Desktop publishing sounds quite like a non-technical proposition that merely indicates publishing from a computer. What this means that one can be the author and publisher all at the same time! However the nuances of this concept offer several possibilities and may turn into a professional publishing opportunity with the right kind of effort and expertise. Self-publishing a book is undoubtedly a laborious task. Before embarking on this journey one must consider certain points to determine whether it would be worth one’s effort. Some content may just not be appropriate for desktop publishing, for instance a book that’s too long or one with fancy imagery and art work. These are best published as hard copy bound tests since this works to be more cost effective. Also if the book would be hard to sell wither for want of aggressive marketing or because of its decreased popularity, one is best advised to seek a professional or a big publisher who can provide good sales assistance.
So when is desktop publishing a viable option? For material under fifty pages with a fairly less number of pictures, or one intended for a closed audience circle, desktop publishing comes in very handy. Again one must carefully review if the special equipments for the publishing project are worth investing in considering the returns from the published material. At the very least one requires a word processing program and access to publishing software for designing the page layouts and structuring the work. One must also keep in mind copyright concerns if using public domain imagery and templates. Thus desktop publishing obviously offers the opportunity to be author, editor, designer, illustrator, and the final publisher too.