
I am on the board of the Self-Publishers' Association and would be happy to come to you and talk about my experiences. Read more on Författarcentrum's page.
Instead of turning to a publisher to get my manuscript published, I have done it all myself. As a so-called self-publisher, I have simply hired the skills and resources needed to get my books produced to a high standard and available. I have borne all the costs and consequently receive all the revenue and own all the rights.
The possibility of publishing books without involving a traditional publisher has probably been around as long as writing, but in recent years it has become much easier and cheaper. And there are now many ways to get your book produced quickly in different formats and even in smaller numbers. You can either take care of the various steps yourself or you can hire a company to take care of everything that needs to be done.
I have chosen the latter because I value my time and want to focus on writing and being out signing. I have also self-published four of my stories as audio books. The principle is the same. I take all the costs and all the income.
As for the foreign rights, I have hired a literary agent called Storify Literary Agency.