Self-Publishing Guide

Benefits of Self-Publishing

2011-07-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

If you are tired of getting rejection letters from publishers, dealing with financial stressors and are ready to give up on your book, please don’t. I went through this same ordeal too and found another choice.

By self-publishing your book, you’ll experience many joys such as:

- Sharing your work with others;
- Communicating directly with readers;
- Making changes whenever applicable;
- Paying to print only necessary books;
- Conducting your own public relations efforts; and best of all
- Controlling the marketing process.

In fact, I’ve talked to many professional consultants and speakers who make thousands of dollars more selling their own works that dealing with a publisher. Why?

They have complete control over how book packages are created and sold. Plus, they can create their own personal lists of customers to contact about future products, send newsletters, obtain feedback, and more. Plus, they can make changes at the last minute and cater their works to a specific audience, partner, sponsor, or affiliate as needed.

With this in mind, don’t get discouraged the next time you get a publisher’s rejection letter. Instead, think about all of the possibilities of being a self-published author!

For help with self-publishing, feel free to write to me directly and check out our new newsletter at www.jexbo.com.

Other Self-Publishing Resources:

http://money.howstuffworks.com/self-publishing.htm

http://www.writerswrite.com/selfpublishing/links.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-publishing

Article Source: Jexbo.blogspot.com

Don't jump into self-publishing without this manual!

2010-12-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

If you have ever felt that self-publishing is similar to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, have no fear! "The Self-Publishing Manual" is your parachute! On your way to "landing" your first published book, you will learn everything you need to know.

I think of Dan Poynter as the ultimate "how-to self-publish" expert! He will teach you all the tricks of the publishing trade. As an author of more than 80 books, he also has a proven track record of success. He will convince you that you too can succeed.

The strength of this encyclopedic reference is the author's experience in publishing. Dan Poynter is also on the leading edge of technology. He welcomes the new era of book publishing and prepares writers by giving a "New Book Publishing Model."

If you are looking for a complete reference on writing, printing, publishing, promoting, marketing and distributing your new book, look no further. Whether you just have the concept for your new book or have already advanced to the promotion stage, the information you will need to make your efforts more successful is here!

The "Your Book's Calendar" section is like a true gift for the busy author. This section is vital to keeping your goals and progress in check. It will allow you to digest volumes of information in small sections. You can start with what you have started to accomplish, check the suggested readings and then check off your goals as you reach them.

I especially enjoyed reading the section on professional reviewers. The glossary of publishing terms was so revealing. The "resources for publishers" section was detailed and informative.

This source book also has a companion web site. You can find information kits, great book promotion mailing lists, links to useful Web sites and hundreds of downloadable documents.

If you are still searching for an agent, sending out manuscripts to publishers, or writing those endless query letters, it may be time to take off that seat belt which is trapping you in that airplane seat! Then, read this book and jump! There are people who want your book. There are people who need your book. Believe it! Then, free fall to success!

~The Rebecca Review

Is Self Publishing For You?

2008-12-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

OK, so you've got this manuscript hidden away on a shelf somewhere. Should you self-publish?

I have self-published three books and have a fourth on the way. Technology has radically changed the face of the publishing industry. Self-publishing has never been easier and it is more affordable than ever to publish your own work. And there are good / honest self-publishing houses out there such as ours, Dog Ear Publishing. All this is the good news.

The bad news is that self-published works still bear a heavy stigma. Many people consider the POD (Print On Demand) industry to be the same as Vanity Press. They are not the same, but honestly speaking, there is still a lot of "crap" out there that is self-published. Many newspapers and magazines will not even review a self-published book. We sent press releases to over 100 newspapers for our 1st wine book. Only three smaller and regional papers expressed an interest.

So, is self-publishing for you? If you are willing and able to edit your own book, or pay to have someone do it for you, then self-publishing may be for you. The biggest question you need to answer is whether you are willing to do your own marketing and order fulfillment. Marketing is hard – especially for fiction books. Order fulfillment means maintaining constant access to your books, shipping materials and your computer.

What many authors fail to realize is that publishing is a business – a tough, competitive business in an industry that increasingly faces competition from the internet and other less expensive mediums. Did you know that Borders Books may not survive the current economic crisis?

I was in a Borders book store recently and the store manager was perched on a ladder, scanning the top shelf and reading off book ISBNs to another clerk. The clerk would punch the ISBN into the register and tell him how many of the books had been sold. I watched as he raked the books off the shelf into a waiting trash can down below. Your "art" is, I'm sorry to say, someone else's product and if that product doesn't sell, well… you get the idea.

Here are some painful stats. There are 12,000 bookstores in the US. 3 out of 10 books will sell well. 4 books will break even. 3 will not make any money. Only 10% of major publishing house books will earn enough to recoup the author's advance. In today's economy some publishing houses are not even taking on new books. It is tough out there.

If, however, your goal is to have your book read, this is a much harder question. Many self-published authors find, after having gone through the process, is that what they really want is not so much to be published as to be READ. So, if you are not willing to invest a considerable amount of time marketing and publicizing your book, then think twice about self publishing.

Questions to ask yourself:
How much money / time you are willing to invest in the effort? (For a 200 to 250 page book, plan on spending $700 to $1200 with your publisher just to get the book into print.)

What are your strengths, weaknesses and limitations? (If you hate rejection, then marketing your own book is probably not going to work out to well for you. Best to figure this out ahead of time.)

Are you capable of editing your own book? (Can you spel and punktuate? That is the cwestion.)

What are your true objectives? (If you want to give copies of your favorite recipes to your grandkids, or record your family history, have a niche book that you intend to self-market, or merely want to see your name in print, by all means look into self-publishing. If, however, your plan is to be the next Tom Clancy or Dean Koontz, you better have a well developed marketing plan.)

More to follow on the ins and outs of self-publishing.

Happy Writing!

Bob

Article Source: http://writerspassage.blogspot.com

Self-Publishing - A Growing Industry

2008-11-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Did you know that over 40% of all book sales in the United States last year took place online, through e-retailers like Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com? More and more people are becoming comfortable with (and even accustomed to) shopping online. What’s more, consumers are more likely to purchase lesser-known and self-published books, according to Inc. Magazine.

What does this mean for the self-publishing author? With the convenience of on demand-printing and full-service self-publishing options: Good things. Selling books online is more cost-effective than selling through a typical bookstore, and that means more money in your pocket. Again, make sure your publisher lets you set your own retail price, royalty, and discount to take maximum advantage of shifting consumer trends.

Just something to keep in mind as you write and investigate the publishing options best in-line with your goals.

Have fun and keep writing!

Karl Schroeder

Why (and How to) Self-Publish--Helping Hands

2008-10-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

When you take the plunge and self-publish your book, you're going to be doing a lot of things yourself (it's built right into the word). Editing, proofreading, design, marketing--a mistake that a lot of writers make when they begin to self-publish is trying to do everything alone. I'm not saying you have to spend thousands of dollars hiring professionals to do all of these things for you, but in the long run your book will be much more appealing to readers--and you'll be a lot happier with it--if you take the time to seek out experienced help.

Editors
An editor will help you by looking at your book as a whole and offering suggestions to make it better. A lot of writers choos to pinch pennies here by asking their mom, neighbor, pastor, babysitter, etc. to "take a look" at their manuscript, but that isn't helping your book get better. Most of the critiques coming from these people are gushing compliments or vague criticisms (either because they can't pinpoint what's bothering them about your book or they don't want to hurt your feelings). In the long run, it's much better for you and your book to get an experienced, professional editor. If you plan on hiring a pro, you can expect something in the neighborhood of $25-30 an hour, or $2-3 per page.* If you have a more personal relationship with your editor, you may be able to work out a discount rate or work on barter.

Where to find Editors:

Networking at writer's conferences or organizations
Authorlink.com has a list of editorial services
P.O.D. publishers (i.e. lulu, iuniverse, authorhouse) often have preferred vendors
University English/Journalism departments

Proofreader
Spellcheck does not count as proofreading your manuscript. You need human eyes to catch all the grammar goofs that spellcheck misses, and the more eyes, the better. Many writers can get overconfident in their grammar and spelling skills. Hey, I was a state spelling bee finalist in the 8th grade, and I still have other people double check me for typos. I'll look up words I'm not sure about. No one is perfect all of the time. If you decide to hire a professional to proofread your work, expect to pay $1-2.50 per page.* Some editors will also proofread, but don't assume both services are standard.

Where to find Proofreaders:

Friends and family (the more eyes the better, but it's a good idea to ask people who can spell their way out of a paper bag)
Schoolteachers
The Editor resources

Designer
Technically, anyone with a computer and some software can create a book cover. Many authors will often skimp on this section by doing their book cover or interior design themselves or hiring the neighbor's kid who's kinda artistic and good with computers. Skimping here is one of the fastest ways to brand yourself an amateur and your book uninteresting. A good interior design makes your book easy to read and engaging. A good book cover design grabs attention, creates interest, and gives you (the author) credibility. A good designer will know or have access to barcode standards, ISBN placement requirements, and how to set up artwork for different printing methods. They also won't neglect the spine or the back of the cover, which are just as critical as the front. You can expect to pay anywhere from a couple of hundred to over a thousand dollars for a good interior and cover design, depending on the length of your book, but if you know the designer personally, you may be able to negotiate a discount or trade.

Where to find a Designer:

P.O.D services usually have templates available (but do you want your book to look just like everyone else's? Overused templates can be just as bad for your book as an amateur design.)
P.O.D. preferred vendors
Network with other authors
Graphic Design Agencies (from one-man studios to the big kahunas)
Graphic Design Students (caution! check out their portfolio and how long they've been in school. Generally, the closer they are to graduating, the more they've learned.)

Marketing
Unlike working with the big corporations (or even the small, independent presses), when you self-publish, all your book's marketing falls on your shoulders. You'll be the one making phone calls, sending out press releases, and mailing off review copies. This is the reason why many self-published books hit their limit at 50 copies, and many authors have boxes of books gathering dust in the garage.

Information, Advice, and Suggestions for Marketing

Morris Rosenthal's blog (www.fonerbooks.com)
Aaron Shepard's blog (www.aaronshep.com)
Gather.com
Networking with other authors at writing conferences and in writing organizations
Attending book festivals
Reading helpful books specifically about marketing self-published books

Krystal Russell is the author of Horace the Tortoise and Lucas and His Long Loopy Laces coming soon from tall tails publishing house.

*Rates from Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business by Entrepreneur Press and Jennifer Dorsey.

Benefits of Self-Publishing

2008-10-18T22:59:00.001-07:00

How to write a non-fiction book in 60 days: WCDR talk

2008-10-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Talk Presumption
You want to write or are writing a non-fiction book – perhaps one that you will self-publish; you can edit and proofread your book or will hire someone to do so.

Who is Writing Non-Fiction Books?
With the growth in Print on Demand (POD), public speakers, seminar leaders, consultants, technical trainers, financial planners, real estate agents, lawyers, nutritionists and fitness experts, people who have lived interesting, and not so interesting, lives, are all writing non-fiction.

Super Powers Not Required
- Writing a book can feel intimidating and overwhelming when you are facing the blank page: Where do you start? Where do you go next? How do you structure it? What do you put in; what do you leave out?
- Non-fiction book writing does not have to be intimidating; anyone who can write can write a solid first draft of a non-fiction book – in 60 days.
- I have written 11 books and short reports — each in less than 60 working days. It can be done. It is being done. You can do it – as long as you follow the process.
- Working days: If you devote about 4 hours a day to writing your book, you can write it in 60 days. If you devote about 4 hours one day a week, it will take you 60 weeks, but still 60 working days.

What Does it Take to Write a Book?
- It takes an idea. If you do not have an idea, it will be difficult to write your book.
- It takes purpose. Your purpose should be clearly defined so you can focus your writing and achieve what you set out to do.
- It takes knowledge of your reader. Determine what your readers know, and what they need to know.
- It takes organization. Organize your thoughts before you start to write.
- It takes time. It should take no more than about four hours per day over 60 days to focus your book idea, outline your book and write a solid first draft.

Day One
Scan books thematically related to the book you want to write: how to, autobiography, health and nutrition, business development… Look at how they are structured in terms of chapters and topics. Where they start, how they progress, where they end… what they cover. Spend some time on this over the first 30 days. Also, jot down a working title that encapsulates the subject you are writing about.

Days 2 – Pre-writing Exercise I
- Two pre-writing exercises detailed in the book — Freefall and Undirected Freefall — were described. Participants engaged in a a Directed Freefall exercise.
- You can probably write about 200 to 250 words in 10 minutes using Freefall. There are about 25,000 to 50,000 words in a non-fiction book. Do the math:
- 25,000 words / 200 words per 10 minutes = 125 10-minute chunks or 21 hours.
+ It takes less than a day to write a 25,000-word book.
+ It takes less than two days to write a 50,000-word book.

Days 3 – Pre-writing Exercise II
Participants were given a brainstorming writing exercise known as Clustering to help them get organized. Clustering (also known as brainstorming, mind mapping and word association) helps you put down on paper everything you know about and associate with a topic and sparks themes and ideas related to your topic that you might not have otherwise thought up.

