The challenges that come with publishing using the traditional route where you have to get an agent to sell your manuscript to a mainstream publisher make the whole traditional publishing process less appealing to many writers. It is for precisely this reason that self-publishing is slowly becoming the norm among writers who wish to see their works published.

But deciding to go the self-publishing route isn't as straightforward as it used to be. With the advancements in technology and the changing reading patterns of contemporary audiences, you now have to consider a number of factors before getting started. Among others, you have to answer the question: Should I publish an ebook or hard copy?

There is, of course, no right or wrong answer to this question. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your individual preference and to what you think is going to give your book an advantage later on. It behooves you therefore to at least try to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of each option so that you end up with an informed decision.

Let's start with ebooks. The past few years have seen a surge in the growth of the ebook market. It's fairly easy to explain the ebook phenomenon, and much of it has to do with the rise of the mobile culture and the digital lifestyle of many people.

Ebooks are very easy to create. So long as you have basic technical know-how of word processors and file converters, you're good to go. At the same time, there are tons of tools and programs at your disposal that you can tap into to produce quality ebooks.

Ebooks are also cheaper. There are no overhead costs when creating ebooks. In most cases, it's just you and your computer. The savings you get because of doing away with an agent, publisher, and printer essentially drive down costs, resulting in cheaply-priced titles.

On the flip side, ebooks are harder to market, harder to read, and are usually prone to piracy. In addition, when there's a technical problem, there's a huge chance that you'll either lose the file or else won't be able to retrieve it.

Publishing hard copy, on the other hand, is more expensive than ebooks. This is because you have to pay for printing and delivery costs. With the rising costs of paper and fuel, it's hard to imagine how these expenses couldn't be added onto the final book price. Hard copies also require space and are not as portable as digital files. The great thing about hard copies, though, is that even without electricity, you can still use them.

So, should you publish an ebook or hard copy? In the end, choosing to publish your book in hard copy is still the best way to go. Titles in hard copy have a sense of permanence to them that makes them more memorable and special. Worn out books that have been passed on from one generation of readers to another often tell of stories that exist beyond what's written inside.