One of the first Czech research papers on self-publishing. Even though unsuccessful and forbidden authors could publish a book on their own in the past, the current phenomenon of self-publishing can be arranged on-line in just a few clicks and for much cheaper. Self- publishing began to spread since circa 2005 - in the Czech Republic and abroad simultaneously. This thesis shows how the development has unfolded differently in the Czech Republic and in the USA, which is considered the cradle of this technology. The first chapter of this thesis analyzes the history of book publishing and many different ways to publish a book, and defines self-publishing. The second chapter shows how the new technologies and media influenced the expansion of self-publishing. The third chapter analyzes and puts into context some of the Czech and the American self-publishing portals, and compares the providers of these services. Many professionals - editors, authors, and literary critics - criticize self-publishing for its amateurism and low quality content, which this work takes into account as well. This paper also documents some of the rare cases of self-published authors, who managed to succeed despite the tough competition from traditional publishing houses. In the last chapter the whole process of self-publishing...