Top 6 Best Self-Publishing Companies | 2017 Ranking | Top Self-Publishing Companies

2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING SELF-PUBLISHING COMPANIES

Finding The Top Self-Publishing Companies

Self-publishing is becoming increasingly popular, particularly as the rise of the internet has made it easy for writers and independent publishers to connect.

Self-publishing offers authors a great deal of freedom to publish their work as they want, but it also opens them up to the risk of exploitation.

Before you embark on the journey that is self-publication, it is important to make sure that you choose the best self-publishing companies possible.

Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Self-Publishing Companies

Often, when writers search for the top self-publishing companies available, they run into questions like:

• How much will it cost to self-publish a book?
• How will I earn money from my publication?
• What kinds of services to the best self-publishing companies offer?
• Is it better to print my book or publish an ebook?

To help every writer find the best answers to all of these questions and more, the following rankings and reviews will layvout some of the best self-publishing companies on the market today. It will offer information about the prices, services, and distribution options offered by each company to help you choose the best one for your publishing needs.

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AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Self-Publishing Companies

List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the publilshing company titles below to go directly to the detailed review section for that company):

• Blurb®
• CreateSpace
• Infinity Publishing
• Kindle Direct Publishing
• Lulu
• Xlibris

Top 6 Best Self-Publishing Companies | Brief Comparison & Ranking

What Is Self-Publishing?

Self-publishing is when an author publishes a work independently of a traditional publishing company and at their own expense. Usually, a writer must seek out self-publishing companies and pay either a flat fee per book produced or a percentage of the profits to the company in exchange for publication.

Benefits of Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is attractive to many writers because it allows them to maintain control over the publication process. Instead of submitting a manuscript for approval to the publishers, they are able to choose how and when they want their work published.

Image from Pixabay

Self-publishing also allows a writer to retain full ownership of a piece of work, unlike most traditional publishing agreements. Some of the best self-publishing companies offer services to help authors develop their work, and some do not. This allows authors to retain their freedom and seek out as much or as little intervention as they want.

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AdvisoryHQ’s Selection Methodology

What methodology does AdvisoryHQ use in selecting and finalizing the credit cards, financial products, firms, services, and products that are ranked on its various top rated lists?

Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top rated credit cards, financial accounts, firms, products, and services.

Detailed Review – Top Ranking Best Self-Publishing Companies

Below, please find the detailed review of each self-publishing company on our list of best self-publishing companies. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these top self-publishing companies to score so highly in our selection ranking.

Blurb® Review

Blurb® is an excellent self-publishing company, particularly for customers who want diverse self-publishing services. They offer customers a wide range of options to help with each step of self-publishing books, no matter the style. They specialize in:

• Photo books
• Trade books
• Magazines
• Ebooks

Services

As one of the best self-publishing companies, they offer their customers free formatting tools to help them realize their creative vision and create the perfect product. They can access the best self-publishing templates and download layout programs to help them create professional grade publications.

Image from Pixabay

For authors who are self-publishing a book but require extra technical assistance, Blurb® can help them access industry professionals. Customers can hire and work with publishing experts to help them with specialized tasks like editing, layout design, and even illustration.

When self-publishing a book with this company, authors can choose how to sell and distribute their publications. They can distribute directly through Blurb® at no additional cost, or set up distribution through over 39,000 online bookstores including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Customers can also choose to sell through Ingram or Apple iBooks.

Pricing

When self-publishing a book, even with the best self publishing companies, price is a big factor to consider. Blurb® does not offer customers publishing packages, but instead sets prices based on the chosen materials, printing requirements, and dimensions of each project.

Premium layouts, paper types, and additional pages do add to the cost. However, there are discounts available for bulk orders depending on the type of publication and size of the order.

For each kind of publication, they offer different formatting and pricing options. Pricing for photo books starts at $15.79 each, for trade books at $2.49 each, for magazines at $4.59 each, and fixed layout ebooks carry a $9.99 conversion fee.

