What are the book publishing options open before you?
Which publishing option will suit you?
Which book publishing company has the best offerings?
What is the cheapest way to publish a book?
How to publish a book yourself?
The above questions will puzzle a first-time author, as much as a maze does.

We will prise open the world of publishing for you bit by bit. We will take you through one maze in this post and reveal the book publishing options available to you.

Five options are open to you for publishing a print, eBook and/or audiobook:

You pursue only one choice of finding a reputed traditional publisher who will agree to publish your book.
Give yourself a reasonable time frame to find a suitable traditional publisher, say one year. If the right publisher has not extended a publishing offer in that time, then take a call to follow points no 3, 4 or 5.
Self-publish your book/ to publish a book yourself
Find a good self-publishing company to help you publish your book
Junk the idea of publishing a book, altogether.
If point no 1 is your choice, you need lots of patience, perseverance, and a thick skin for rejections. A good literary agent could be helpful and one must have written a book that will appeal to a publisher. If you are lucky, you will be able to find a suitable publisher in less than one year. If not, you can keep trying till you find one or give up.

If point no 2 is your choice, you have spent a reasonable amount of time and effort finding a publisher for your novel. If no publishing deal has been signed with a suitable publisher after one year etc, consider taking the next best option as mentioned in points 3,4,5. In most cases, this is the most satisfying option.

If point 3 is your choice: Time will be the most significant element required of you. You will need time to learn the various processes that go into book production and the professional way to carry out those processes. The risk is that you may still not match the experience and skill of a professional publisher and despite the immense effort, the book may turn out shoddy and unprofessional.

If point 4 is your choice: Be prepared to spend money. If you choose the right self-publishing company, you will be all set to get your book published in time and professionally too. Remember professional editing is desired for all published books. As in all types of publishing discussed, be ready to market your book.

If point no. 5 is your choice: our advice would be ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’

Once you have familiarised yourself with the different publishing options, it is best to learn about the pros and cons of different types of publishing.