Day 4 to 6 – Understand The Writing Process
The writing process you use to create your book includes five steps:
- Preparation: Establish your purpose. Assess your audience. Determine the extent of the detail required to achieve your purpose.
- Research: Determine if the research will be internal, external or a combination of both.
- Organization: Select an appropriate method of development so your writing unfolds in a logical manner. Prepare an outline.
- Writing: Write from your outline, expanding your points into sentences and paragraphs.
- Revision: Revise to ensure your document is clear, concise, focused and supports your purpose. Check your spelling and grammar. Have someone edit and proofread your work.

Day 7 & 8 - Research & Get Organized I
- Extensive external research is not part of the 60-day book writing process. If you are an expert in your field, most of the research you have to do is internal.
- Select an appropriate method of development so your writing unfolds in a logical manner. Logic depends on your subject, your purpose and your reader — what the reader already knows and what the reader needs to know, and the order in which the reader needs to know it to achieve the desired purpose of the book.
- Jot down 15 to 20 points that answer the following: Where do you start and why? Where do you go next? And then…? And then…? And then…? And then…?
- Order the points to facilitate learning. In other words, arrange the topic points and any related sub-points in the order in which you think you should present them.

Day 9: Get Organized II
- Get 20 or more sheets of 8½ by 11 paper or flip-chart paper.
- Pick a key word or phrase that represents the subject or topic of your book.
- Cluster it. Extensively.
- You may want to Cluster several different words and phrases that represent your topic; don’t be concerned about overlap in your clustering.

Day 10: Get Organized III
- Based on your Clustering, create a Table of Contents or major topics (big picture) outline of your book; organize the Table of Contents base on the appropriate method of development or logical flow you have selected.

Days 11 to 31: Producing Outlines
- Based on your Clustering, create chapter by chapter linear outlines of your book:

Chapter 1: Major topic of chapter
1. Major point 1
a. Sub-point 1
i. Secondary point A
ii. Secondary point B
And so on until you have a detailed outline. For instance, if you were writing a chapter on “the benefits of outlining”, your outline might look like this:

Benefits of Outlining
1. Provides logical structure
a. Gives you a detailed road map
2. Ensures all major and minor points are covered
a. Produces greater clarity and focus
b. Helps you detect errors in logic
3. Removes stress of trying to hold on to all you know while writing
a. Allows you to write quickly in manageable chunks
b. Ensures you do not lose your train of thought when you take breaks
4. Facilitates the approval process, if one is required

Days 31 to 60: Write
- Write from outline point to outline point, chapter by chapter, until you complete you book; if you devote 2 to 4 hours a day to writing, you will write a chapter a day.
- Do not edit your book until you have completed it. But if you absolutely have to edit, do not edit a chapter until you have completed it. Then move on and write the next chapter.

Once You’ve Written the Book…
- Once you have a final manuscript in hand, you can look for an agent or publisher or you can self-publish your book using Print on Demand. But ensure you edit it and proofread it first, or hire some one to do so.
Note: There is a chapter on print on demand in How To Write A Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days. You can also read more about POD in my blog. For POD topics go to: www./paullima.com/blog/?cat=19.

Paul Lima is a freelance writer and writing trainer. He is also the author of:
How To Write A Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days and other books on the business of freelance writing and business writing.

The Tricky Art of Self-Publishing

2008-10-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

By Foster J. Dickson

It is commonly said that self-publishing is an option for writers whose works are not up to the caliber of the work published by commercial publishing houses. That rumor is perpetuated by the well-spring of writers who self-publish second-rate novels and little collections of semi-poetical ditties for their own friends and families. However, it is far from the whole truth. Self-publishing is a tricky game and, for some writers, a worthwhile venture to undertake.

There are some inherent difficulties with self-publishing that should be noted up front and most of them have to do with the book business as a whole. The issues with the process require an author’s time and money, and without them the process will more than likely be a failure. The first difficulty is that nearly all of the major retailers refuse to carry self-published titles, which is their own safeguard against being flooded with titles to manage and distribute to stores and online customers, not an effront to the self-published. The second is that reviewers will typically not review self-published books and major media will usually not print reviews of self-published books. The third difficulty is that all of the workload of publicity, shipping, invoicing, accounting, and promotions are all on the author, where commercial publishers have multiple employees each undertaking one of these tasks and thus doing them more effectively. The final difficulty is simply having the money to pay for the print run, which is a lesson to be learned about the printing business.

There is one major reason that major retailers will not carry self-published titles. Booksellers have the right to return unsold books to the vendor or publisher. A private individual who is not savvy in the ways of the book business will be a hassle for the accounts payable, accounts receivable and shipping departments of large companies because every company is different and a professional relationship is necessary to effectively communicate and sell the book, as well as handling returns. For instance, most people are not aware that book wholesalers are entitled to a 55% discount off the retail cover price, which is in most cases non-negotiable. It is hard enough for the big boys to deal with all of the publishers in the U.S. and Canada, so they opt to not deal with private individuals because these relationships would necessitate whole departments of extra employees for relatively minimal profits Self-published books are generally publicized by writers who are moonlighting as their own publicity agent (with little or no experience and minimal success) and who do not have a core audience outside of their own hometown. Beyond that, a private individual will not be reachable during the day for questions or problems, making most of these processes impossible. It is unfortunate but the big booksellers and wholesalers know these authors need them more than they need self-published authors, so they choose not to do business with them. There are ways around this, however; you can start your own “publishing company” and make your book the lead title, but this also requires money and time.

For these same reasons, book reviews will seldom or never appear for self-published books. There are whole departments in book publishing houses with people who send complimentary copies of books to reviewers, some of whom might receive 20 or more books a day with requests for reviews or for blurbs which are the quotes about the book’s content that are available on the back cover. The reviewers and major media receive so many unsolicited books from publishing houses seeking reviews and blurbs that they also opt to not deal with private individuals as a rule.

Once you realize it will be nearly impossible to have a worldwide bestseller with a self-published book you can begin to understand the roles to be played if you are to be successful. The author must become his or her own publicity agent and shipping clerk, not to mention accountant; items like sales tax have to be tallied and paid. These roles, especially publicity, are hard work because the self-published writer must stick to smaller retailers and shops, choosing more non-conventional methods of publicizing, because of the limitations of not being able to work with the big booksellers. In this role, the author must be multi-tasking all the time and willing to work extra hard, treating the publication as the beginning of the road, not the end. This is not to mention author signings, which are the best way to publicize a book. An author’s real work begins after the book comes back from the printer. This is true even for commercially published authors.

The final major obstacle to overcome is paying for the print run of the books. The best idea is to expect to spend between $10,000 and $20,000 on printing the books, in order to keep per-unit cost down. Large printing presses can produce as many as a few hundred unusable books before producing usable books, because of things like color-matching and other design aspects. Thus, a print run of less than a thousand books can cost a printer more than the job is worth if they don’t charge large amounts of money for the job, in order to re-coup their losses. Having thousands of dollars to pay for a print run can be a strain on nearly anyone.

Unlike many people, I always want the bad news first. That was all of the bad news coming first. There is a lot of good news, too. If self-publishing was impossible no one would ever do it. If it was not worth the effort then only a few people would do it and almost no one would do it more than once. The truth is that many people are self-publishing many books every year and succeeding has a lot to do with understanding what is trying to be done and how. Some of the most famous writers self-published first, including D.H. Lawrence, Anais Nin, James Joyce, and more recently James Redfield, with his Celestine Prophecy. Self-publication is an unorthodox method and one that must be undertaken completely differently from conventional publishing and bookselling.

The key to any game is understanding the rules and playing within them in order to win. Just as a 5″5′ basketball player will not try to drive in and slam-dunk the ball, a self-published author should not try to play the big boys’ ball game at all. If the major retailers will not carry a book, then the other option is finding someone who will. If newspapers will not review a book, then publicizing by other means becomes necessary. The self-publishing author merely has to be creative and hard working to do well, and doing well is relative.

Reasonable goals become necessary in self-publishing. I heard through the grapevine recently that the book that won the American Poetry Prize last year has sold about 4,000 copies so far, so if a person self-publishes a poetry book, then a print run of 1,000 is probably far too ambitious. Likewise, just as getting per-unit cost down is advisable, it is not a good idea to have too many printed and get stuck holding the bag. The best advice is to begin planning before the printing begins and get an idea of how many might be sold and buy that many plus a few extras. Being too ambitious on the first go-round is not wise, because a first-time author, unable to use major retailers, and being a one-man show, it is probably best to have a 1,000 books maximum printed, even if there seems to be interest. You may also want to think about taking advanced orders.

Self-publishing can also be an avenue to getting commercially published, as it was for James Redfield. Sending a well-designed book to a publisher’s acquisitions editor rather than a box full of loose sheets may show that the author has enough faith in their own work to put their money where their mouth is. Publishers know what printers cost and seeing a bound books says that the author spent a few thousand dollars getting his or her work in tip-top shape, so it may well be worth taking a look at it. Another way that this may be an avenue into commercial publication is that if the author has a print run of 1,000 books and sells them all, reserving a few copies for himself, then submits it to a publisher stating that the print run of 1,000 is already sold out; it may peak their interest, seeing sales possibilities put right in front of them. Basically, if the author could sell 1,000 with his or her limited resources then the publisher might see it as an opportunity to sell 10,000 or more. The key in this strategy is hard work and a lot of patience.

Publishing is a strange business. It is the only business that I know which has an open return policy, where any quantity of books can be returned by the bookseller to the vendor to ask for and get a full refund. It is a business where wholesalers get a 55% discount and retailers get a 40% discount (these are typical but not an end-all-be-all rule), rather than the standard business practice of mark-up. It is also a business where it is not necessarily better to have more product to sell, but just the good quality. It is a business of reputation.

The things, beside these basic business elements of publishing, that many people do not understand are the details. Publishers set up a niche for themselves and so there is no need to submit a book about World War II to a publisher of travel books, even if they are the only publisher in your area or the friend of a cousin’s uncle’s brother’s friend. The publisher that I work for publishes regional (Southern) fiction, African-American and Civil Rights books. We get, however, submission of all genres, which we reject or divert to another “imprint,” which has a broader range of topics. Some people see this as being put on the second-rate list, but it is not. A publisher must uphold its niche or lose its credibility within the business and that is sad but true. For a self-publishing author, this is an integral fact to know before submitting work or trying to find a publisher. It is best not to waste time — no matter how good the book is — submitting it to a publisher who will not publish it because of its subject.

This brings me to the explosion of self-publishing imprints in the United States and Canada these days, brought on the by the advent of the Internet. There are a lot of honest ones, a lot of scams, a lot of honest ones that look like scams, and vice versa. This was all made possible by a revolution in publishing called print-on-demand, which allows the books to be stored in a digital file (like an e-book) and when 3 are ordered, 3 are printed, unlike printing 1,000 and waiting for orders. Many self-publishers will ask an author to pay for 1,000 books then do print-on-demand which, though not illegal, is unethical. The best thing to do with these is a lot of homework, reading fine print and not signing anything until it is sure that what seems real is actually real. There are of course many companies to be found online, like Lightning Source, which is a subsidiary of Ingram Book Company, the largest book wholesaler in the U.S., iPublish, which is a subsidiary of Time-Warner, and Xlibris, a subsidiary of Random House.

I tell people often — and I believe it — that writing is about art and publication is about money. That is another fact that is sad but true. Publishers care about sales and that is the reason for the difficulty of getting published. Commercial publishers invest huge amounts of money in forthcoming books every year and some flop, so they have to be extremely careful about what they choose and this is what gave rise to self-publishing. The publishers can be wrong, though, and Celestine Prophecy, which I heard was rejected by 27 publishers, is a good example. The problem is that most authors are not savvy business-people and do not want to be, but self-publication necessitates it. It is a choice to be made.

The best illustrations of this may be some stories. The first that comes to mind is the young man who came into my office one day with a steno pad of hand-written poetry wanting it to be published, requesting a very naive way. I talked to him for a while encouraging him to first go type his work and proofread it, then re-submit it, considering self-publication. He did not understand what I meant by self-publication. I asked simply, “Do you want to pay for this book to be produced or are you expecting us to pay for it?” He looked at me as though I was absolutely bonkers and replied, “I want Y’ALL to pay for it!” He could not understand that, just because he liked his own poetry, other people might not buy it. His approach was very naive and irrational and yet he was precisely the type of person who should have considered self-publishing.

Regarding the many online self-publishing companies, beware. It would not be fair to warn against using them at all, but beware of doing business with anyone that does not offer face-to-face interaction and requires large sums of money. I was privy to a conversation about someone we knew who was going to self-publish her full-length novel. One of the large online companies gave her a quote of 13,000 dollars to get editorial services, layout and design, 75 author copies and additional copies at 50% off within the print run of 1,000 books. If she bought all 1,000 books on a full length novel - if the list price was 25 dollars, for example - she would spend roughly 23,000 dollars obtaining them. That would mean that she might make a profit of 2,000 dollars if she sold every book at full price, which would be almost impossible to do, considering giving retailers’ discounts. Read the fine print and understand fully what is being purchased and what rights are being given. For instance, check into whether or not a proof copy is given to review between editing and printing, because if not they will have the right to re-write your book and it will be too late before the author sees the changes. If thousands of dollars are being spent on self-publication, the author should have more rights concerning his or her own work than the company being paid.

