自费出版是指书籍作者自行委托出版社或印刷厂，以自己名义出版书籍，简称自版。为作者提供自费出版服务的出版社或印刷厂，于出版时向作者收取费用。

一般的商业出版社承担编辑、装订、校阅和销售的成本，并以大众为其市场，而这一类的出版社使出版成本由作者承担，因此以作者本身为市场。从出版社的角度来看，自费出版与一般出版最主要的差异，在于前者以提供「出版服务」来获利，后者是以出版为工具、靠出版品销售来获利。

在出版阶段，自费出版的作者需自行负担出书的费用，但出书后所有成品皆为自己所有；因此若透过自费出版社将作品经销到书店，销售获利绝大部份都属于作者自己，而不属于出版社。

A vanity press, vanity publisher, or subsidy publisher is a term describing a publishing house in which authors pay to have their books published. Additionally, vanity publishers have no selection criteria as opposed to other "hybrid" publishing models. The term appears in mainstream U.S. publications as early as 1941. In contrast, mainstream publishers, whether major companies or small presses, derive their profit from sales of the book to the general public. Publishers must therefore be cautious and deliberate in choosing to publish works that will sell, particularly as they must recoup their investment in the book (such as an advance payment and royalties to the author, editorial guidance, promotion, marketing, or advertising). In order to sell books, commercial publishers may also be selective in order to cultivate a reputation for high-quality work, or to specialize in a particular genre.