What is self publishing? Well literally it's when you stand as the publisher for your own work. To do this you register as the publisher by applying for your own ISBN (International Standard Book Number) with Nielsen. You must have the title and details of the first book you are going to publish at the time of ordering the numbers. As the publisher you are legally required to send a free copy of any book published to the legal deposit library of the country in which your book is published.

But who will print the books? You will need to shop around and find a printer who can print and bind you books. The cheapest is not always the best - you want to have a product which you will be proud to sell. But make sure that the unit price of your book is not too high or you will find it hard to make a profit after bookshops or other outlets have had their cut, and if you overprice your book you will find it hard to sell.

But what about all the companies who offer self publishing services? Well technically they are standing as the publisher and the author is funding the project. Different companies offer different amounts of services depending on how much you can do yourself and how much you are prepared to pay to have the services done for you. In a fast growing industry the need to research and compare prices and services offered cannot be stressed enough. Writers' forums are an invaluable recourse for comparing experiences and advice.

Why self publish? It is increasingly difficult for new unknown authors to get published by mainstream publishers; but if you believe in yourself and your work and have the motivation and determination to push your own work out there to compete with all the other books on the market, then the sense of satisfaction is well worth the effort.