Perhaps, I should lay out a few more facts to close things out. Because self-publishing is an unorthodox venture many of the companies’ methods are rather unorthodox. For instance, iPublish requires a submitting author to review three other authors’ work before being allowed to submit any of their own and all submission are subject to the same process. To avoid being sorry later, it is best to obtain price quotes from as many self-publishing companies and printers as possible before settling on one and take plenty of time, even consulting a lawyer with the contract, because spending an additional few hundred on top of a few thousand may save a lot of money and heartbreak in the long run. In many cases it can be better, also, to pay a freelance editor to work on a manuscript before submitting it to be published, because the rates for editorial services in some companies can be very high priced but not very personal, where a freelance editor can work one-to-one.

If self-publishing is an option, be careful and be wise. There are many loopholes, pitfalls and facets of the business that may require creative thinking and extra hard work. However, if the money is available then the venture may be worthwhile. Just like the publishers have no way of being certain of what will be the next blockbuster, neither do the authors. The book manuscript that is collecting dust on the shelf under a pile of rejection letters may be the one that sets a new standard, the way the works of James Joyce or even D.H. Lawrence did.

Foster J. Dickson is the Production Manager for NewSouth Books in Montgomery, AL, primarily working with self-publishing authors, where he is an editor and printer. He has had freelance articles, book reviews, poetry and literary criticism published and is the founding member of a writers’ group in Montgomery.

Why You Don't Write Your Book

2008-10-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

by: Suzanne Falter-Barns

In the ten years that I've taught people how to get on with their books and creative projects, I've noticed a phenomenon that I'll call "Author's Block." Would-be writers can, indeed, sit down and work when pressed to it. The problem is that they're not so sure they want the pressure of being an author. But they do want it. But they don't. And so on.

Ah, the agony of getting on with your book.

Well, I'm here to diffuse that situation with a list of the key reasons we have trouble sticking to our writing or other creative projects. Perhaps this will help the next time you find yourself polishing doorknobs instead of sitting down to work.

Check all that apply to you:

You Lie To Yourself About Why You Can't Write The Book

You think your stalling is about lack of time, or too much pressure at work, or not enough solitude in the evening. But guess what? Chances are a deeper, darker reason may be at play, like 'I'm not supposed to be bigger than Mom' or 'What if this thing really takes off?'

You Fear The Impact Your Book Could Have

Sometimes when I coach writers in my Self-Help Author's Crash Course I'll ask them what's impeding their progress. And after some probing, it will come out that they're afraid of the big exposure a book can have if it takes off. I'm here to assure you that should that happen, (and chances are your book will not unleash wild mobs of millions) you will be able to handle it. How do I know? On that deep level where psyche meets karma, you won't create a single reader more than you're ready to receive.

You Think Your Book Doesn't Matter, So Why Bother?

One writer I know put this succinctly: "I've tried getting up at 5AM to write, or staying up late, or even leaving my home, but none of it works. I have this tired feeling that none of my effort is going to amount to a hill of beans." In fact, writing and publication can be an entirely self-determined activity these days. If the publishing pundits don't go for your book, there's always the option of self-publishing paperback editions or e-books and selling them on online booksellers or your website. In other words, your book DOES matter, and you really have no excuse. (Acid test: if the book keeps on patiently urging you to sit down and write it for months and even years, chances are you'd better do it.)

You Think You Don't Know How To Write A Book

Guess what? Neither does any other first time writer. And that may be a wonderful thing. As a beginner, you don't approach your book project with a carload of professional expectations and demands from your process. You can just be open, like… well, a nice blank book. All you really need is your intuition to guide you, and the will to write your book as honestly as you can.

You Have No Support

You need someone in your corner, cheering you on, to get through the long and somewhat tiring process of birthing a book. Because writers need a way to show up and be accountable for their progress. They need someone to keep saying, 'Yes, you really can do this," or even "How's it going?" Minds can be tricky and difficult when fully challenged by something like a book. And steady external support is the best way around that.

You're Afraid You'll Run Out Of Material

There isn't a writer out there who hasn't had this fear. And I'm here to say that if you just stay loose and open, and willing to receive the ideas, they will show up. All you have to do is commit - really sit down, and begin to bring that book into being - and the work will magically appear. Sometimes it won't flow that easily, and sometimes it will scare you with its speed and power. But it will, indeed, show up.

You Think 'Who Am I to Write a Book?'

And yet, you are the perfect person to write your book, because you're the one chosen to receive this material. (You don't have to be spiritually inclined to believe this.) I personally believe that books are given to us when we're ready to receive them… and when we do, our lives are changed by that process.

You Fear Uncomfortable Moments

Ah, but that's the most exciting thing about writing your book. You will be given challenges and lessons that just seem untenable along the way. And if you're committed enough, you'll rise above them and so become stronger in the process. This is especially true for self-help books: we naturally write what we need to learn.

Got a few categories checked off from the list above? Good! Awareness is the first step to diffusing your fears. Meanwhile, PLEASE do get on with your book … despite your misgivings. Not only do you deserve this work - so do we.

About The Author

Suzanne Falter-Barns co-leads The Writer's Spa, a week-long, nurturing retreat for anyone with a book on their mind. Taos, NM, August, 2005. Learn more at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/writerspa.html.

© 2005 Suzanne Falter-Barns LLC.

The Big Wide World: Getting your book out there

2008-10-13T04:29:00.000-07:00

by Leda Sammarco

Unless you are writing a private diary, you ultimately want your writing to go out into the world to educate, entertain or enlighten. This is an exciting time to be writing books as there are many different ways to reach your target audience. It could take the form of an ebook on your website; you may want to try for a book deal with a publishing house or you may consider some of the self-publishing options now available. The choice is yours!

Whichever option you choose, one of the most important things is having a publishing platform. This is the sum total of your media coverage, any speaking opportunities, your own database of clients, any strategic alliances you may have formed and your website and blogging activity.

You will need a platform to convince a publisher to consider your book in the first place. A US publisher I spoke to recently, said “platform, platform, platform”, otherwise “the book dies on the shelf”.

If you are offered a book deal, you will still be expected to be proactive in terms of doing media interviews, speaking at events and marketing your book to your own clients.

If you decide to self-publish your book, then the more proactive you are, the more successful it will be. Plus retailers are more likely to order your book if you have a profile of some kind.

The self-publishing versus publishing deal debate is really about how much control you want over the process and the kind of experience you would like to have.

You may want a publishing deal for the gravitas and prestige that it confers, plus the fact that the company will have a sales team to get your book into retailers as well as media contacts and a marketing budget to promote it. However, some of the above is contingent on the commercial potential of your book and the overall experience will vary depending on the publishing company.

If you want to go this route, you’ll need to research the publishers and their lists to see where your book would fit and think about whether you want to target small independents or large conglomerate (many of whom only accept submissions through agents). You’ll need to submit a publishing proposal and sample chapters to persuade them to take it.

Self-publishing, on the other hand, puts you in the driving seat. It has come into its own and no longer suffers from the label of vanity publishing. There are various companies that offer self-publishing packages and you are likely to make more money this way, have total control over the process and own all the rights to your book.

However, you will be paying for the production and printing costs and you will have to publicise, market and sell the book into retailers. It is also essential that your book looks as good as anything you would see in Waterstone’s or Borders.

Sometimes self-publishing can even lead to a subsequent publishing deal such as with Masaru Emoto’s book ‘The Hidden Messages in Water’.

The other self-publishing option is an ebook that you can make available directly from your website. This may be one way to test the water with an idea that you have, as you can modify it according to the feedback you get. You will also need to think carefully about your website strategy and affiliate marketing.

Once your book is out in the world, it is out of your hands. This is perhaps the scariest and most exciting part. Like anything in life, you may receive mixed reactions to it. Provided you have written it from a place of authenticity and integrity though, you will find your right audience.

Resources:

Writers and Artists Yearbook 2009 (A & C Black)
Writer’s Market UK 2009 (David & Charles)
Self-Publishing for Dummies by Jason R. Rich (John Wiley & Sons)

Publisher vs Self-Publishing: The Benefits of Both

2008-08-31T05:55:00.000-07:00

by DrProactive Randy Gilbert: The #1 business advisor to authors and speakers.

The majority of people never write a book due to the problems they can see related to both ways of getting a book published and they stop trying. If you make an effort with the big New York publisher route, the beginning step of finding a publisher is not simple and it is very difficult to get the publisher to take your book and pay in advance.

If you try the self-publishing route you right away are faced with a very steep learning curve as you are forced to accomplish dozens of technically difficult tasks. And the price tag for this route is $30,000 to $40,000 when all is said and done.

Fortunately for the smart person who wants to write a book and use it to make money, there is a new alternative. There are three book publishing strategies that anyone can use to eliminate the problems and receive only the benefits.

Strategy 1 - Never give your copyrights away if you don’t have to.

There are two prime benefits to seek and they are to stay in control and make money. You can enjoy both of these self-publishing benefits if you discover a New Your Publisher that does not purchase the copyright to your book and inspires you to use as much of the content of your book as you wish to produce other products that you will be able to profit from.

Strategy 2 - Get the widest distribution possible for your book.

The wide distribution of your book is the biggest benefit of a New York Publisher. Being proactive and choosing a publisher with a wide distribution gives you the advantage of sustaining more sales. This will increase your income exponentially because each book sold in a bookstore will bring the reader back to your website, where you will sell your other products.

Strategy 3 - Turn your book into a business by creating a book marketing plan.

Another great benefit of choosing a New York Publisher is a good marketing plan, but you?re going to take it to a new level. From the beginning of your book idea, turn it into a bestselling business. You will being making money long before your book is actually published. This could bring in more profit than you?d ever get from the advance of a publisher. And you?ll reap the benefits of high sales because off of your products will sell the book when it is printed and ready to be shipped.

ACTION POINT: When you write a book, proactively look for the right publisher using the 3 strategies above and you’ll have the best of both worlds. You’ll make money all the way through the entire process from book idea to New York Times Bestseller. You’ll be able to create a book that becomes an automatic bestseller and might even earn you a passive 6 or 7-figure income.

About the Author:

The #1 business advisor to authors and speakers, DrProactive Randy Gilbert has been helping them to write a New York Times Bestselling Book and turning it into a bestselling business that generates a high passive income. Get his book and attend his highly acclaimed Bestseller Million Workshop for free by going to BestsellerMillions.com.

Reasons Why Self Publishing May Be “Write” for You

2008-06-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

The thought of one day seeing your name on the spine of a book may seem like a pie-in-the-sky dream. For millions of writers, that’s all their writing ever amounts to….a dream waiting to happen. But for those who understand and accept the difficulties associated with going down traditional book publishing routes, the dream of seeing their name is print can be turned into a reality.

The truth about writing as a career is that it’s an industry glutted with aspiring writers, with few ever making it beyond the query stage. Even if you’re a great writer, you still may not get noticed in the sea of other writers because agents are inundated with novel queries. While it’s not impossible to think your writing will one day catch the attention of agents or book publishers, there’s another option that can take the question of whether or not you’ll have your book published and answer it in the affirmative; the questions goes from “will I get published?” to “when will my book be available to purchase?”.

Self publishing is one option in the game of book publishing. While some writers feel that choosing self publishing is only for those who do not know how to publish a book through traditional routes, more and more writers are realizing that self publishing is simply a way to taking more control in a process fraught with time delays and rejection.

Following are some reasons why self publishing might just be the right direction to take with your writing career.

· Learn how to publish a book

Traditionally, writers have to sit back and let decision about their books be made by book publishers and agents. With self publishing, a writer learns, firsthand, the ins and outs of publishing a book. Everything from editing, print and marketing is done by the writer.

· Make money as a writer

Most writers dream of the day when they’ll actually receive a check for their writing. With self publishing, a writer can make that dream a reality. With some strategic marketing and self promotion, a writer can take a book that’s self published and make it a hit. Not only will a writer make a bigger cut off of a sell of a self published book but he will also position the book to be seen by traditional publishing houses and possibly picked up by a large house.

· Publish your book on your timetable

When a book is published by large book publishers, a writer might not see a final copy for up to eighteen months. With self publishing, a writer can set her own timetable. There’s no need to wait months to see the fruits of your labor; self publish and see an almost immediate product.

Self publishing isn’t for every writer but it’s the answer for many. It gives writers a chance to turn their dream into reality and finally see their name of the cover of a book!

Article Source: Bookpublishersblog.com

Community Pricing for on-demand publishing

2008-06-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

by Steve Song

Tim O’Reilly points out some very cool publishing models being used by Logos Bible Software. The have a pre-publishing service in which clients commit to order at a discount in exchange for placing a pre-order for a specific product and Logos can guarantee that there costs are covered. Each potential pre-publish book has a meter which displays the current level of pre-orders.

Far more interesting than that though is their Community Pricing model in which they don’t preset the price for a book but lay out the pricing curve for developing an electronic version of the book and invite consumers to bid a price that they are prepared to pay for it.

Once sufficient offers are received to produce the edition are received, the price is fixed at the optimum point and everyone pays the same price. Subsequent copies are charged at a markup. More information on the community pricing model is available on their site.

