There are countless ways to publish your work if you want to use news sources or more traditional publishing houses. Yet many authors find another route to be their best option—a form of publication known as self-publishing. Many writers feel that having complete control over the creative process allows them to get their message across to their readers in just the way they want. Self-publishing may get your words to your readers more quickly and also allow you to add multimedia elements such as video and audio files. Social media makes it easy to choose exactly the right kind of publication for your ideas.

Study the slides below to learn about ways you can self-publish your work.

Blogs

A blog is an online journal or informational website that displays posts in chronological order, with the newest posts appearing first. A blog can be written by one person, or it can be written by many authors contributing posts—all sharing their ideas on an individual topic. Some blogs focus on a single topic (such as soccer or climate change or recipes), but many others are more like diary entries. Blogs often contain articles or stories, as well as digital images and links to other webpages related to the topic of the blog.

Question

If you wanted to start a blog, what topic might you choose?

Answer

Blogs can be focused on any topic or theme you want. If you want to use a blog to showcase only your writing, keep it personal. However, you can also set up a class or school blog and invite other writers to submit entries on whatever topic or theme you want!

Personal Websites

A personal website is a website that is just about you and your interests. Many writers use personal websites to post their speaking schedules, promote upcoming work, do Q&A with readers, and post writing challenges and successes. Many personal websites are simply first and last names with .com at the end, such as jkrowling.com, the website of the author of Harry Potter. Others have names that reflect the writer's interests. A personal website can be a great way to post your writing and make your page as personal as you wish. If you are creative in other ways, you can add videos and digital images of other art you create.

Question

How might a personal website give you more freedom than posting work on a class or school website?

Answer

A personal website is under the complete control of the person who creates and manages it. So you can post anything you want without any type of supervision. With great freedom comes great responsibility, though. Remember that anything you publish can follow you throughout your life. Think carefully about your words and consider each click just like writing with a pen that can never be erased.

Zines

A zine is a self-published magazine meant for small circulation. Zines are typically printed rather than posted online. Zines can be written by one author, or they can be organized by one editor with submissions by many people. If you have a particular interest and know others who share that interest, such as ghost stories, consider gathering a group together and writing a themed zine. If you are a true enthusiast of something, such as zombies or powderpuff football, you might want to compile a fanzine, which writes and promotes ideas only about that topic. Newsletters and newspapers are published in this same way but have content more focused on current events and local topics.

Question

How is a zine different from a magazine?

Answer

Magazines are published by companies on specific topics and have a variety of writers and photographers. Zines are usually the creation of one person, or a small group of people, and are published by hand. Zines have a smaller circulation meant for a particular audience while magazines are meant to appeal to large groups having similar interests.

Vlogs

A vlog is similar to a blog, except in video form. A vlog can be added to personal websites and blogs but can also exist on its own. For a vlog, a person regularly posts short videos. While it might seem that simply talking is easier than writing, successful vlogs have writers that use the writing process before posting content online. Writing a video script is the first step, but videos should also go through their own editing process to make sure the finished product is a true representation of proposed ideas.

Question

How might producing a vlog be more difficult than writing for a blog?

Answer

Vlogs will still include the full writing process but will also include another process—video editing, which can take a while. Plus, successful "vloggers" usually invest in camera equipment, ensure proper backgrounds, create a schedule that likely involves other people, and practice what they are going to say and read.

Podcasts

A podcast is similar to a vlog, except in audio form. Podcasts are digital audio files that are made available as downloads. Podcasts are typically available as a series on a certain topic, such as baseball or science or poetry. Podcasts can be short installments of ideas and opinions, lasting minutes, or long discussions with several people, lasting an hour or more. Podcasts can be scheduled as daily musings or can be published weekly or monthly. Since podcasts are usually pre-recorded, they can be edited. While podcasts can be found on social media down++-streaming sites, they can also be hosted on personal websites.

Question

How is a podcast different from a vlog?

Answer

Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded. Vlogs are formatted as videos. Both can be published on personal websites. Podcasts also may contain video excerpts, called vodcasts or vidcasts, which are brief videos highlighting ideas or concepts.

Live Performance

Another option is a live performance of your work. Once you start searching, you might be surprised at the opportunities available for artists to perform or read their work. Local coffeehouses are a great way to start: for example, many feature poets reading their own work at events called poetry slams. If you enjoy writing your own scripts, consider hosting a theater performance of your work. After all, this is exactly how William Shakespeare first started—way before he became a famous writer, he was a playwright who directed his own plays. If you enjoy mixing mediums, like text with visual art you create, consider hosting your own art show.

Question

After reviewing all the self-publishing opportunities, which sounds most interesting to you as a way to promote your own work?

Answer

There are no wrong answers here. However, keep in mind that each form of self-publishing has its own positives and negatives. Spend some time doing research, visit some author sites, and prepare. No matter which option you go with, the most important aspect is your writing.