It’s very easy nowadays for a self publishing book to be produced. There are hundreds of suppliers out there who offer a range of options for the aspiring author.

So why are self publishing book options so popular? Well, it’s partly to do with the perilous state of the conventional publishing world. Too many books are published annually – over 200k per annum in the UK alone. High street booksellers are struggling – see the recent demise of Border UK and the reported downturn in the profits of Waterstone’s as simple proof of this. The result is that publishers look for safe options. This means authors with a proven track record or – more worrying from a cultural perspective – the rise of the celebrity author.

So, unless you are very lucky, a conventional publishing deal will be very hard to come by which is why the DIY option can be very attractive.