I think this concept could be developed in a very interesting manner for non-profit publishing, particularly in the education sector in developing countries. Applying this model to print, as opposed to just electronic, publishing could theoretically make it even more effective in driving down costs. Because print costs vary dramatically according to quantity, you could create a sliding scale of costs arrayed against market demand. Consumers would have to bid on both quantity and price and would be able to see what quantities were needed to bring about a further drop in price. It would make it easy to aggregate demand and very transparent in terms what sorts of quantities and costs are involved. This could make for a pretty cool non-profit Lulu-style enterprise model that would help solve a critical challenge, namely getting electronic OER resources in print form into the hands of students.

Source: http://manypossibilities.net

Self-Published Books Need A Professional Appearance To Court Success

2008-06-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, I read a self-published book produced by a printing company, where the author was required to furnish not only the manuscript, but the layout and cover. The cover was the best part of this book. The story had potential (although erratic and overwritten) and was compelling enough that, out of curiosity, I finished it. I have read esthetically-rough fiction from traditional publishers, but those at least had a professional layout and had been scrutinized by a copy editor. This one–not.

I have no gripe with the concept of self-publishing, but if a writer wants a book to be taken seriously, some basics have to be considered. Liberal use of Strunk and White (Elements of Style) is a must, as well as referring to Chicago Manual of Style. Be certain punctuation is correctly rendered. Three periods (…) does not an ellipse make. Ellipses are not followed by any other punctuation [ What do you mean…, you have to go? ]. Uppercase letters should rarely be used for emphatic dialogue [ what WE did, did NOT cause what happened ]; description before dialogue should not end with a comma. [Green eyes betrayed her, I’m sure you do. ].

A copy editor would have caught ninety-eight percent of these errors, as well as the character names that changed mid-scene.

Regarding layout, the text alignment in a professional book is justified, with widow and orphan control, usually with 11pt type and type kerning so lines of text have uniformity. Quotation marks and apostrophes must be consistent throughout the text, not curly marks to start dialogue with straight apostrophes in contractions. A disregard (or ignorance) of these basics is what I see most in self-published books.

Self-publishing has a lot of benefits, especially to the environment. With traditional publishers, if they have a print run of 3,000 books, 2,000 of them can set in a warehouse for six months and then end up in a landfill. Most self-published material is print-on-demand, so less paper and printer ink is used. But if an author wants to do more than give away his self-published book to friends and family, the book must have a professional appearance, regardless of the story.

When someone has plans to publish more than one book, having a good product is especially critical. Marketing and hype might sell a decent number of a poorly-produced book, but once the dearth of editing and layout are realized, the reader might not want to chance another book from the same source. More than 5,000 books are produced each week by self publishing. That makes competition stiffer than ever for a reader’s attention. To produce a book correctly is more time consuming, but highly cost effective and can give the edge needed to make a book stand out. Using a professional copy editor and investing in a good text layout program, will result in a finished product on par with traditional publishers.

K Follis Cheatham is a freelance editor, and author of nine books of fiction and nonfiction; she has published numerous articles and poems, and edited for national magazines and publishing houses. Cheatham gives presentations at schools and libraries on writing and the American West; she also develops promotional materials (including web sites) for authors. Visit her web site at www.kaios.com http://www.kaios.com .

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Disney Artists To Self-Publish Rocket Johnson

2008-06-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

In recent years, many artists at feature animation studios like Pixar, DreamWorks and Blue Sky have become involved in self-publishing art books and graphic novels. The Disney artists have remained noticeably absent from the scene…until now. A whole slew of Disney Feature story artists and directors are getting ready to release a fun-looking 72-page graphic novel anthology entitled Who is Rocket Johnson?, in which they answer the question posed by the book’s title. The book, limited to 1,000 copies, will debut in July at the San Diego Comic-Con and will sell exclusively at booth 2302.

Contributing artists are:

Steve Anderson
John Musker
Dean Wellins
Mike Gabriel
Kevin Deters
Paul Briggs
Tom Ellery
Sam Levine
Nathan Greno
Don Hall
Mark Kennedy
Aurian Redson
Daniel Chong
Tron Mai
Lawrence Gong
Joe Mateo
Michael LaBash
Chris Ure
Bruce Morris
Mark Walton

The book also features a painted cover by Paul Felix and pin-ups by Glen Keane, ChenYi Chang, Byron Howard and Arthur Adams. There’s a book blog at WhoIsRocketJohnson.com and an official announcement at the blog of Paul Briggs.

Source: Blackwing Diaries

Should Authors who Self-Publish be Considered Vanity Press?

2008-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

by Monica Valentinelli

I don’t ever think there has been a more appropriate time in this industry than to seriously revisit the question of what happens when authors “self-publish” their books and whether or not they should be considered “vanity press.” After attending 30+ conventions, I can completely understand the “why” behind name-calling some print-on-demand and self-published authors.

There’s always one or two authors who buy a booth, don’t bother to decorate or make it appear friendly, and sit behind a pile of books, waiting desperately for someone to stroll past and throw money at their feet. In many ways yes, these writers could be considered vanity press because, on the surface, it appears as if they don’t know what they’re doing, that they’ve published their book because they wanted to see it in print. Do you ever ask yourself, why they bought a booth?

Maybe they really don’t know what they’re doing, and they believe (like so many other writers) that fame and fortune will knock on their door–all they have to do is publish a book. Just because they have stars and dollar signs in their eyes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ve gone to all the trouble to print books just so they could see their name in print.

Yes, there is a definite disconnect between writers who understand the business of writing and those who understand the business of selling, marketing and publishing books. Sandwiched in the middle, there are those writers, like myself, that fall somewhere in between the two schools of thought based on our experiences. When a writer focuses heavily on the creative process, they lose the ability to detach themselves from their work; hence, the innocence. Writers sometimes forget that best-selling books are not just a function of the creative process, they are also a function of luck, networking, and timing. Still, more authors than I can count worship the large presses, thinking that they will somehow magically recognize their name among the masses and grant them a publishing contract.

I think that within traditional publishing there is a fear, and that fear resonates and trickles down to hopeful authors who have never had anything published before. The fear for the amateur is that the book, their self-published book, will somehow suck so bad that no one will want to publish them and they’ll get a bad reputation. I’d like to venture a guess and say that perhaps the publishers are afraid of the opposite scenario, since it’s very rare to see a publisher that’s on top of Web 2.0 let alone take chances on an unpublished, unproven author. Also, I’d like to put it out there that the major publishers are probably tightening their belts because the cost of printing keeps going up every year, and they’re more likely to go with an author whose books they know readers will buy, even if it’s written poorly. Most inexperienced writers also don’t realize that editing is an expensive, costly venture for many publishers. Add that cost into an untested author whose books are not a guarantee to sell, and that quickly factors into a huge risk for the big houses.

That fear of garnering a bad reputation is very real; just within the past year I can name five, fellow authors who have been determined to “agent up.” Not one of them has been successful so far, and not one of them will consider self-publishing as an option. Why? One of them has told me that since best-selling author X said self-publishing is vanity press, they’ll never do it.

Unfortunately, best-selling authors don’t have to go through the same hoops as new ones, especially writers that have been around for a number of years. While veteran authors do give great advice, you have to remember that their experiences entering the publishing biz might be outdated–10, 20 maybe even 30 years old or more.

In truth, the self-publishing model has worked for some authors (not all) who simply got around the stigma by developing their own emprint and use the tools that are available to them. Authors like Gregory Solis and David Wellington, who you’ll hear me mention from time to time.

Remember, too that advances are virtually non-existent for new authors, so if you can get one, you’re darn lucky. You’re even more fortunate if you haven’t negotiated any of your rights away; some publishers leverage copyright with taking a risk on an unknown. Don’t even get me started on how much first-time authors make; in some cases, it’s pretty pathetic.

So the attraction to self-publish is understandable; you, as the writer who has created this story, have control over how many copies you publish, what you charge, and how you market, sell and distribute that story. To give you some scale, according to this stat referenced in Beneath the Cover’s Publishing Statistics for May 2007, 78% of titles come from small press or self-publishers out of as many as 86,000 self-publishers, compared with six major ones in New York.

As an author who tries her darnedest to be savvy about the market, I don’t believe that the popularity of small press and self-publishing can be ignored, even if the number of books sold doesn’t equate to the numbers from larger presses. I certainly don’t want to write any of my books for my Violet War series just so I can see it in print; I can’t imagine why any other writer these days would do the same.

So before you consider a writer to be vanity press, maybe it’s better to ask the question, “How much does this author really know about the industry?” If they don’t know as much as they should, I’d encourage you to either communicate with them or take a second look at the words beneath the cover. You might just find that their story is fresh and innovative, something worthwhile reading.

It’s one thing to throw around labels, it’s entirely another to comprehend why they are there in the first place. Since the phrase “vanity press” was coined back in 1959 (according to Wikipedia, I think I can say, with the utmost confidence, that publishing and selling books have changed dramatically since that time. After all, haven’t you heard? There’s this new-fangled invention that’s been utilized pretty heavily since then called “the internet.” Toss in iPhones, eBooks, PDFs and other ways to distribute content, and I think we need to reinvent what that phrase means.

Hey, maybe that’s what we should write to Amazon about?

Folks, I’m always looking for more relevant stats about the publishing industry to share, so feel free to send them along if you have them, with a link to the source.

Article Source: http://www.mlvwrites.com

Write, Publish and Market a Book with No Out-of-Pocket Money

2008-06-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

By Kathleen Gage

Do you dream of having a book published, but don’t know where to turn? Already have a book, but unsure of how to promote it? Looking for cost effective high-return strategies to market your book? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the following information is for you.

Many writers and aspiring authors are under the mistaken belief if their book is published by a publishing house they can sit back and watch sales miraculously happen. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is, competition to have your manuscript noticed and published by a large house is extremely fierce. Additionally, no matter who publishes your book, you absolutely must take an active roll in marketing, promoting and selling your book.

Moreover, profit margins are not extremely good when you go through a publisher. Sure, if you sell tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of books, you make substantial amounts of money. In reality only a small percentage of writers achieve this level of success.

A great model for achieving success is to self-publish and actively promote your book. Self-publishing is one of the best ways to get your manuscript to market quickly is to. Another great benefit of self-publishing is you have complete control of the creative process. You make the decisions on content, editing, cover design, title and you reap the profits.

A primary downside with self publishing are costs involved. Depending on whether or not you hire an editor, designer, layout person and cost of printing, the initial outlay for self-publishing a book can be several thousands of dollars for the first run. Besides there are no guarantees your book will sell. However, you can lessen your risk of costs and increase your level of sales with a simple formula.

Imagine if you could self publish with no out of pocket money. Additionally, imagine gaining lots of free publicity and visibility in your market at the same time. I know this to be true, because I have done it.

The following formula is one that can be used by virtually anyone to raise funds to publish a book. In addition, you can gain great visibility, do the initial run with no out of pocket money and position yourself for volume sales.

Although the formula is rather simple in concept, it is not necessarily easy to do as it takes planning, time, effort, consistency and great follow up to make it work as well as possible.

You can write, publish and market a book with no out of pocket expenses by hosting a seminar with a topic that is linked to the book. In order to keep costs down in the rollout host the seminar in your local market. You can further offset costs by securing sponsors for the seminar. Event sponsors provide funding necessary to the costs of an event. They can either contribute in actual dollars or with in-kind offerings. Sponsors underwrite various aspects of an event.

I did this at the beginning of December with my most recent book, “101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door” and had an incredible response. Although there was a lot of work involved in the rollout the results were, and continue to be, incredible.

Besides writing content for the book each author had a very specific role. Mine was the marketing and promotions of the book. The first level was to develop a clear marketing strategy for my 3 co-authors and myself.

Prior to beginning the writing of the book, we developed a very detailed project plan. The plan included hosting an event to introduce the book to our local market.

Knowing the costs to an event such as we were planning, I knew it would be beneficial to secure sponsors. I developed a very solid proposal for sponsorship of the seminar. Because of very detailed information and showing the sponsors how they would gain from being involved, I was able to secure two excellent sponsors. One is a primary business newspaper in Utah and the other is an organization who targets start up businesses.

The paper was more than willing to do some advertising for the event in exchange for some great visibility and additional subscribers. The organization offset the costs of the room and audio-visual equipment in exchange for mentions in the advertising and all pre-event promotions. Both sponsors were given the opportunity to do a 5 minute presentation at the seminar and distribute promotional information to everyone in attendance. It was a win/win all the way around.

Had I not had a clear-cut proposal for the potential sponsors chances are I would not have secured their support. Also, I know it is easier to gain support from businesses who know me rather than trying to get sponsorship from an organization who has no idea who I am. The same will be true for most anyone.

With day of event expenses covered, we could now focus on generating revenue for publishing the book. This was done by pre-selling the book. Anyone who purchased the book sight unseen by November 28, 2004 was given a seat into the seminar on December 2nd.

With initial revenues from pre-seminar sales designed to offset book production costs we were able to write, market and publish the book with no out of pocket money. By utilizing the databases of all four authors, press releases, pre-event radio interviews and presentations at Chambers and local organizations, word of mouth promotions, and other low-cost/no-cost forms of promotions, we sold over 350 copies sight unseen. (Cost of the book is $19.95)

We had well over 200 people attend the seminar as some of the pre-event purchases were from folks who were out of the area.

