Why might you want to self-publish a previously published book?

There are many reasons:

• Your content needs updating and/or expanding.
• Your cover is dull, dated, or just needs freshening up to attract readers.
• You want to change the title.
• You published with a traditional or pay-to-publish company but you’re not happy with their performance and you want more control over your book.
• You published with a traditional or pay-to-publish company in one format and you want to self-publish your book in a different format.
• You published with a traditional or pay-to-publish company that has been sold or has gone out of business.
• You published with a traditional or pay-to-publish company that has taken your book out of print.

The first step in the process of self-publishing a previously published book is to confirm that you own the rights to your book. Check your publishing contract to verify the status.

Traditional publishers typically require you to assign the copyright to them, and your contract should outline the circumstances under which the copyright reverts to you. Some pay-to-publish companies specifically state that you own the copyright; others ask for an assignment of some sort.

If your publishing contract says you have maintained your rights, you can move forward with self-publishing your book. If the publishing company owns the rights, you need to get them back. The process of doing this is fairly simple and can be accomplished with what’s known as a reversion of rights letter from the publishing company. Your biggest challenge is likely to be getting someone at the publisher to respond to you. Keep badgering them.

How well your book is selling may have an impact on getting your rights back from a traditional publisher. If your book is selling well, the publisher may be reluctant to let you take it back. If it’s not, they may be happy to get it off their list. If you have a literary agent, they may be able to assist you in this process.

Once you have confirmed that you own the rights to your book and you have the production files, you can begin the self-publishing process.

When dealing with a pay-to-publish company, remember that you are the customer, and you are choosing to take your business elsewhere (to yourself). You have already paid for your book to be edited, designed, and produced, and you should own all the production files. Ask that they be sent to you so that you don’t have to pay for those services again. It’s unlikely that a traditional publisher will share those files, but it can’t hurt to ask.