A couple of years ago I self published a CD at Lulu.com.  All of Lulu's services are free and they do include book publishing. Once your book is published, you set the price and Lulu lists your book for sale on their site. There are also opportunities to be listed on sites like Amazon. Your book will be print on demand and/or available for download. It is well worth a look.

To publish a short story I would look through writing classifieds and communities to find contests or calls for submissions. The internet has a wealth of these sites and in addition to publication, you may receive other prizes or opportunities. Take a surf around and set what is out there for you.