A key to our success was having a functional website were the book was (and is) available. www.101waystogetyourfootinthedoor.com We utilized online credit card purchasing options for buyers. In that 80% of our sales were done with Internet and credit cards, we would have been remiss to not use this as a method to sell.

As we were pre-selling it was important to let people know that the cost of a seat into the seminar was the book. Also, if they didn’t make it to the seminar we would mail them the book for $4 more or they could pick it up. The $4 covered mailing costs. If we didn’t do this we would have cut way into our profit margin.

We made a strong point of letting people know they were buying the book, not the seat into the seminar. However, the only way into the seminar was to buy the book.

To gain even more value from the event and increase day of event revenues each author sold other products Back of the Room (BOR). One author sold a sales training program. The signups that day realized several thousand in additional revenue for her.

The two other authors sold specialty items and set up appointments for those who were interested in such things in their sales campaigns.

I sold my Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions program as an E-book. This helped me to generate several thousand in additional revenue. Knowing audience members were already interested in my material, I put together a special day of event package with three of my e-products bundled together. Everyone received one of my order forms upon registering.

At the end of my session I did a short sales presentation. All folks had to do was fill out the order form. With each sale, all I had to do was process their credit cards and email them the PDF document. No mailing costs or printing costs. Nearly a 100% profit margin.

Many self published authors shy away from doing presentations claiming to be an author and not a speaker. Fact is, if you get in front of a target audience who is interested in your topic and you present your ideas well the amount of books you can sell is incredible.

The book complimented by a well delivered presentation allow you to get in front of meeting planners who may be in a position to utilize your services and your book at a later date. You may also have representatives from companies who want to buy large quantities of your book.

Since the release of the book I have had some companies buy “101 Ways to Get You’re your Foot in the Door” in large quantities. Because Maxwell Publishing is my company and the book was published through Maxwell, I have the flexibility to do special runs. With a minimum purchase a client can add their logo to the front cover of the book and a personalized letter from whomever they choose included in the book. This is a great marketing tool for them with long-term benefits to their employees or customers.

Granted, myself and one of the other authors are professional speakers so presenting at an event such as I outlined is a part of our marketing model. However, two of the authors are not professional speakers per say. Yet, in their everyday business they do present frequently. However, with this event, it was a different type of presentation for them. They will be the first to admit that additional exposure and sales were worth doing this type of presentation.

Regardless of your topic the model we implemented can be used by virtually anyone. For example, if you have a book on nutrition, find a health food store who wants more foot traffic and visibility. They may be a perfect fit as a sponsor. Not only can they help you to offset costs they can help to promote the event. At the seminar you can promote their products with coupons, mentions and information provided. It’s a win/win.

If you have a book on real estate sales there’s bound to be a mortgage company who may be interested in sponsoring you. Perhaps they would be willing to buy a book for every real estate agent who does business with them. Or, they could give a book to each of their mortgage brokers.

If you have a book on childhood development, what about a baby clothing store? Perhaps the store would cross promote and give a book to each customer who buys a minimum amount of product in their store. This adds value from them to their customers and creates a win/win for you and the store.

In today’s world of writing, marketing and publishing a book, the possibilities are only limited by imagination.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Do you want to gain massive visibility within your market? Kathleen Gage can help you do just that. As a published author, keynote speaker and top rated award winning business advisor, Kathleen Gage teaches strategies that give high impact and high return. Sign up for Gage’s FR*EE Report “Learn How a Salt Lake City based consultant made over $100,000 from one idea” at www.kathleengage.com
Copyright: © 2005 by Kathleen Gage

Sherri Rosen Speaks About Writing, Self-Publishing, Publicity, etc.

2008-05-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

How many of you enjoy sex? Spirituality? Relationships? How many of you know anything about these 3 subjects? If you feel you do, write about it. Write about what you know, about your personal experiences, your truth, find your voice! Have you had your book published? Have you done your own publicity on your book? Are you a good self- promoter? Ask yourself these questions. Your responses will tell you how to take action.

One of my very first books was “How To Satisfy A Woman Every Time And Have Her Beg For More!” It was a self-published book that came out in l98l. I came along in l99l, the author hired me, and the book was on the New York Times bestseller list within 6 months and stayed on for 63 weeks. Author made millions of dollars. Got a big book deal from Penguin. Another book “Stopped Getting Dumped”, self-published. We got so much publicity for that book that it ended up being sold to Plume Books, an imprint of Penguin, for an excellent deal. I share some of these stories with you because this is where hard work and magic come in. You just never know and it’s important to think outside of the box.

My style is working with the author and/or publisher as a team. We will work with an author if we believe in his/her book. With the hard work that we put into publicity, we have got to love the book and the author. We have integrity and we won’t lie. We can turn a yes into a no. When I was working on “How To Satisfy” I kept calling the producer of a national radio show in Washington, D.C. once a month. Many months later the producer said “If I hear How To Satisfy one more time I am going to scream.” There was silence and then I said to the producer, This is my job. This is what I do.” He told me to have the author in studio 3 days later. We also place authors in areas they have never been before. One of our clients was big on the college circuit and we weaved radio and television into her tour, which was something she had never done before and it was a success. We are relentless in our follow-up. We are assertive, not aggressive. There’s a big difference.

Hire a publicist at least 3 months before the book comes out. Do it to plan strategy, pull together a press kit. Many book reviewers need to receive the book at least 3 months before the pub date. If you don’t feel confident as a self-promoter than I highly recommend you hire a publicist. Don’t do it yourself! You have gone through the painful process of writing the book, so don’t mess it up by ignoring the publicity end of it. There are all types of publicity with someone out there to match your budget. If you don’t have a good feeling when you speak to a publicist on the phone, try someone else until you find someone that resonates with you. Find someone who is just as excited about your book as you are. Many publishers will not spend the money on publicity of your book, especially if you are a first-time author. For those of you who are working with a publisher and would like them to put some money into publicity of your book, offer them a detailed proposal of what you would like to do. Don’t hesitate to hire an experienced publicist to consult with on putting together a dynamite proposal. The proposal is a sales pitch on why they should spend money on your book. Many publicists like myself will work with authors on putting it together. If you don’t want to hire a publicist for a full campaign, then just use his/her services to assist in putting together the press kit, in making it as professional as possible and to attract the attention of whoever is receiving it. You must remember that many producers and book reviewers receive hundreds of press kits every day and you want to make yours standout.

Whether you are a self-published or a published author, we suggest that you learn as much as you can about the publishing industry. How to do that is to obtain referrals of creditable individuals in the industry. You can find out this information on the Internet, going into bookstores, and finding out what agents sell what genre of books. Who was the editor that worked on the book. Many times you will find the info in the acknowledgement section. If self-published, ask around to people who have gone through the experience. Obtain referrals, speak to these people and get educated. Checkout their websites, whether it is a publicist, agent, publisher, book proposal expert. Take a look and see what is going on. This may take time but it will save you money and save you from making many big mistakes. Even if you have to spend money for one-hour consultations with professionals in the field, do it, because in the long run you will save money and save yourself from making big mistakes.

You can boost sales with minimum dollars by scheduling some events in your hometown, where you can sell the book yourself. Try to relate your presentation of your book with a local event that is going on, or a holiday event that is happening. Last month we had Valentine’s Day and if anyone had a relationship or sex book, two months prior the author needed to approach bookstores. Look in your local newspaper to see any events that are going on that you can be involved in with your book. And remember, this is investment in your future. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to visit and contact us at www.sherrirosen.com http://www.sherrirosen.com

Sherri Rosen Publicity LLC has been in business in NYC for over 9 years. We have an eclectic clientele of authors working in relationship, how to, spirituality, sexuality, and also offer manscript development.

Advice on Self-Publishing

2008-05-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

A few people emailed me for advice on self-publishing and I decided to write a small guide. There is a huge hype now days with self-publishing and companies are making lots of money from thousands of people who want to see their books in print.
My experience with self-publishing has been an OK one. Would I advise one to self-publish? Sure, as long as your expectations are not too high. Keep in mind you will not make money out of it. It is better to see the world of POD (publish on demand) as a hobby, but nothing else. The royalties in self-publishing are so low that you actually have to sell thousands of books to make money.

I put a lot of effort into my self-published book, writing and promoting it. Writing is hard, but promoting your book is even harder. When you choose a self-publish company, make sure you read carefully what they offer you. The company I chose is iUniverse. What I like about iUniverse is that if you choose a package that includes the evaluation, they will tell you what is wrong with your book. You then get a chance to work harder on your book and re-submitted to them. If you have the budget, I will advise you to buy editing services, such as line editing. This is what I did to correct the grammar and spelling errors. Self-publishing is expensive and you will not make much money out of it. It is only a hobby.

Many self-publishing companies offer several services, depending on how much money you want to invest in your book. Keep in mind that you will not make much money out of self-publishing. If you are a very talented writer and you think you have an amazing book, I advice you to keep looking for a traditional publishing house to publish your book. I tried to publish my book with a traditional publishing house, but trust me it is really a ‘mission impossible.’

Other traps to look for in self-publishing: there really is no need to keep pouring money into your book. There are many companies out there who will do anything for your book for a large sum of money. IUniverse for example, offers expensive editing with the help of skilled people. After a few thousand dollars that you invested in your book, you can get the label ‘Editor’s choice’ and if you sell five hundred copies, you get a chance to see your book re-published by a traditional house. It sounds very promising, but trust me from my experience, to sell five hundred copies is a really hard thing to do. Many people are still very skeptical buying a self-published book.

I worked very hard at promoting my book. Here are some ways to do it: send it to reviewers, distribute printed postcards with the information on your book, tell all your friends about it and advertise it as much as you can on the internet or anywhere else you can.

I put together a list of self-publishing houses that you should look at: iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Infinity Publishing, Llumina Press, Aventine Press, etc. Of course there are some other companies out there, some more expensive then others, but those are the ones I would recommend. I do not recommend the really cheap self-publishing companies, such as LULU, because they do not check the content of your book. They will print just about anything for money. If you think your book is fantastic and needs no additional work, then you can publish very inexpensively with them.

There are a bunch of places where you can send your book for review. BookConnector site has been a great help for me in finding internet sites that do book reviews. They have a huge list with places where to send your book for review. You should not pay for a book review! Book reviews should be free of cost. I had very positive experience with most of the review sites, except for one, from where I got a bad review. Try to read other reviews first from where you choose to send your book to, see if they give decent reviews. Some places might scrutinize your book too much and you really don’t want that for publicity. In the writing business, opinions can differ so much from one person to another, so you really need feedback from a lot of people before you decide if your book is good or not. If ten people gave you good reviews and one person gave you a bad review, you might tend to forget about the later one. Otherwise, I really had a good experience with reviews, so I definitely recommend you to send an email query first to ask for a review.

If you believe you have a fantastic book, you can also try to send it to local newspapers or radio stations for interviews. But really, try to query the place first to see if they want to accept your book.

Self-publishing is a great hobby and unless you have a passion to write and promote your own book, you will not be able to succeed much. A traditional way of publishing is definitely the key to success, but it really is almost impossible to get in.

Article by: Manuela Anne-Marie Pop

Should You Self-Publish Your Books? Signs That You Should

2008-05-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

Are you an author who has a book that you would like to see published? If so, have you received multiple rejection letters from both large and small publishing houses? If you have, your first thought may be to give up. Of course, it is your right to do so, but did you know that you do have other options? One of those options is to self-publish your own book.

Before examining if self-publishing your own book is right for you, it is first important to familiarize yourself with self-publishing, namely what it is. Self-publishing involves writing, developing, and selling a book without the assistance of a third party publishing company. Book authors are responsible for writing a book, editing a book, and finding a company to print the book, as well as selling the book. Self-published authors typically sell their books on their own websites or they approach retailers, both on and offline.

As for whether or not self-publishing a book is the right option for you, there are some signs that you will want to look for. A few signs that self-publishing may be your best option are highlighted below for your convenience.

Sign #1 – You Have Received Multiple Rejection Letters

What it is first important to understand about the publishing process is that few authors receive offers from publishers on their first, second, or even third try. In fact, some authors try as many as fifty times or more to get just one book published before they receive an offer.

As a good rule to set for yourself, be sure to send your manuscript to as many publishers as you possibly can, especially those that are looking for what you have, such as an environmental themed children’s book or a science fiction novel. When there are no more publishers left, consider self-publishing.

Sign #2 – Despite Rejection Letters You Still Believe You Have a Good Book

Self-publishing is a wise choice for many, but for others it can be a costly mistake. Before deciding to go ahead with self-publishing a book, it is important to make sure that you are fully behind your book. Do you honestly and truly believe in your heart that you have a good book on your hands? If you do, self-publishing may be for you.

Sign #3 – You Have a Book with Limited Readers

When many of us think of publishing a book, we automatically think of captivating stories. Fiction books are not the only types of books written, although they do typically tend to have the largest audiences. If you have written a how-to book or a guide on a specific area that is likely to only draw in a limited number of readers, self-publishing may be your best option. Many well-known publishers tend to stay away from books that only have small target audiences.

Sign #4 – You Want to Retain the Largest Profit

Self-published authors stand the best chance of making the biggest profit. This is because publishing fees are not taken out of their profits. With that said, it is important to remember that self-publishing is not free. You will have to pay to have your books developed in print, but that fee is typically smaller than the cut that many well-known publishers take. There are always ways that you can save money with self-publishing, like by printing on demand, as opposed to a large quantity of books on hand.

