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Are you an aspiring writer desperately trying to get your book published? Or are you a newbie to the literary world and have no idea where to start?

In the digital age, there’s no longer an excuse for not getting published. With Web sites like NulisBuku.com, you can publish and print your own works depending on reader demand.

Founded in October last year by novelist, author and entrepreneur Aulia Halimatussadiah and friends Angeline Anthony, Brilliant Yotenega and Oka Pratama, NulisBuku can print and sell your book for you.

Having become frustrated with a publisher who told Ollie, as Aulia likes to be called, that her book wasn’t commercially viable, she took matters into her own hands.

At the time, Ollie had already published 15 books, which included a mix of women’s literature, business and how-to books. But getting rejected by her publisher was particularly stinging. So, drawing on her background in IT and as the owner of the online bookstore Kutukutuuku.com, Ollie realized she could solve her own problem while embarking on a new enterprise.

On NulisBuku, writers can register and upload their books in PDF form, complete with a cover. NulisBuku members are only charged for producing the original hard copy, which generally costs under Rp 100,000, depending on the number of pages. NulisBuku can also print photo books. The Web site provides writers with basic templates for designing their books. For an additional fee, they can also request the help of a graphic designer.

After the pages are printed, they are glued, bound and wrapped in a protective plastic wrapping. Once a reader has ordered a book, Nulisbuku will print it on demand and deliver it within about 10 days.

The final price depends on the shipping fee and the price set by the author. NulisBuku allows writers to set the price, thereby allowing them to calculate the amount earned on each copy. NulisBuku will then take a 60 percent royalty, which is paid every three months. Copyright ownership remains with the writer.

According to Ollie, self-publishing has unique benefits, including minimizing errors and typos because the writers have more involvement in the publishing process. One time while working with a major publisher, Ollie said she became very upset after the publisher printed a major error in her novel.

“By the time we realized the mistake, they had already printed 3,000 copies. My complaints went nowhere,” she said.

It didn’t end there. The publisher continued to print the error during a second printing, which further angered Ollie.

While Ollie admits that NulisBuku was inspired by the American online self-publishing service lulu.com, she says her Web site has been modified to suit the Indonesian market. She has, for example, been actively nurturing local book-writing communities in 11 cities and has been teaching workshops. Ollie believes these efforts have paid off because NulisBuku has now published more than 1,000 titles.

Among NulisBuku’s newest publications is “Berkat Ngeblog” (“Because of Blogging”), a collection of stories on the benefits of blogging that NulisBuku marketed through Twitter. In the book, Ollie includes her personal story of how blogging inspired her to become a writer, businesswoman, gadget reviewer and traveler.

“Compiling an anthology is a great way to publish a book,” said Ollie, who explained most NulisBuku writers are new to the profession and don’t have experience writing a book on their own. Conversely, experienced writers often find it difficult to find the free time to finish a book.

As for the future, Ollie plans to make an e-book reader for NulisBuku tablet users.

“With NulisBuku, there is no reason not to write a book, if you want to,” she said.