Internet Publishing

Piers Anthony (I'm reading his Mode Series at the moment) has on his website a list of online publishers. I've been saying that in this day and age it's getting simpler and simpler to publish books at affordable prices.

Currently in Malaysia, publishers ask for tens of thousands of Ringgit up front if you want to self-publish (I think the usual deal is something like RM10,000 for 1,000+ copies - I don't really know the details not having actually published). If publishers think that your book will sell, they will take the risk and you have to pay nothing up front. But then, they will also retain some control of the copyright. It gets mightily complicated, and you need to negotiate with people but what instead if you want to publish now?

If you use CafePress, you can publish a 100 page book practically immediately for a cost of USD10 per book. This cost is passed on to the customer and you set the final sales price yourself - you keep anything extra above that USD10. That means that at a cost of zero to you, people can already start buying a hardcopy of your book off the web.

If you want something a little more traditional with respect to distribution channels, look at Xlibris. They offer not just publishing services but also editing, marketing and art design services and most importantly, unline CafePress, your books will be immediately available on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and Borders.com and they will sell to bookshops. You can publish at a cost of USD500-1000, but you retain the copyright. You then get a royalty of 10-25% per book sold. A 108 page book will sell for USD20.99, before various discounts.