Of course, it is important to remember that just because you want to make money, it doesn’t mean that you will. If you want to make the most money with a self-published book, you have do to the proper amount of marketing.

As a reminder, it is important to remember that there are a number of pros and cons to self-publishing. With that being said, self-publishing may be the best option for you. If you truly believe that you have a book that will sell, you are encouraged to closely examine self-publishing, as you have nothing to lose by doing so.

from: taykts.blogspot.com

Self-Publishing: How Important Is An ISBN Number?

2007-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

You've weighed all your options and have determined that self-publishing makes the most sense for your foray into publishing. You understand that there is an increase in the need to self-market your title, but there is also a correlating increase in profit margin. Other risks have been assessed and youre comfortable moving forward in the direction you've chosen.

Have you applied for an ISBN number?

"What's that?" You might be asking yourself. Well, an ISBN (International Standard BookNumber) is a specific number that helps identify your book and has provided the standard of book identification since 1970.

Some brick and mortar stores as well as online retailers have policies that disqualify the sale of a book that does not contain an ISBN.

The cost to purchase an ISBN may seem prohibitive for many. Heres the basic cost structure...

Registration Fee: $24.95

Service Fee for 10 ISBN's: $225.00

Annual Fee: $25

Manual Processing Fee (if you file a print application): $50

Express Service (if required): $125

If you needed an ISBN number quickly you would spend close to $450 to get one. The truth is, you receive up to ten ISBNs for the price listed above, but the acquisition of an ISBN doe note provide a distinction between the need for one or ten separate numbers, ultimately you pay the same price. This can be a benefit I you have additional titles planned, but can be a hefty expense for a single book

The online web address for ISBN acquisition is http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/secureapp.asp

You should know that there are resellers of International Standard BookNumbers and you can purchase a single ISBN for around $50 through these services. Another alternate avenue for the purchase of an ISBN is through your book printer. These printing firms often provide this as a service to their printing customers simply because they realize that you may not need 10 ISBN numbers and you may not wish to pay $300-400 for the use of a single ISBN.

The task of self-publishing may seem daunting, but it can be successfully done. Just as you spent time researching the subject matter for your book, so too is the process for the publication process. Beyond the need for an ISBN you will also need to manage copyright issues as well as filing your work with the Library of Congress. Again in many cases a qualified book printer can address these issues although you may find a less expensive alternative with a little online comparison-shopping.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (http://www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers.

Article from: http://indoormeetingbkgwqld.blogspot.com/2007/12/self-publishing-how-important-is-isbn.html

Self Publish Serenade

2007-12-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

A New Way To Self Publish

More and more good authors are turning to the Internet to self publish. There are several reasons for that. All of them are probably well known to every writer by now, so we'll not go into them here. What we'll talk about here is a new way to self publish.

Everyone has, by now, heard of ebooks. This is a wonderful way to publish on the net, but it requires special programs to empliment it. And there are web sites that will do all that for you for a fee. But what if you simply can't afford it or you don't want to pay anyone?

This idea I've come up with may be out there in left field, but out in left field is where you usually find some great ideas. Here is what I found.

Create a credit card account somewhere first. Pick any company you are comfortable with and doesn't cost a great deal. After that is all set, put your novel on your web site, create its own page, and use the ariel font. Use size 10 for the main text. Your title and chapter headings can be larger.

Write an intro page for your novel and create a separate page for it. Here is where you'll put any illustrations you may have. So people will have an example of your writing, copy and paste the first chapter of your novel and put it here, too. Also on this page will be the link to your credit card payment company.

The next step is to set up your credit card account to connect with the novel page after your customers have paid for it and then they can simply print out the novel or copy and paste it to their Word or Works program that is already on their computers.

This is a simple and yet effective way to self publish and it does not cost you anything, either. Out in left field, I know, but hey. Anything to survive, huh?

Anna Kathryn Bir is a published author of many sci fi short stories. One of them was a Star Trek story. You can find her sci fi novels on her web site http://e-sac.com.

The Benefits of Print-On-Demand

2007-11-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

Print-on-demand is being increasingly
mentioned nowadays, especially as an alternative to large print-runs
and expensive inventory-carrying costs. For first-time, amateur and
self-publishing authors, the benefits are fairly obvious. However,
companies too can benefit from print-on-demand and realize a
significant reduction in their administrative costs. Some of the
organizations that can benefit from print-on-demand are:

a. Schools and Educational Institutions: Students
now expect to be spoken to and print-on-demand allows that. By
tailoring college admission forms and prospectuses, students can be
made to feel that the college actually cares about them. Placement
brochures can also be developed according to the company being targeted
- having profiles of only the interested students. Back in the
classroom, professors have taken to compiling notes, that can be
updated each time advances in the particular field occur. Professors
may also choose to compile their lecture notes into a convenient text
book to be distributed only among students.

b. Small and Medium Enterprises: SMEs stand to
benefit for many reasons, particularly due to the fact that budgets are
small. Print-on-demand allows SMEs to target their marketing campaign
brochures and pamphlets, designing a different one for each customer.
It affords SMEs the professionalism of handsome looking financial
reports and user-manuals without the (financial) burden of large print
runs. Most print-on-demand companies, including CinnamonTeal Print
& Publishing Services, also offer delivery as part of their
services and this allows SMEs to outsource this mundane, yet
time-consuming, task. These benefits can be accrued by NGOs too.

c. Large Enterprises: Large enterprises can do well
to rid itself of the costs of having a small print shop within its four
walls by engaging the services of a print-on-demand provider. Such an
initiative allows corporations to have their many documents printed,
handsomely bound and dispatched without having to worry too much about
the logistical and administrative aspects of the tasks. Such
corporations can also endear themselves to new employees and their
families by developing material handed over during induction that is
more personalized than just “Hello Vinay”. Personalized literature may
include a photograph of the new employee along with his/her personal
information and benefits.

d. Publishing Houses: Print-on-demand can help make
available backlists, out-of-print, and “Long Tail” content. In a
country like India, this is especially significant as information can
be disseminated according to its relevance to a particular region.
Publishers can use print-on-demand to print copies of books when
individual or small batch orders are reported, or when it appears that
there is renewed interest in a title. The publisher can do this without
having to invest time and money in large print runs and expensive
storage, thereby betting against uncertain demand.

e. Libraries and Bookstores: Many libraries have
taken to print-on-demand to meet the need for books, especially those
out of copyright. Instead of ordering for copies of a book and, perhaps
losing a customer, print-on-demand seems a better option to instantly
gratify the customer. The same holds for bookstores too, legal issues
notwithstanding.

f. Marketing Agencies: Print-on-demand allows
marketing agencies to deliver very personalized messages to prospective
customers. These messages could have information tailored to ones
tastes and preferences as well as reflect regional conditions.
Marketing material such as brochures for an apparel firm could,
therefore, market a different set of clothes line for customers living
in Chennai and a different set for customers living in Jammu.

Print-on-demand is also about being responsible about your
investments and thinking strategically about areas where savings can be
realised. To see how print-on-demand can help your company, do write to
us at editorialservices@dogearsetc.com or visit our website at http://cinnamonteal.dogearsetc.com.
CinnamonTeal Print & Publishing Services is a print-on-demand
service provider, the only one in India that publishes any number of
copies, from 1 to 1000.

Article from: Cinnamonteal.rediffiland.com

Does Self-Publishing Wreck Poetry Careers?

2007-11-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

Posted by Robert

Received this question via e-mail from poet Liesl Garner:

"Last year I performed a poetry show at our local Fringe Festival. I got wonderful reviews, and I am performing a Repeat Performance in October of this year. The Fringe Festival is every Spring, and I plan to participate each year. After my first show, I was asked if I had my poetry printed in a chapbook for sale. I didn't, but for the Repeat Performance I want to have that available for audience members. I'm actually thinking of doing a chapbook for each year's performance. Is it bad for my hopes and dreams of someday becoming a published poet to be doing my own publishing of chapbooks?

"Currently, I just don't have the time to be submitting with the numbers I would have to in order to get noticed by a publisher. However, on my local scene, I have a large fan base that wants to see my work in print.

"Thanks, Liesl Garner"

Before I get into my ramble, you should probably read Nancy's Published Is Published post about what self-publishing will do to those poems that are self-published in the eyes of editors. Then, come back here to read what I have to say.

(Tapping on desk as Liesl reads Nancy's post. Ba-ba-ba. Humming to self.)

Back?

Okay then.

So you now know that self-publishing any of your poems will have editors considering those specific poems already published, right? That doesn't mean your career is over, it just means these specific poems are now only available as reprints. This fact can hurt when submitting to poetry journals and magazines or even chapbook contests. But the publication of some of your poems does not affect what you do with other poems that are not self-published.

If you decide that for the current crop of poems you wish to self-publish that it is okay if they risk being only available in your self-published chapbook format, then you should go for it. More and more poets are doing this. However, if you wish to see any of these specific poems in some journal or future chapbook competition winning collection, you may not want to include in your self-publishing effort.

As far as actually self-publishing, I advise you to either go with a local printer that you can work with directly--or there are some online POD companies that allow you to print and publish only one book at a time, which dramatically lowers the investment you have to make in your self-publishing venture. I'm sure some very nice poets (hint, hint) could even give suggestions in the blog comments below. Even if not, that's why God created Google; just type "POD Publishers" into Google, and you will receive plenty of online resources of how and who to proceed with.

On another note, there's no shame in self-publishing. Through the ages, poets have been especially prone to self-publication. And that trend only seems to be expanding even more with online and POD technologies now available to poets.

Just remember: Self-publishing does equal publishing. So those specific poems that are self-published could pay the price with publishers in the short term. Of course, most poets would agree that you're not risking much financially by self-publishing over traditional publication. For many, the main goal is to just reach an engaged audience.

Best,

Robert

Source: Writersdigest.com

Self-Publishing The Hard Way: The Art Of Giving Birth

2007-11-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

You know? When you publish a book and send it out into the world, it 's like giving birth to a baby. Everyone checks out your baby. Is it breath-taking? Does it have ten toes and ten fingers? Is it pink and sweet or does it look like an extra from "Alien?" We writers are baring our souls, our deepest thoughts, and our feelings lay open like a cavernous wound. We can't hide anymore. They know us inside and out. Now they see our baby, and they get to pick it to pieces, bit by bit, until the only thing left is a fuzzy blanket.

Oh, hell, we know that and go right on writing, don't we? It 's in our DNA. We can't help ourselves, we're masochists.

When I started this whole book-writing process, I had full intentions of finding an agent and/or a traditional publisher; they'd do all the work while I sat back and listened to "Ca-ching, Ca-ching." However my journey to that end has been long and stress-filled and I ended up doing just the opposite...I'd kept a daily journal while living in Thailand in the 90s. When I returned to the States, I copied my journal onto a floppy and had it printed, spiral-bound, and mailed it out to friends and family so they could read about all my trials and tribs while abroad. One of the friends who read it insisted that I make a book out of it.

"You know," she said, "like the book 'A Year in Provence.'" I immediately ran out and bought the book and was amazed at the problems that the author had endured in a short year. I just knew that if his book sold, then mine would also, however, life got in the way of living and I put it aside.

I joined some creative writing classes a few years later, and with encouragement from my peers I began the long road of putting the journal into book form. In 2003, when I finally thought I'd finished it, I entered it into the Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego. While there, I read chapters from my story in the Read and Critique groups and the attendees laughed in all the right places and even clapped, (I'd hoped it wasn’t because they were happy I'd finished). At the end of the conference I was notified that I'd won the Best Nonfiction award for my story and an agent asked for my manuscript. Wow! That just doesn’t happen unless they love it! I knew I was ready for the Pulitzer.

Then I began to panic. What if it isn't perfect? I had talked to a "book doctor" at the conference who advised me that my story "…needed some conflict. Who really cares about a housewife who 's having a good time in Thailand? Give them a reason to turn the page." Okay, that 's what I'll do. There certainly was plenty of conflict in my life in Thailand, but I'd left it out; it was painful to relive and I wanted it to be a humorous book. I emailed the agent and told her I wasn't ready. Take your time, she’d said. It 's not time sensitive.

So began the journey of "weaving" the conflict into my story. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done. It was three years before I felt it was good enough to be a real book. But, those three years were not only spent rewriting. I took online writing classes and signed up at the local college for creative writing classes, I attended a critique group every week, putting my chapters up to their scrutiny as they tore it apart and helped put it back together. The rest of the time I was editing my life away. But as Stephen King says in his book On Writing: edit, edit and edit. And when you think it 's perfect, edit some more. My husband had a name for my constant editing: "Paralysis by analysis."

When I felt I had everything in place, I looked for professional editing. I first paid the book doctor $500 to tell me that it needed help. He didn't give me any, just told me it needed it. I found a line-editor in Canada, who did a great job, and then I hired a freelance editor; total for both $600; quite inexpensive in today 's editing market.

During those three years, I also did a lot of reading on the publishing world; agents, print-on-demand (PODs) and off-set printing companies. I attended conferences specifically on "How to get published." The more I heard and read, the more I thought: From all the conferences I'd attended, the agent panels were the most disillusioning. I learned that agents don't want you if you've not been published, and publishers don't want you if you've not been published, or don't have an agent, who doesn't want you either. Who needs 'em?

