I remember two years ago when I was living in Taiwan, I received an email from a such company.
'Self publishing' I thought, 'what a complete load of bollocks'.
I figured it to be a semi-clever scam to make money from people who could write nice post cards but that was it.
However I must shamefully admit that lately I've been browsing through a couple of the larger ones (Author house etc) and wandering if it's a terrible or brilliant idea.
I haven't approached an agent or publisher in my life out of pure, can't be avoided, fear.
It would be a good way to avoid the rejection letter...
Has anyone been self published successfully? xALx

It is way too early to be thinking of self-publishing. Wait until you have recieved 100-odd rejections from Agents, and then ask again.


- NaomiM

I'm not being facetious, it's simply that you have to have 100% faith in your work before going down that route - even if it has been rejected by everyone else - and if you can't face selling it to an agent or publisher how are you going to face the buying public.
And it is expensive, so why pick up the tab if you can persuade an Agent or publisher to do it for you.

- NaomiM

I know.
My 'fear' of rejection is infamous within my family & friends.
I'm just being ridiculous really.
But I am still very interested to hear how its gone for some who have followed that route.

Hi DP,
Like you, I am terrified of rejection but at the same time long to be published. I've just read a book called 'The Resilient Writer' which might help - also being a member of WW has really helped me to realise that rejection is part of the process, and, it seems, a necessary part of the initiation into being an author. If it's any help, I'm going to employ the following strategies to get me through the rejection process:
1. I keep an 'encouragement' file in which every encouraging comment about my writing goes, to refer to in times of despondency.
2. I aim to get my submission package in as good a state as possible before submitting - to which end have just shown it to the Hilary Johnson critique service.
3. I will always keep the same number of submissions out. So, if you have, say, five MSs out there, each time you get a rejection, you put another straight out.
As to self-publishing, I think it's a hard route. If I were going to do it, I'd probably go for Lulu - costs you only your ISBN money, though they offer packages for cover design, editing etc. if you want to pay. The problem seems to be that the whole process is on your shoulders - and how much time would that leave you to actually write? I believe too (correct me anybody if I've got this wrong) that Amazon is stopping listing self-published books because they're launching their own imprint, so how do you sell your books? As Naomi says, if you are a confident, out-there kind of person you might be able to go through the rigorous process of selling your own books, but for those of us who find rejection terrifying, it might be better to begin by trying to find an agent.
Good luck with it!
Susiex