Thinking About Self-Publishing

So…I’m thinking about self-publishing this book I’ve been working on for forever, and I’ve got questions for those of you who’ve done it or are researching it.

I’ve heard pros and cons of publishing through Amazon’s Createspace, namely that it’s harder to do actual signings in larger stores (like B&N). What has your experience been with that? If you don’t go use Createspace, who is your distributor? Who do you use for editing, book covers, and all that fun stuff?

I’ve noticed groups of writers getting together to promote each others’ works, edit and proof each others’ works, and so on. How do you get to be a part of such a group? And for those of you who are a part of such a group, what has your experience been? Also, how do you go about promotion? Do you hire someone else to do it for you?

Finally, is it best to have an agent? Did you get your agent before or after you self-published?

I’m starting out on a very small budget, yet I want to publish professional work. Any advice on that?

If you have any other advice, please share!

Thanks so much!