Publishers don't want you if you don't have a "platform!" A what? To my dismay I learned that I needed to have my own buying public. There was no publisher that was going to run out and sell my book for me, pay for my cross-country book signings and hotel rooms, unless of course I was a King or a Grisham or a Joyce Carol Oates. Then of course, there 's the eighteen month wait for the book to appear on the shelves after the publisher accepts it (if the publisher doesn't decide to pull the plug at the last minute), and don't forget the two years that it takes the agent to shop around for a publisher who might decide to pull the plug at the last minute. Who has that long? I don't even buy green bananas anymore.

Wow! I remember my table mates and I frowning as we listened to the dire answers of this panel of agents and publishers. So how do we get published? Well, we have two options so it seemed: 1) have an agent living next door who loves your home cooked brownies or has a crush on your husband, or 2) know a publisher whose kid mows your lawn or has a crush on you. Not living in New York was going to be a definite drawback. Should I move? Okay, how about a POD? I was fortunate to have a friend who is a small press publisher of railroad books. He offered to put my manuscript into a Quark Express PDF file (which is the format printers prefer). He did an incredible job putting it together for me. He felt that if I had the print setup taken care of, I could approach a POD and save some money.

I signed up for the POD classes at the conferences I attended, where they explained everything I needed to know about their business ─ except how they kept most of the author 's money while they got big and rich and the author got $3.09 per book. Okay, well, $3.09 a book is not that bad. Maybe I could make it. But, wait, I had to pay them to print my book, and then pay them to buy my book back from them; too many "thems" going on here. Something didn't compute. Maybe I should chuck the book and go into the POD business.

Well, I succumbed. I bought a book called The Fine Print of Self Publishing by Mark Levine, an attorney, then sat down to do some homework. After going over all the PODs he listed with a fine-tooth calculator, I realized that I could pay as much as $30,000 to one such POD group, but hey, my books would be free. How generous of them. Or, I could choose a POD group charging as low as $299, but I'd still have to buy my own books back at about $8.00 each.

I finally settled on a firm I'll call "Dewey Cheatem & Howe" (name changed to protect the guilty), and thought I'd finally get on with this damn book printing. They sent me a sample of their work that was done beautifully. I signed on the dotted line, waited three more weeks and then my author 's copy was delivered. And there it sat. On my desk. Opened to the first page, which I couldn't read. I started bawling. Where is my baby? The font was so garbled that it was illegible. There was a space after every capital letter and the other letters were so piled on each other you couldn't make out the words.

When I'd used all the Kleenex in my desk drawer, I called them. Of course, no one was on the other end, save for the automated voice of their mailboxes. But at least I got rid of my postpartum anger. I cried and said very imperiously, "HOLD THE PRESSES! I will not accept this book. I will call Visa (of course they already had my money) and stop payment and …" I felt like an inner tube impaled on a sharp rock. Then I called my friend, the publisher. "Of course you can do this on your own. You have the file, just find a good printing company."

I inquired around and found out that I could get my book printed overseas at half the cost of stateside. I began to get phone numbers and surfed websites. There were some good deals to be made overseas; however, the problem was I needed a broker. So after the broker took his cut, and the shipping charges were added, a stateside printer looked better. Plus, the thought of having a problem and not being able to connect at once with your printer was worrisome.

I searched the Internet and found many websites where you could input the details of your book, number of pages, size of book, print run, etc., and within a week I got a bid from ten printing companies. After picking one printer (not the cheapest), I felt we had a fit. I spoke to the owner, who offered to throw in a hundred free books, which might have had something to do with my decision. He checked out my website while we were speaking, loved the site and the look of my book and of course, he had me. He also offered storage and order fulfillment. Now, all I had to do was put our house on the market and clear out our 401K.

I know what you're thinking. Sure, maybe she has it, but not everyone can come up with that much money. Yes, you can if you want to. We took an equity line on our home and as the money comes rolling in, I'll be making payments on the equity line. We authors must be optimists. Really! If you don't believe in your book, who will?

I ran off my own bookmarks and saved a few hundred dollars. I used the cover of the book, wrote a short synopsis on the back, and had 500 printed. I have handed out those bookmarks on airplanes and in airports; Seattle, Palm Desert, San Diego, Portugal, New York, Australia, New England… well maybe not personally, but I've given them to people who live in those places and they were happy to have them and said they'd pass them on. I've handed them out in restaurants to women sitting around me; two of them bought my book right on the spot. My friends call me "A self-promoting slut."

I have to leave you now, as that 's where I am in this wonderful world of the written word, where the writing was easy… now comes the hard part ─ marketing!

About the Author

Dodie Cross is a freelance writer who has received numerous awards for her writing and poetry. Dodie has traveled the world, writing about her life in foreign countries. Learn more at: ABroadinThailand.com.

Source: Content4reprint.com

10 Easy Steps to Becoming a Best-Selling Christian Author

2007-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

by: Scott Douglas

Step One – Degrees, degrees, and more degrees. No one can be a Christian author without having several degrees. This presents the false image that you are smart, and therefore are perfectly capable of writing a propaganda novel.

Several Christian institutes offer degrees for people who don’t actually attend college, or do any work—take full advantage of these. Stay away from institutes that offer BA’s and MA’s—go right for the PhD programs, then people will think you’re super smart.

Step Two – Start up non-profit organizations. This will give the false image that you are a good person, and therefore are perfectly capable of writing a propaganda novel. There’s really no need to spend anytime running these organizations—it’s the name that’s important, so spend all of your time coming up with a really catchy name. Keep in mind that no one is going to actually research that this is a legitimate non-profit organization, so don’t stress out when you start feeling guilty for not actually doing anything. Christian’s never actually do research, so you’re in the clear on this one.

Step Three – Research. If people are going to take you seriously, then you have to pretend you have spent researching your book. How do you research a topic that you haven’t even thought up yet? Easy, you don’t. You don’t actually research during this step—you just have to make people think you did. Spend time in the library reading comics; this will help you while trying to think up funny antidotes for your yet to be written story.

Step Four – Think up what you’re going to write about. Don’t worry about knowing anything about your topic—you can get this experience after you complete the book. Think up something controversial and catchy. Don’t worry about creating a factual story in this step—you can make truth later. Writing about a group of liberal scientist using stem cell research to create cloned homosexual monkeys, for example, would be a perfect topic—it’s timely, controversial, and catchy.

Step Five – Attend Christian writing conferences. This will give you time to relax, while making your family believe you are working on something important. Talk to agents, editors, and other writers about what you are currently working on. Make sure you emphasize your achievements running non-profit organizations, and your multiple degrees—this will really impress them.

Step Six – Write. You will learn quickly about procrastination, so set goals. Spend no more then two weeks writing your book; this time span will prevent you from being tempted into conducting research and interviews. It’s important to write whatever pops into your mind. This will give the book lots of energy.

Step Seven – Create truth. If you have written about something that doesn’t really exist, then make it exist. For example, if you were writing about liberal scientist using stem cell research to create cloned homosexual monkeys, take the time now to fund such research.

Step Eight – Give yourself creditability. This step is especially important if you have written about something you do not know about. Don’t spend time learning factual information about the topic, there really is no need, and you want to get the book publish ASAP so you can write several more just like it.

Step Nine – Publish your book. If no respectable publisher takes you seriously, then self-publish. Publishers will be begging to sign your next book once they see you racking in the dough.

Step Ten – Travel the lecture circuit. This step is important if you want people to actually buy your book. Remember that when lecturing, the angrier you sound, the more people will take you seriously and buy your book. Also, remember to spend at least ten to twenty minutes boasting about your multiple PhDs and how you single-handedly started several non-profit organizations that the world has greatly benefited from.

Visit Christianhumorist.blogspot.com for more articles from the author.

Children’s Books with POD Self-Publishing

2007-11-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

Several posts ago I mentioned that POD is least effective for children's book publishing. I'll explain why I believe that. There are a couple of reasons, but they are all related to production cost. Of course, when I say "children's book" I mean a book with full color images or illustrations inside. Here's a shocker: it is more expensive to print a book that has full color pages than to print a book that only has black and white pages. Here's another shocker: most children's book are shorter than normal books.

Most POD production costs are based upon the page count of the book. From what I can tell, those PODs who offer full-color printing do so at prices that range from 12 cents to 40 cents per color page. Blurb and CafePress and Lulu are at the upper end (no surprise there, they don't have up-front fees and make up for it by up-charging on a per-page basis). Xlibris, Outskirts Press, Trafford, and AuthorHouse are fee-based POD services that also offer full-color printing. Their per-page printing seems to be toward the lower end of that scale. Let's say 20 cents per page for a mathematical example.

Let's assume the children's book is a typical 32 page book. That's $6.4 just for the interior of the book. All these publishers (even the free ones) add on a "binding fee" to the production cost of the book (which is either a base production fee on top of which the page count fee is added, or an "up charge" that is basically ensures their profit). Since most of these places use Lightning Source for their printing, and LSI charges 90 cents for a paperback binding, let's go with that number. Hell, let's give each of these places 10 cents per book (because they are businesses and have to make some money, somewhere -- it's only fair, right?). So, that's $6.4 for the interior printing and $1 for the paperback cover. That's $7.4 for the production cost of the book, minimum.

There are various schools of thought on what a retail price should be for a book. Some "experts" say you should multiply your production cost by 2.5 (giving you a retail price of $18.50 for our example). Others say you should multiply it by 8 (giving you a retail price of $59.2). Of course, those who say you should multiply it by 8 are printing 10,000 copies in China for $1 a book. That's about as far from the POD business model as you can get.

So, we'll stick with the 2.5 x philosophy to make it easy. That provides a retail price of $18.50 for a 32 page children's book. Does that sound high to you? In relation to the other children's books you have seen on the shelf? Of course it is.

It gets worse. Most commercial children's books are in hardcover. The minute you add hardcover binding to the POD production process, that $1 "binding fee" from above turns into $5. Now you're looking at a 32 page book over $20.

Lightning Source, Inc. currently doesn't offer hardback books for their full color printing. Therefore, some publishers engage in a bait and switch. Xlibris, for example, offers hardback full color books in their marketing materials, but if you carefully read the fine print, you discover that a paperback edition will be the one that is distributed through Ingram (due to the LSI shortcomings above). Xlibris isn't the only one who does this. Lulu uses Color Centric out of New York to print the books their authors buy direct, but they use Lightning Source to print the distributed versions. Same as Xlibris, they also clarify in small print that a paperback edition of the full-color book is what is distributed. I wonder how many of their "1 million registered users" are blissfully unaware of this. Well, since Lulu books sell an average of 1.8 copies each, and 1 copy is required to be purchased by the author herself, that leaves .8 copies that are purchased from either the Lulu website, or through distribution online. So, in other words, no one is buying the LSI versions of Lulu's books. Their secret is safe. I wonder if the same holds true for Xlibris...

Source: Unioncopy.com

Is Self Publishing the Right Choice for You and Your Book?

2007-11-14T03:01:00.000-08:00

Copyright (c) 2007 Gail Richards

Self-publishing, although not a new phenomenon, is now a legitimate acceptable route to a published book for an author. In the self-publishing model, the author keeps the rights to his or her book but pays all the costs for producing, printing, and marketing the book and other ancillary products.

Self-publishing is a better option than it once was because technological advances have made it easier for an author to write, design, and create her own book. In addition, it is now more cost-effective to print in smaller quantities, meaning that the initial investment in printing and inventory is now more feasible for the average person.

To self-publish, an author must have enough capital to produce the book and enough time to write, produce, market, and ship the product. In essence, he or she starts a new business around his or her book.

One of the important choices to be made by self-publishers is to select a printer. Today, a number of printers specialize in books, particularly in printing small quantities. These are known as print-on-demand (POD) publishers. They are primarily printers, but they may add editorial or marketing services.

Most authors think of the difficulty of self-publishing as the logistics of knowing how to get a book designed and typeset and how much to spend to get a book printed. But this is the easy part. What is much more difficult is getting your book marketed appropriately and distributed in some way. It is still a reality that self-published books rarely find their way to bookstore shelves on a national level, and it is equally hard to find a distributor for them.

The other drawback of self-publishing is that the printer will print whatever you send. If you send a book that hasn't been edited or proofread or that isn't commercially viable (meaning there really isn't an audience), the printer will do just as beautiful a job as if the book were an award-winner. In other words, no one will stop you from spending money on a book that isn't ready for publication.

Another approach is for the author to choose self-publishing first, establishing the book as viable in the market and then shopping for a traditional publisher. This accomplishes several objectives, one of which is to allow you to have a product to sell much more quickly since the typical traditional publisher will take twelve to eighteen months to get your book on the market after you sign the contract.

If you self-publish initially, you are likely to be more patient and find just the right publisher because you won't be in a hurry to get your book out. In addition, a traditional publisher will continue to allow you to sell your book while they are preparing your book with them. You will have a product to sell during a little over a year's preparation. The traditionally published book, in essence, becomes the second edition of your book.

About the Author

Gail Richards is founder of http://www.AuthorSmart.com a dynamic website connecting aspiring authors with the classes, audio library, tools, information and resources needed to make smart, informed decisions at each step in the nonfiction book publishing journey. Jan King is the founder of http://www.eWomenPublishingNetwork.com a membership organization devoted to supporting and coaching women who become successfully published nonfiction authors.

