Autor w roli wydawcy. Konieczność czy wybór?

THE AUTHOR AS A PUBLISHER. A NECESSITY OR A CHOICE? The article is devoted to the possibilities authors have today to publish their works. They give up the traditional path, inevitably associated with judgement and selection carried out by a commercial publishers and opt for an alternative route: a vanity press vanity publishing or a self-publishing platform. Not so long ago it became possible to self-publish e-books alongside or instead of paper books. The growing significance of this phenomenon is unequivocally evidenced by the tendencies observed in recent years on the Polish book market: a rise in the number of registered publishing entities and number of published works including first editions as well as a decrease in the total output and average number of copies published. Self-publishing increasingly becomes a conscious choice: authors want to be sure that their works will be published, they want to have a bigger say in shaping its substantive and editorial form and — using their own ideas, time and money in publicity activities — to achieve fame and fi nancial success.