As merger mania engulfs the publishing industry, markets for book manuscripts continue to shrink. There are simply fewer trade publishers today. Because the majority are now owned by huge conglomerates interested only in bottom line profits, they are less likely to take a chance on a mid‑list author.

To further compound the challenge, most books that are trade published experience a dismal fate. Joni Evans, past executive vice president and publisher of Random House, said in an interview in Lear magazine, "Only 10% of the books published by any house earn out their advances." What a frightening statistic. That says 90% fail! Must this necessarily paint a gloomy picture? Not really. Actually, it may be a blessing in disguise.

Why Choose This Alternative?

Today many authors are opting to take control of their destiny and publish their own work. While 10 years ago self-publishing was a case of last resort, today it is often the first