Like many of the best self-publishing companies, BlurbÒ authors can set their own prices and use tools to see the breakdown of product costs, publications fees, and the remaining profit. This allows each customer to make important decisions about self-publishing a book and choose the best design and materials to achieve their artistic and profit goals.

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CreateSpace Review

CreateSpace is one of Amazon.com’s self-publishing companies. This particular branch is designed to help authors who want to self-publish a book in a traditional physical form, though it does offer ebook publishing options as well.

Services

As an Amazon affiliated self-publishing company, distribution options are limited to Amazon-based channels. If you self-publish your book through this company, it will be available for purchase through Amazon around the world.

Though customers must distribute through Amazon, when self-publishing a book through this company, customers can choose expanded distribution options. Bookstores, libraries, and academic institutions will be allowed to purchase your book through Amazon for distribution if you self-publish a book with this option.

This is one of the top self-publishing companies because it allows authors to design and format their book independently with free tools offered by the publisher. This can give you the freedom to self-publish your book with no set-up or development fees.

However, if authors do want to seek professional assistance, there is a wide range of paid self-publishing services available to help with issues like formatting, marketing, and cover art. The Amazon team also offers convenient 24-hour support for authors with questions or issues.

Pricing

As one of the best self-publishing companies, CreateSpace offers a royalty calculator to help authors see an estimate of their expected profit from each sold copy.

Royalty prices, when self-publishing a book, can vary depending on:

• Book size
• Printing specifications
• Page number
• Distribution channel

Authors can adjust the print options and price of their book to see how these factors can affect their earning potential.

Infinity Publishing Review

Infinity Publishing offers something that many other self-publishing companies do not. With this self-publishing company, authors can choose to self-publish a book, ebook, or audiobook.

Services

This is a top self-publishing company that offers their customers tiered publishing packages. Each package offers different self-publishing services so that every author can easily develop and publish their manuscript regardless of their level of skill or experience.

Basic packages for self-publishing books include services like custom formatting, access to an author advocate, and distribution through Amazon.com and BBOTW.com, Infinity’s own distribution service.

The most advanced packages include all of the basic services for self-publishing books, as well as premium options like social media account set-up and access to a marketing kit.

Pricing

These packages can help authors access the best self-publishing choices and range in price from $599 for the most basic to $2599 for the most advanced.

As one of the best self-publishing companies, Infinity offers their customers options. If none of the packages suit an author’s needs, they can choose from individual services.

These extra services include ebook conversion, which costs $249, and one hour’s worth of audiobook production, which costs $779. Authors can also choose from a variety of additional options when they self-publish a book, like editing, marketing, and translation, for an additional price.

When self-publishing books through Infinity, authors can set their own prices but will be provided with a suggested minimum price. Prices are determined primarily based on page length. Authors will receive a percentage of all sales every month that they book is in circulation.

Through this self-publishing company, royalty percentages are different depending on how they are sold. Prices can vary as such:

• Print and audio books sold through BBOTW.com: 30%
• Wholesale orders: 15%
• Distributor sales: 15%
• Author purchases: 10%
• Ebooks: 70%

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Kindle Direct Publishing Review

Kindle Direct Publishing is another of the self-publishing companies owned by Amazon. Unlike some other self-publishing companies, they offer customers relatively limited options. These self-publishing services are designed to help with the specific needs that go along with ebook self-publication.

Image from Pixabay

Services

Authors can choose to participate in either self-publishing a book with a paperback cover or an ebook. Though many top self-publishing companies offer varied services and options, this company allows authors to self-publish a book in less than 5 minutes. Once submitted, their ebook will be available on kindle stores in 24-48 hours.

This is one of the best self-publishing companies because it offers their customers simplicity and ease. Authors can access the best self-publishing options by following just a few easy steps:

• Authors must fill out a simple questionnaire about their book
• Authors must upload and preview their content
• Authors must approve their content for publication
• Authors must confirm that they hold the rights to the content

Pricing

Another factor that makes this one of the best self-publishing companies is its competitive pricing. Authors can earn up to 70% of their book’s sale price in royalties from sales both in the U.S. and around the world. Authors also have the ability to make changes to their book at any time.

