Harmony Publishing vs Self-Publishing.com
Self-Publishing.com is an online service offering editing, layout, cover design, printing and distribution.
Short version. Self-Publishing.com and we sell the same categories of service: editing, layout, cover design, ISBN, printing and distribution. Its prices are in euros, so we state none; ours are in dollars and published. Compare what each package contains, whose name is on the ISBN, and what royalty share is taken. Ask those three of any provider, including us.
Which should you choose?
Choose Harmony if…
- You want the whole run priced up front: our calculator gives the delivered price of 100 to 10,000 copies (for the common black-and-white paperbacks) before you commit, with the freight as its own line when the shipment is heavy.
- You want one team across editing, design, print and distribution, an ISBN registered in your name or your own imprint, and no share of your royalties.
- You want prices in US dollars and a US delivery quote: its prices are published in euros. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
Choose Self-Publishing.com if…
- You want a step-by-step online process where you start a project yourself: its pages say you can 'create a new eBook project yourself'. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- You want book specifications chosen freely without extra cost, as its pages say. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
- You want to pay in euros for a European-based service. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
Switching probably isn't worth it if…
- Your book is live and your terms are clear: you keep all rights with it, and nothing is failing you. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- You only need an eBook, which it prices separately. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
Side by side
| Harmony Publishing | Self-Publishing.com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A full-service self-publishing company | A self-publishing service offering text editing, book layout, cover design, eBook formatting and distribution as steps (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Prices | From $699 (Essentials), in US dollars | Published in euros, so we state no figure here (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Editing and design | Editing from Premium; cover and layout included | Book layout and cover design; proofreading is optional (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026) |
| ISBN | Registered in your name or your own imprint | 'ISBN included'; its pages do not say whose name it is registered in (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026; self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Printing | Included; priced per copy on specification | Printers on multiple continents; book specifications freely selectable at no extra cost (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026; self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Distribution | Worldwide, set up in your name | A global distribution network, connecting you with more than 40,000 bookstores (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026; self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Royalties and rights | You keep 100% | 'You retain all rights' and 'All proceeds are yours' (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026) |
| Best for | Authors who want clear ownership terms in writing | Authors who want a step-by-step online service (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
Competitor descriptions reflect their published service structure at the time of writing and may change. Check their current terms directly. Our own prices are on the cost page.
The same book, priced on both
One book, priced the same way on both sides: a 6×9 inch paperback, 200 pages, black and white interior on 60lb natural paper, gloss cover, perfect bound, with print-ready files supplied. Printing only, delivered to ZIP code 10001 (New York, NY), Economy delivery.
| Copies | Harmony Publishing (our calculator, today) | Self-Publishing.com |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $890.08 printing, with delivery included$8.90 per copySee it in the calculator | Not published, quote required (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
| 1,000 | $6,623.74 = $6,140.40 printing + $483.34 freight$6.62 per copy, deliveredSee it in the calculator | Not published, quote required (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026) |
Our figure is the live output of our calculator at the moment this page was shown. Where the quantity is small, delivery is included in the price; for a heavy shipment the freight is its own line at the carrier's cost, with no markup. Prices exclude sales tax. A competitor price appears here only with a source and the date we checked it; until we have captured one, the cell says so. We never estimate a competitor's price.
The same job on both
The job: Publish a 200-page paperback with an ISBN and worldwide distribution.
With Harmony Publishing
- Choose a package. Essentials is built for a manuscript that is already edited and covers cover design, interior layout, ISBN assignment, account setup and the publishing submission to KDP and IngramSpark, and distribution worldwide.
- Send your manuscript and a cover brief. If you already own an ISBN for the printed edition you can give it to us in the calculator's ISBN step.
- Approve the proofs. Nothing is printed until you have approved everything.
- We submit the book to the retailers and print-on-demand services and set up distribution in your name.
- You supply:
- A finished, edited manuscript and a cover brief (or a finished cover).
- You get back:
- An ISBN registered in your name or your imprint, your print-ready and editable files, the book live through worldwide distribution, and 100% of your royalties.
- How long:
- 4–6 weeks standard; sometimes up to 8 weeks, depending on the package and how quickly proofs are approved.
With Self-Publishing.com
- Start a project on its site and choose the services you want: editing, layout, cover design, eBook formatting. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026; self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- Pick your book specifications, which its pages say are freely selectable at no extra cost. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
- Its pages say the ISBN is included and that the book goes into its global distribution network. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- Set your own retail price: 'You set your own retail price'. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- You supply:
- The manuscript and your choices of services and specifications. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
- You get back:
- A book with ISBN and distribution, and, its pages say, all proceeds and all rights. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- How long:
- No standard turnaround is stated on the pages we read. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
Switching to Harmony from Self-Publishing.com
If you decide to move a book you have already published, this is what carries over, what does not, and an order of steps that keeps the book available the whole time.
What moves with you
- Your rights. Its pages say 'You retain all rights'. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
- Your manuscript and any cover or layout files you hold.
What does not
- An ISBN registered to the service, if it is registered in its name. The pages we read do not say, so ask before you plan the move. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
- Retailer listings and reviews tied to the old ISBN: a new ISBN starts as a new listing.
The order of steps, so the book is never unavailable
- Keep your files and leave the existing listing live while you move.
- Decide the ISBN: keep one you own, or take a new one with us.
- Order a single proof copy from us (the calculator prices one copy) and approve it.
- Publish the new edition with us and check it is live on Amazon and the other stores you sell through.
- Only then ask Self-Publishing.com to end distribution of the old edition. Its pages do not say how, so ask first. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
What to check first
- Whose name is the ISBN registered in? (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
- Do you hold the print-ready and editable files?
- What do its General Terms and Conditions say about ending distribution? We did not read them. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
To price a reprint or a proof copy before you move anything, use the calculator.
Three questions to ask any provider
Including us. The answers decide more about value than the headline price:
- Ask who the publisher of record will be. If it is not you or your imprint, understand why before you sign.
- Ask what royalty share they take. Any percentage of your sales is a cost that compounds over the life of the book.
- Ask whether you receive your editable source files. If you cannot take your interior and cover elsewhere later, you are locked in.
On all three, our answer is: you are the publisher of record, we take no royalties, and you receive your print-ready and editable files.
How this comparison was made
- Prepared by the Harmony Publishing editorial team.
- Self-Publishing.com's public product, help and terms pages were read on the dates in the sources list; nothing was purchased, and no account was opened.
- Our figures are the live output of our own calculator, for the scenario stated above.
- A competitor price appears only with a source and the date it was checked; until we have captured one, the cell says so. We never estimate a competitor's price.
- Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Each source below carries the date it was checked, which can be earlier.
Sources
- self-publishing.com/en/ — checked 15 October 2026
- self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing/ — checked 15 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is Self-Publishing.com cheaper than Harmony Publishing?
Its prices are published in euros, so we do not state a comparison figure. Compare the two inclusions lists side by side and convert at the day's rate. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
Who owns my book?
Its pages say 'You retain all rights'. With us you do too: the ISBN is registered in your name or your imprint, you keep 100% of royalties, and you receive your editable and print-ready files. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026)
Is the ISBN included?
Its pages say 'ISBN included'. They do not say whose name it is registered in, so ask that before you sign. (self-publishing.com/en/publish-book-self-publishing, checked 15 October 2026; self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)
Can I get my files and move later?
With us, yes. Ask any provider, including Self-Publishing.com, to confirm in writing that you receive your files before you sign. (self-publishing.com/en, checked 15 October 2026)