What is a Self-Publisher?

I recently came across this description for a self-publisher:

A self-publisher is all of the following: writer, editor, designer/artist, typesetter/compositor, printer, financier/accountant, marketer, shipper/warehouser, legal adviser, financial underwriter, and business manager.

That seems to be a little overwhelming, but I think it's misleading as well. That's like saying the guy who owns the restaurant down the street is a chef, waiter, dish washer, toilet cleaner, menu designer and printer, accountant, bus boy, napkin folder, and grocery buyer.

Yes, those are all things to be done in order to provide his customers with food, but the restauranteur would be foolish to attempt to do it all himself. He is not all those things. Instead, he finds people to handle the jobs that he is not an expert in or doesn't have the time to complete.

Self-publishing is no different. Authors are authors. They write books and shouldn't be expected to do every other job related to producing books. Authors could compare themselves to that restaurant owner and find experts necessary to complete the tasks in order to serve up their books.

By hiring a self-publishing expert to partner with, authors also don't have to learn an entirely new business. If they concentrate on hiring well and using common sense, they'll only wear only one hat, the hat of the successful, self-published author.

How to stay off your book printer's **** list

We manage the printing for many self-publishing authors and help others who prefer to do it themselves. Recently one of our large-volume printers shared their Top Preflight problems. These are problems with the creative files that can delay a job, increase costs and potentially allow for an inferior product. We’d like to share these with you so if you're preparing files for your next book, you’ll know to double check these items before you send the final file to print.
Keep in mind, these are the problems, not the solutions.

• Images are RGB
• Images are missing
• Incorrect page count
• Non-printing items
• LoRes images
• Fonts are missing
• Incorrect trim size
• Gutter size inaccurate
• Not enough bleed
• Too narrow gutter

If you take care to address these 10 items, you'll have a better product and possibly even get a clean-file discount like one of our printers provides. Ask about it. Good luck!