Self publishing is almost never a quick way out of poverty

I will refuse to take on a publishing project if I learn that the person is borrowing heavily or using up life savings to produce the book.

The exception to the no-borrowing rule is a book that has an inside track that will guarantee sales. For example, if a business or organization has agreed, in writing, to buy 1,000 or some other number of books at a price that will cover your costs, you can justify borrowing the money to pay production costs.

Another exception could be a book with a strong marketing plan and an author who is willing to work the plan. The author might choose to finance the book with a credit card, repaying the loan to the bank as the book sells.

Joint venture funding

With a joint venture, you share costs and revenues. You still have costs, but they're softened by dividing them among two or more people. Heavily illustrated children's books are often produced by a partnership between the author and the artist. Collections of poetry or art can be successfully published by a group of individuals who band together to form a publishing entity. Co-authored books are often joint ventures as are family histories, stories of communities, and biographies of local leaders.

Corporate sponsor

Businesses publish books! Besides employee manuals and technical user guides, businesses produce books they can give to their employees, sales team, stockholders, clients or other groups important to them. Banks, insurance firms, real estate companies, legal firms, hospitals and other health care providers are only a few examples of the types of businesses that could be interested in your book. Your book may be a candidate for corporate sponsorship if it--

opens doors
solves problems
answers questions key people are asking

Your corporate sponsor usually "owns" the back cover and may want to insert a post card or other advertising material in the book as well. Also, since they are paying the bill, the sponsoring corporation may want you to make editorial changes in your book. Work with them as much as you can.

Advertising

The Post Office won't let you send a book with advertising in it at the low-cost book rate, but otherwise there are few restrictions for advertising in your book. The key to attracting advertising is to have an excellent distribution plan. If you can guarantee delivery to several thousand homes or businesses or targeted individuals, you can probably persuade businesses to buy space in an advertising section in the back of your book. Or you could publish a book that is primarily advertising and information for a specific trade group or market. Selling advertising is tough, but the beauty is that your book is paid for before it's printed.

Non-paying sponsor

Even an organization that can't afford to pay you a dime (or is unable to do so for legal reasons) can be an enormous help to you in selling your book. With proper endorsements and support of a great cause, your book can ride the coattails of a solid organization and sell far more copies than you could if you tried to do it all yourself.

Loans

You really want to borrow money? My suggestion is that you expand the boundaries of your publishing project to a full-phased business. Money lenders are leery about financing an author's book, but if your book is related to services or products that have a demonstratable market, you can establish a business entity and seek financing for it. Your book would be part of your business's activities, but not the driving force.

Sell your book in advance

This is a true story. An author who had just completed his first novel called me to make arrangements for publishing his book. When we got down to the cost details, he assured me that the price was no problem, because the book was already paid for!

This enterprising author has many friends in the town that provides the setting for his story. He went to his friends and, in exchange for $200 paid in advance, offered a place for their name to be printed in the book and the promise of two autographed copies of the book when they were printed and delivered. He sold enough sponsorships to pay for 3,000 books without using any of his own funds.

Other sources

Your father-in-law, your life savings, and proceeds from the sale of that sailboat you don't take out on the lake any more are all possible sources of capital for your book. Just be careful. It is money.