There are three modes of publishing books: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Traditional publishing entails an existing publishing company acquiring your book, funding its production and paying royalties, although querying agents or publishers is necessary, as well as taking one to three years between acceptance and publication of your work. Self-publishing allows you to have complete control over the whole process and involves such steps as editing, designing, and formatting the book, as well as distribution. It enables you to publish your book according to your schedule, in weeks.

Hybrid publishing involves a mix of both. It provides editorial guidance and higher design standards than self-publishing while you still fund the production and receive your royalties, marketing, and distribution support. The choice of a type of publishing is especially complicated for Canadian authors, as there is a platform named Kindle Direct Publishing Canada, which provides all the publishing services in Canada independently of a publisher.