Self-publishing: is it a good idea or a rip off?

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It depends on the nature of your book, your publishing skills and how you go about it.

With vanity presses there is the risk that you will never recoup your vanity fee. Their marketing is usually minimal and their editing may be very basic as well. Realize, getting your book listed with amazon or other online stores is a means of distribution, but does not constitute marketing.

There are companies who will simply print on demand what you send them, which means you will not be risking a large vanity fee. However, you must have the skills to do your own layout and editing. You also must market the book yourself. If it's a niche book, this may be relatively easy and cheap. If it's a more general book such as a novel, marketing it well can be difficult and costly.

I did a niche book more because I saw a need for it than because I thought I'd make money. So far, I've made about $700, not a lot, but it's something and hopefully there will be more to come. All sales were through retail outlets.