So, let&rsquo s get down to the hard core, shall we, and wrestle honestly with the contras -better known as the cons- before moving on to the pros.

 Real Con #1: The School of Hard Knocks.

 Self-publishing has been around ever since aspiring authors have been able to wheedle, cajole or pay a printer to produce their books. There were probably indie authors chatting up Gutenberg.

 Old though it may be in principle, self-publishing is only now beginning to coalesce into some vaguely organized industry. If you were to use the cosmos as an analogy, self-publishing as a profession is a rudimentary disk of gas and rubble that will one day become a galaxy. Happily, thanks to the Internet, this emerging industry won’t take as long to form as the universe.

 When that day comes, no doubt there will be entire college programs designed to benefit the aspiring independent author, and literary agencies will recreate themselves to take advantage of this untapped resource. But the self-publishing industry is not yet a fully formed system of  beautiful planets and vibrant, glowing sun. We indies are whirling around in a galaxy still gestating.

 That means it is up to every individual to learn the craft of writing, publishing and marketing on his or her own. Much of that must come from old-fashioned, hard-knock experience. But take heart. If this seems daunting, if your temples are pounding from the anxiety of not knowing where to begin, here are some good, basic first steps:

 Get Schooled.  When I was twenty, I was oh-so secure in my conceit that no one can really teach another person how to write. I viewed writing as purely an act of creation. Securely cocooned in my pseudo knowledge, I didn’t bother to take classes that required me to reach into the oily innards of writing mechanics.

 By the time I was thirty and had laid one egg after another before the closed doors of agents and editors, I began to suspect that there may be a flaw in my logic. I swallowed my pride and audited a credited university class on intermediate creative writing. My eyes were opened. I followed that semester with an audit of that same professor’s advanced class.

 Getting a basic, college-level education in writing was one of the three best decisions I have ever made as a working author. Is writing purely an act of creation? Sure. But, so is childbirth. Would you prefer to do that without taking advantage of all available resources and expertise?

 Real Con #2: You’ve Got To Look Out For Yourself.

In the self-publishing world, there are no literary agents (at least that I know of) to serve as your protector. You are your own white knight as you go adventuring for the press that will turn your manuscript into a book or novel. In my opinion, the way to have this done is to go with a print-on-demand company -also known as a p.o.d.- like Lightning Source or Lulu.com.

 Thanks to p.o.d. technology, it is no longer necessary to fork over several thousand dollars to produce your work. The power of print-on-demand presses toppled that tower of gold at least ten years ago. But it is still very important to research the p.o.d. market. As with any industry, there are good companies and bad companies. There are pricier ones and those that are dirt cheap.

 The more you can personally do on your own -cover art, formatting, editing, manuscript conversion, etc.- the less expensive the process becomes. Many p.o.d.’s provide both service bundles and ala carte features. Some, like Lulu.com, make it possible for you to go totally d.i.y. (do-it-yourself) or pay for services according to your needs.

 Vet Each Prospect. You can find them all the p.o.d.’s through a simple web search, but you must protect yourself with thorough research. There are several online watch dog groups that are devoted to helping authors steer clear of shady p.o.d.’s. One of the most popular is the Absolute Write Water Cooler. And while some of the threads in the AW Water Cooler reflect a certain disregard for those of us in self-publishing, the Cooler is still a very rich information source that I highly recommend.

 But don’t limit yourself to only the watch dog sites. When you find a p.o.d. that interests you, do a search adding the word “complaint.” You can often uncover valuable information that may not have made it over to the watch dogs.

 Real Con #3: You Wear The Hat.

 You reap the glory when your work is a success. But should your work be a flop, the only one you can point the finger of blame toward is the writer in the mirror. Since you are simultaneously boss and employee, business manager and creative, you will have to strike a balance of between being too hard and too soft on yourself. So give yourself a break, be as objective as you can manage. Sometimes you may have to throw yourself a pity party. We all do it. But as soon as you can, pull your big boy or girl pants back on and get ready to make the next work dazzle.

 Real Con #4: You Pay The Bills.

 No matter how frugal you may be, you’re still going to have to spend some money to get your work before the readers. So choose your expenditures wisely. There are great ways to publicize your work that are cheap and, often, free. Look for review sites that accept self-pubbed books. Enter contests for the same. Many podcasts and blogs are always looking for interesting authors to interview. Keep accounts at networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook. The possibilities are endless. Go seek. You’ll find.

 If you’ve read all the above and are still chomping at the bit to self-publish, then you’re ready for the next post coming: The Pros of Self-Publishing. At last, we’ll look at the shiny side of the coin.