for delivery of the book, and send payment to the author.

Features and services to look for in publishing companies
Although there are several types of publishing companies, each publisher will have its own unique mix of requirements, features, and additional services. Probably the biggest issue to take into consideration when choosing how to publish your work is the promotion of your work. Unless you are publishing the books to be specifically distributed to a known group or they are otherwise 'pre-sold', or you are more driven just by being published than by actually selling your work, you need to give thought to how the book will be promoted. The most common promotional strategies include direct mail, email, reviews, and press releases that are sent to wholesalers, retailers, newspapers, magazines, libraries, major book chains, book clubs.

Other issues to take into consideration include:

Payments- what percentages of earnings will be earned by the author, and when are  earnings paid?
Costs- what are the upfront costs to have the work published?
Promotion options- what are the promotional options, and how much do they cost?
Size limitations- is there a minimum and/or maximize length for publishing?
Editing assistance- can the publisher provide editing assistance for the manuscript?
Writing classes and training- does the publisher offer writing classes or training?
Distribution- which party is responsible for storing and distributing the finished work?
Sales- which party handles the sales function and paying of sales taxes, etc.?

How to find the best publishing company for you
People write books for a variety of reasons, and your choice of a publisher should follow your reasons for writing your work, the nature and general appeal of your work, your ability to promote your work, and your time and budget, and your unique situation. If you think you have the next nationwide blockbuster, then you might want to consider the traditional publishing companies. If you are writing for a niche audience or even those in your own community, you might want to consider publishing on demand. And so on. Regardless, it probably makes sense to narrow your choices down to the type of publisher you want first, and then look within that type of publisher to find the specific publisher that you want to work with. If you have decided that traditional publishing is probably NOT for you, you might want to consider both subsidy and publishing on demand. Although there are key differences in how they work, they are close enough to warrant further investigation and comparison.

If you are torn between what type of publishing to pursue, keep in mind that when publishing your own works, either through subsidy or publishing on demand, you