Unlike other top self-publishing companies, authors are given few options and virtually no services to assist them with publication. However, this allows authors who are comfortable with formatting and editing to access some of the best self-publishing channels with no fees.

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Lulu Review

Lulu is one of the best self-publishing companies that allows authors to produce either a traditional print book or an ebook. Like many other self-publishing companies, customers can choose how they would like their products to be distributed.

When dealing with print books, you can self-publish your book to be distributed directly through Lulu or through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Ingram. If you choose to self-publish your book as an ebook, you can have it distributed through Kobo, Amazon, Nook, and iBook.

Image from Pixabay

Services

Lulu is one of the best self-publishing companies because they respect their customers’ need for choice. Authors have the option to independently edit, format, market, and illustrate their publication. However, they may also choose to hire and work with an industry professional through Lulu.

Unlike some other self-publishing companies, customers can access free advice and tips about self-publishing and effective production to help each author achieve their best possible results.

One drawback is that, while many top-self publishing companies offer free proofs, Lulu customers working with print publications are required to purchase and approve a physical proof before they can finalize the publication. This can add to the cost and time devoted to the publication process.

Pricing

As one of the top self-publishing companies, Lulu offers authors competitive pricing. Authors who choose to produce print books may choose from various options for paper type, book dimensions, and bindings. Each of these can affect how much it costs to produce the book, so pricing can vary. For print books, prices start at $3.25 per published book.

This company does not have a royalty calculator, but it does offer examples of how profits are affected by different lengths, dimensions, bindings (or digital publication), and distributors. This can help authors choose between print and ebook publishing as well as the best print and distribution options to suit their needs.

Xlibris Review

Xlibris is a contender among the best self-publishing companies because of the wide variety of services that it offers. Authors can choose to print their books, produce ebooks, or publish audiobooks through Xlibris.

Authors can choose from a number of different packages that each offer different levels of self-publishing assistance. Unlike other self-publishing companies, some services and packages are even specifically designed to help books of different genres reach their full potential.

Services

As one of the best self-publishing companies, Xlibris values variety. They offer packages designed specifically for black and white publications, color publications, and genre-specific needs.

Like many self-publishing companies, they also offer extra services like editorial and marketing options. However, unlike some of the best self-publishing companies, these services come with very specific options.

For example, when choosing a marketing campaign, customers can choose to purchase publicity marketing, internet-based marketing, online video marketing, and print advertising, just to name a few.

Pricing

As with many self-publishing companies, pricing depend on what kind of services an author would like access to. For both black and white and full color publications, authors can choose from packages ranging from $499 to $15,299.

Xlibris distributes publications through online book retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Under some circumstances authors are able to set their own book prices; otherwise, the company will make a recommendation.

Anyone working with Xlibris will have to sign an author agreement. This agreement will define your royalty percentage. Generally, authors receive 25% of sales for printed or audiobooks sold through the Xlibris website or 10% for those sold through outside channels. Ebook royalties are usually 50% of all sales.

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Conclusion—Top 6 Best Self-Publishing Companies

In order to find the best self-publishing companies, it is important to focus on your own needs and expectations. The best company will offer the right amount of assistance without making you pay for unnecessary services and offer you publication options that fit your budget and vision.

To find the best fit for you, keep in mind the highlights from our comparison:

• Blurb offers options for photo books.
• CreateSpace offers a royalty calculator.
• Infinity Publishing allows authors to choose packages or individual services.  
• Kindle Direct Publishing allows authors to publish with no fees.
• Lulu requires authors to purchase and review proofs for printed books.
• Xlibris offers genre-specific packages.

Each of these companies has something to offer that may make them the best company to suit your needs. Each has strengths and weaknesses that should be carefully considered. To find the best company for you and your book, you should consider the kinds of services that would best serve you and choose a company with the best balance of relevant extras and cost.