Only good writing is published. The rest is self-published.

How fair is this assessment?

Is every book you've plucked off the shelf tightly written, well structured with gripping beginnings and endings? How many times have you slammed a book shut in disgust after slogging through the first ten pages of absolute rubbish? And do some books get the nod just because of an author's name?

The belief that self-published books are below standard is a myth. Many top authors and writers have resorted to this option, either at the beginning or during their careers. Take Matthew Riley, for instance, whose first book was self-published.

Today, publishers are more wary of taking on new books because of the possibility of declining sales. But writers passionate about their craft don't want to put down their pens. Self-publishing, therefore, just might become more popular.

Let's look at the benefits of self-publishing.

1. Full Control
The choice is yours. It's your book and you have control over what goes in it. Everything from text content to cover art, illustrations, paper type and font size rests with you, the author. No-one is going to chop your favourite scenes or insist on a cover that makes you cringe.

But don't become complacent, think you know it all. Even the best writers seek out another pair of eyes to go over their work. You want to produce a high quality piece of writing. Advice from a professional editor/manuscript assessor should be sought.

2. Increased Income
If you go down the traditional publishing route, you can expect an average return of ten percent from each book sale. For a thirty-dollar book, then, you pocket the princely sum of three dollars. Not so if you self-publish. The only loss incurred is the printing cost. So for that thirty-dollar book, which might have cost ten dollars to print, you skip away with a twenty-dollar profit.

3. Pride of Ownership
Clasping a newly printed book in your hand, created solely by you from start to finish, is a spine-tingling experience. When people comment on what they love about your book, the kudos is all yours. Why? Because you've done all the hard slog.

4. Freedom to Sell
Did you know that under some contracts with publishers, authors are not entitled to sell their books privately? Why is this important? When presenting at author talks, you aren't at liberty to sell copies of your books. All you can do is direct people to bookshops, fingers crossed that the stock hasn't run out.

But the bigger danger is that the prospective buyer might lose interest, or even forget your name and book title. With your own self-published books, you can sell signed copies at all your author appearances.

A personal website is another way of selling your books. If you're not game to host your own site, you can display your book on websites devoted to selling self-published books. These are growing in number.

Overall, self-publishing offers more fulfillment and financial reward. It's true that one of the downsides is the dreaded 'M' word. Marketing.

I don't know many authors who enjoy this aspect of book publication. But even with a publisher behind you, there's no escape from self-marketing. It's an ongoing process kicked off by the publisher. You, the author, must carry it on.

In the days to come, the choice of whether to embark on the self-publishing trail might not exist. What it comes down to is just how much you want to see your book in print.