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Independent publishing
Yes. Self-publishing means you are the publisher. Amazon KDP and IngramSpark take care of distribution, the same wholesale network traditional houses use, and editing, design and production can be bought as services. What you give up is an advance and an imprint on the spine. What you keep is every right, every creative decision and up to 70% of each sale.
Tell us what you are publishing and what you want from it. A specialist replies within one business day with a written plan and a flat-fee quote.
The short answer
You can publish a book without a traditional publisher by self-publishing. Amazon KDP distributes to every Amazon marketplace, and IngramSpark distributes to retailers, libraries and wholesalers worldwide through the same Ingram network traditional publishers use. A self-publishing services company provides the editing, cover design, formatting and platform setup a publisher would. The author pays a flat production fee instead of giving up royalties, keeps all rights and earns up to 70% on ebooks, versus 7.5 to 15% on print and 25% on ebooks under a traditional contract. What the author gives up is an advance, a publisher sales team and a publisher imprint.
Prices checked October 27, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
Most authors who wait for a publisher are waiting for services they could hire next week.
A traditional publisher pays an advance, then keeps the majority of royalties and the rights for the contract term. It does not guarantee sales: most traditionally published books never earn back their advance, and first-time authors often get little marketing. Reedsy estimates 18 to 24 months between signing a deal and publication.
Every function a publisher performs can be bought separately, and everything a publisher keeps can stay with you. The question is not whether you can publish without one. It is which parts of the job you want done for you.
The trade-off
Function by function, with who keeps what.
| Function | Traditional publisher | Self-publishing with a services team |
|---|---|---|
| Money up front | An advance against royalties | No advance; you pay a flat production fee |
| Editing and design | In-house, publisher’s choices | Hired by you, your choices |
| Distribution | Publisher sales team and wholesale | KDP plus IngramSpark’s wholesale network |
| Royalties | 7.5 to 15% print, 25% ebook | Up to 70% ebook; 50% to 60% of list minus print cost on Amazon.com paperbacks |
| Rights | Kept for the contract term | Yours permanently |
| Time to publication | 18 to 24 months after signing (Reedsy) | Weeks |
Where a publisher still wins: an advance paid before sales, a sales team pitching bookstore buyers, and a traditional imprint on the copyright page. If those matter more than royalties, rights and speed, traditional publishing may be worth the trade.
The publisher’s job
A traditional publisher pays an advance against future royalties, provides editorial input, cover design and interior production, distributes to bookstores through its sales team, and markets the book. In exchange it takes most of the royalties (authors receive 7.5 to 15% on print and 25% on ebooks) and holds the publishing rights for the contract term.
The publisher does not guarantee sales. Most traditionally published books do not earn back their advances, marketing support varies enormously, and first-time authors often receive very little of it.
Replacing it
KDP covers every Amazon marketplace. IngramSpark reaches retailers, libraries and wholesalers worldwide through the Ingram network traditional houses use.
A services company provides editing, cover design, interior formatting and platform setup for a flat fee.
Nothing is licensed away. You can change price, cover or edition whenever you choose.
Paid by the retailers into your own accounts, with no publisher share.
Want the production side handled while you keep the publisher’s share?
Get My Publishing QuoteNot vanity
No. Vanity publishing charges inflated fees for books with no real distribution, no market positioning and no path to sales. Self-publishing through KDP and IngramSpark with professional production is a legitimate commercial model used by millions of authors earning real royalty income. Columbia Publication is a self-publishing services company: flat fees, the accounts in your name, and no share of your royalties.
Doing it
You can learn each skill yourself, hire each professional separately, or have one team handle all of it.
Your publishing team
Production, files and distribution handled by one team, priced once, with no claim on your sales.
Distribution and design
$1,499
The production desk of a publisher: cover, print and ebook interiors, ISBNs and placement with Amazon, IngramSpark and the major ebook stores.
A publisher’s production and distribution for a one-time fee instead of most of every sale.
Typically 4 to 5 weeks
Get My Publishing QuoteMost chosen
$2,499
Adds the publisher’s proofreader and a managing editor: every page proofread, three formats, one point of contact.
The managed, three-format release a house gives its lead titles, while the rights stay in your name.
Typically 7 to 9 weeks
Get My Publishing QuoteEditorial and launch
$4,999
Adds the publisher’s copy desk and launch team: a full copyedit, keyword and category research, an author website and a press release.
The editorial and publicity work first-time authors often wait for and never get from a publisher.
Edit plus launch
Get My Publishing QuoteWhat you are protected by without a publisher’s contract
Paid in full upfront once you approve the quote. No advance to earn out, no royalty share, no contract term.
What you can count on
How it runs
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemized quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Your quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
Yes. KDP and IngramSpark replace a publisher’s distribution, and a self-publishing services company replaces its production. You keep all rights and earn up to 70% instead of 7.5 to 15%.
An advance against royalties, a publisher sales team pitching bookstore buyers, publisher-funded marketing (which varies widely) and a traditional imprint. You gain permanent rights, higher royalties, publication in weeks rather than the 18 to 24 months Reedsy estimates after signing, and full creative control.
Yes. IngramSpark distributes to independent bookstores, chains and library systems through the Ingram wholesale network. Shelf placement is each retailer’s buying decision, but the channel is the same one traditional publishers use.
You need a finished manuscript, a cover and interior built to platform specifications, an ISBN per format, and KDP and IngramSpark accounts. A services team can handle all of it for you.
No. Vanity presses charge inflated fees for books with no real distribution. Professional self-publishing through KDP and IngramSpark is a commercial model used by millions of authors.
With an ISBN from our Bowker block, Columbia Publication is publisher of record; the book is still yours, non-exclusive, and royalties go to you. Bring your own ISBNs and your imprint is listed instead.
Tell us what the book needs. A specialist replies within one business day with the functions we would cover and a fixed price.
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