A fair warning: this comparison was last updated in 2013, so the information is likely to be somewhat out of date.
Unless otherwise indicated, clicking on a publisher's name in this section will take you to a more detailed description of what that publisher has to offer.
2+2=5 means 'something doesn't add up'.

Virtual Bookworm gets the top ranking here because it provides a full service package for one of the most competitive fees around while offering a good contract, good royalties, good distribution, a good breakeven point, competitive printing costs and full control over several key aspects of your book, such as retail price and bookstore's discount.

This is a fairly well established company, one that has been around for a while, with a pretty solid reputation and it does not discriminate based on place of residence.**

While it is theoretically possible to publish using CreatSpace for free, in order to be able to put this company in a somewhat equal footing with the full-service providers that make up the bulk of those that are featured in the comparison I have added up the costs their least expensive layout and cover design options, plus their expanded distribution add-on, to come up with the fees that are listed above.

CreateSpace gets the second place in this comparison because, due to the fact that, being a subsidiary of amazon.com, it can offer a deal no other publisher can match when it comes to dollars and cents and the fact that authors who can supply their own ready to print layout and cover can theoretically publish for less than $100.00 doesn't hurt matters either.

On the downside their contract does include an extremely dangerous clause, one that may well be a deal-breaker (namely the fact that they reserve the right to change the terms of the agreement whenever and however they see fit).**

While their set-up fee is more expensive than that of Virtual Bookworm, and they restrict their services to the residents of a handful of countries, Booklocker gets the third place in this comparison because it provides a full service package for a reasonable fee, with good royalties and good distribution. This one too is a well established company that has been around for a while and has a fairly solid reputation. A DIY option available.**

WingSpan Press gets the fourth place in this comparison because --in spite of the fact that their basic package is far less comprehensive and considerably more expensive than that of Virtual Bookworm, they have a few too many things that are deemed as 'extras' for my liking and they don't offer direct sales channel-- they do represent a reasonably competitve option for those authors looking for a full service publisher that doesn't screen manuscripts.**

An expensive set-up fee, and a pretty dreadful contract combine to make this a company you probably want to avoid.**

An expensive set-up fee, a somewhat expensive retail price combined, low discount, a couple of questionable contract clauses and a bundled eBook publishing package that is far from ideal make this a company you may want to avoid.**

While it is theoretically possible to publish using Lulu almost for free, in order to be able to put this company in a somewhat equal footing with the full-service providers that make up the bulk of those that are featured in the comparison I am using their design fees as a starting point.

An expensive set-up fee, combined with a few too many unknown factors, low royalties, a few dubious contract clauses and a bundled eBook publishing package that is far from favorable make this a company you may want to avoid.**

This publisher has been deleted. Click here for a more detailed explanation as to why.

A fee of well over $1,500.00, a dishonest way of figuring out your royalties, a less than ideal author's discount and the fact that things as basic as direct distribution are billed as 'extras' combine to make this publisher a less than appealing option.**

A fair warning: this comparison was last updated in 2013, so the information is likely to be somewhat out of date.
Unless otherwise indicated, clicking on a publisher's name will take you to a more detailed description of what that publisher has to offer.
2+2=5 means 'something doesn't add up'.

Even though these days most POD publishers offer eBook publishing as an option, you may be better off considering both of these things separately... and as a result you may also want to steer clear of those publishers that bundle their eBook services with their publishing packages.

There are two main reasons for this. The first one is that both kinds of publishing are different and call for different business models. The second one is that self-publishing an electronic version is a lot easier than self-publishing a printed one and even where going at it completely alone is not an option (as is the case with Apple's iBookstore), there are outfits out there that are geared specifically towards this end and offer you what are in essence much better deals.

What follows is a small collection of links you may find useful when it comes to getting your eBook out into the big bad world... and keep in mind that some of these service providers allow you to mix-n-match, so you can combine them to get the best results.

On the legal (down)side of things, beware of the fact that most of the services listed below reserve the right to revise the terms of their user agreements whenever and however they see fit and that does represent problem.