertainment Group, a self-publishing company. If you are interested in publishing your novel, call us at (661)251-6900 or e- mail juliet@julietclark.com.