What you Dont Know About Book Publishing Can Cost You

2007-07-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

Dream that your book can be a number one best seller? Read books or visit Web sites that say they have your answers? -- All you need to do is get their program, follow their advice, and the world is yours. Or, you think I'll write it, but someone else can market and promote it. And that would be who? Publishers certainly don't promote unknown authors.

Which author are you?

1. Individual dreamer. Naive, you don't know what makes a saleable book, nor want to promote it. You often contact the Print on Demand companies who charge little on the front end, but over price your book and overcharge for your wholesale copies too. They make money. The author doesn't.

2. An unknown seeking prestige writer. You know your book can beat the odds. You write a longer book like winners in your field, chase the traditional publishing dream so you will be respected, get on Oprah, and get a big agent/publisher deal.

Think again. These businesses accept 1-2% of the top submissions. Unless you are famous, you will miss out and spend a lot of time and money trying to get their attention. Check with other authors whose publishing adventure went south. Know that even if you get on the shows, you don't get a guarantee of selling books. In two years, one client went broke getting ready for Dr. Phil's show (printed 20,000 books) and when he got on, he didn't have enough money to write a good sales page for Phil's Web site that was only up two weeks.

3. A businessperson who wants their book to brand their business and attract higher paying clients. You may want a publisher for prestige, but some of you will opt for a self-publishing approach where you will make all the profits. You know no one else will do it for you, so you spend time and money on learning how to write a saleable book as well as promoting it--especially Online.

4. An open-minded savvy person who knows there are multiple ways to write and publish a saleable book. You can leverage your success writing a print and eBook, and learn how to connect with the huge, Online audience, ready to buy books conveniently and fast on many topics.

You don't have to publish the slow, hard, alone way. Educate yourself on self-publishing and its rewards that give many an author/business person like myself a healthy income.

Article Source: Steplerning.blogspot.com

The Best P.R.: Self-Publishing

2007-07-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing establishes credibility and provides you with a better launchpad for self-promotion (and extra revenue!) than publishing your own book.

You don't have to be the greatest writer in the world - you can always hire a ghost-writer, co-author, or editor - as long as you possess specific expertise and/or knowledge that others may find valuable enough to want to read about.

With the advent of Print on Demand (POD) technology, it's also relatively simple and easy to create books that look as professional as any you'd find on the shelves of Barnes & Noble.

How It Works
You send your text (or "copy") to an online POD company; they design the book and print as many copies as you want, as often as you want. The cost for design and getting your copy printer-ready can be as low as $199, with each copy costing another $5 to $12. For more, you can publish a full-color picture book or comic book, photo album or art portfolio. (Xlibris.com offers complete packages that start at $999.)

Buyer Beware
Less-reputable firms may skimp on paper quality and production values, so request a sample before you sign the contract. And be wary of add-ons: Most companies try to sell you extra services, such as proofreading and marketing, that may not be very effective...they're printers, not editorial or marketing firms, after all.

Seller Beware
To sell your books online, select a POD company with e-commerce capabilities that will list you on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble's website; and invest in a book or course on Internet marketing. A few writers have sold as many as 5,000 copies this way, but they tend to be the exception. To become a best-selling or prize-winning author, you'll probably need a traditional agent and publisher.

Source: aynbrand.blogspot.com

Celebrate Your Independence - Publish in July!!!

2007-07-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Looking for the right Self-Publisher? Below is the TOP two Self Publishing Companies and what they are offering to you this month.

Xlibris - Xlibris is celebrating Independence Day. Join the festivities and publish your book with a bang this July. We are making your publishing experience even better with huge savings on the publishing package that is perfect for you. Call before July 16 to take part in this celebration and take up to $1,650 off your selected publishing service.

iUniverse - Publish your book now to SAVE money and get more FREE books!

POD is not Vanity is not Self Publish

2007-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

POD is a technology. It's a way to print books. It's quite useful for printing small quantities, particularly if there is intermittent demand. LOTS of publishers who are not vanity houses or scam mills use POD technology. University presses spring to mind, as do very small limited runs of very tightly focused books. POD is not evil.

Vanity presses can use POD technology OR they can use webfeed technology. Vanity presses are essentially printers with some support staff. They'll help you print up nice editions of whatever you want. You pay for this. It's called vanity because they don't acquire the book. Acquire means there is an editorial staff choosing particular books to publish. Vanity houses do not maintain lists, issue catalogs or sell books in bookstores. Vanity presses are not evil

Self publishers can use POD technology or webfeed technology. Self publishers are not vanity presses in the everyday sense of the word. They are "vanity" in the sense that there isn't an acquisition but the two phrases are used to mean different things in publishing. Lots of people self publish for a lot of reasons. Self publishing is not evil.

POD/scam mills are companies set up to persuade you, the author, that printing your book with their company is the equivalent to having it acquired by a publisher. They charge you money. Unlike a respectable vanity press, they don't copy edit or produce high quality products. They are out to make money on volume. They prey on author's insecurities and lack of knowledge. POD/scam mills are the scum of the earth.

Whether a company is the scum of the earth depends on how they run their business, not how they print their books.

There are several POD companies that do not try to persuade you that you have but to print up books with them to be on your way to fame and glory. Lulu and CafePress come to mind. There are others I'm sure.

There will be a quiz.

posted by Miss Snark at Misssark.blogspot.com

Self Publishing At Speed Of Thought

2007-06-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Publishing, both electronic and hard copy, from articles to books, has come a long way in recent years. I used to be fascinated by anyone who had become a "real" author of a book. For that matter, anyone who had been published in a magazine or newspaper!

The whole thing seemed so validating for authors, yet getting published, so cryptic. How do you become "published?" How did you get someone to take your subject so seriously that they gave you a retainer to finish your project and then published and sold your books for you?

These and many other questions always flew around my head in the years that it took me to figure out how publishing, the traditional kind, worked. Then came the internet. Then everything changed.

And the changes today are more radical than ever before. You can completely publish your own work from the first sentence you write to the first time you flip through the pages of your book, all through the internet.

In fact, self publishing your own book is verging on common place these days. And publishing your work entirely on the web, with blogs or through a regular website is almost old hat to many people.

Some very famous people today are "bloggers." People who have a site that they constantly and instantly update with their articles and blurbs on politics and trillions of other subjects. If you don't have a blog in some circles, you are not even considered worth talking to.

If you are an aspiring writer and are mystified by traditional publishing "rules" fear not! You can take the bull by the horns and publish on the web by choosing from all kinds of software and services that suit you best.

If you want a book you wrote to be published, to hold in your hands and give to friends and family and even stock in Barnes and Noble or sell at Amazon, nothing is holding you back anymore! You can literally control the whole publishing process from start to finish yourself.

There are print on demand services that cater solely to self publishers these days. You can have a batch of books printed in runs as small as 50 books at very reasonable prices. Here is just one source of valuable self publishing information I found with a quick search engine query:

http://www.bookpublisher.com/publish-your-book.cfm

There are myriad free sources of information on the web that teach you how to get your own ISBN and UPC codes so you can sell your book in major and minor bookstores anywhere in the world.

I know people who have taken their self published books and gone to #1 on Amazon with them through savvy, guerilla-style marketing campaigns that really aren't that hard to learn and master.

If you aren't into paper it is even easier to get published and become known through the internet. You no longer have to be a geek to figure it out and there and tons of resources out there to help you figure out which method of online publishing is right for you.

If you are an article writer you can become an almost overnight success just by learning how to get syndicated all over the web, possibly being picked up by a very major online or offline publisher. I know people who's entire lives have changed over night, literally, after syndicating their articles to choice publishing "clearinghouses" on the net.

Below are just a few of the hundreds of sites that can help you get started learning about publishing online and offline.

Tale Chaser Publishing is a self publishing directory and information library on various self publishing topics for people looking into getting published online or off. http://talechaserpublishing.com

EquipMint.com is an online promoter's Valhalla. Although there are many specialized marketing resources there for people to learn about marketing their websites, there are a few gems of information for self publishers including links to places that can have your work in front of every major online publisher you can imagine. http://equipmint.com

You can also find some syndication and promotion tools at Webmaster Traffic Tools. http://webmastertraffictools.com

Want to write the perfect press release for your website, blog, or book? Then take a free press release writing course at http://goodpressreleases.com.

Bottom line is: There are no more excuses for not getting your work published. With some work and research into the new technology and avenues for publishing that are available to anyone these days, you can become known in a very big way without having to pitch to major labels.

In fact, if you really do your homework, you can learn how to have the big publishers pitching YOU for deals!

About the Author
Jack Humphrey is an author and marketing consultant. More information at http://jackhumphrey.com

Source: Creditcardhub.blogspot.com

How to Self Publish Your Book

2007-06-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

It doesn’t matter if you’ve written the great American novel or just want to publish a coffee table book filled with pictures of your cats, you can easily, and affordably self publish your book thanks to the wonders of POD printing.

What is POD mean?

Print. On. Demand.

POD printing is actually making its way through several markets, from t-shirt printing to DVDs, and yes, Books. In all honesty, I imagine POD will be the ONLY way to publish or print small runs of books, dvds, t-shirts, and calendars in the near future.

Just because it is designed for small print runs, though, doesn’t mean that you have to give up on having a high quality product. In the early days of POD printing (you know, a few years go) sometimes the publications looked muddy or cheap, but with the rapid advancement of this technology, you can print ONE COPY of your book that looks as good as anything you’ll find in Barnes and Noble.

Here are some steps to help you get started publishing that masterpiece we already told you how to write.

1. Write the book
I know we already covered that, but seriously, you’d be surprised how many people try and skip this step.

2. Find a Printer
Ok, there are a few choices out there, but the first thing you need to do is read the fine print when dealing with these POD printers. A lot of them will call themselves PUBLISHERS. They ARE NOT publishers. If you’re marketing your book, you’re writing your book, you’re editing your book, and you’re selling your book…they are nothing but printers, and don’t do business with any of them that say otherwise.

3. Format and Edit the Book
If you were intending to self publish from the start, you may have already formatted as you went, but if you were originally writing a manuscript, you need to make several changes from your manuscript format to your final printed format.

For example, your book should not be double spaced. Single space the book, and choose an easy to read font. Some people will tell you a Times font, others and Arial, or still others will swear by Courier fonts. Just make sure it’s easy to read, and that it looks good, and is legible at the final size of your printed material.

You will also need to fit all of this within the template for the size of book you have chosen to publish. Lulu.com is very helpful with templates, and it is not as daunting as it sounds. You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to pull this off.

Finally, in formatting, don’t forget to include a copyright page. Take a look at the formatting of the books that you own for reference…but also remember, this is YOUR book. You don’t have to go by the rules here. Just make sure people can read it.

4. What About the Cover?
You have options here. Most of the printers will have template designs for those of you that aren’t artistically inclinded, but don’t want to seek out an artist. If you’d like to try and find an artist, you can do so by looking at Devianart (a collection of AMAZING artists of all skill levels…not always Safe for Work, though. You have been warned) or DrawingBoard.org (same about the NSFW here too…artists…gotta love ‘em). Most of these artists are struggling artists like you’re a struggling writer, so you can get some good work pretty cheap…just remember, they gotta eat too.

5. Upload Your Book and Order one!
After you have your formatting finished, simply upload your book to the site of the printer you have selected, and order a copy of it! You’ll get a fresh, crisp production copy of your book in the mail very soon. After you have checked everything over, made sure their were no spelling errors or pages that printed funny, you’re ready to market!

…but marketing is a whole different article.

Article from Lifespy.com

Self-Publishing - Ten Great Tips to Make Your Book Shine

2007-05-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

We self-publishers fight a lonely battle, finding readers for our wit and wisdom. We write alone, and now we sell alone and search for ways to market our work. How do we entice readers to open their wallets?

Those questions are often premature. Before asking how you’re going to cope with all those book orders, you need to make sure you have a quality product. So here are ten tips to make your book, fiction or non-fiction, the best it can be.

#1 Use a spell-checker, but only as a first line of defense. Then you look for misspellings the spell-checker won’t catch, such as then/than, to/too/two, tail/tale, or its/it’s.

#2 Read your manuscript critically, as though you weren’t the author. Some things to check include complete chapters, well-organized paragraphs, complete sentences, and accurate punctuation.

#3 Be consistent. If you capitalize a word once in the text, chances are you always want to capitalize it. Decide whether you want one space or two at the end of a sentence, and stick with it. Never change your font or type size without good reason. If your work consists of more than one file, be sure that every file is formatted identically.

#4 Get honest, competent critiques. Leave your mother and spouse alone; your family has better things to do than fawn over your work. Avoid critiques from anyone who has an emotional stake in making you happy, because that isn’t what you need. The Internet Writing Workshop (http://internetwritingworkshop.org) is an excellent source of constructive, informed criticism.

#5 Use your judgment. Even good critiquers may give you conflicting advice. Remember that it’s your project, so the final decision is always yours.

#6 Refer to a style manual such as the Chicago Manual of Style, which is the most widely accepted guide for standard writing.

#7 Make a style sheet. A novel or other large manuscript can involve lots of small stylistic decisions by the author. Keep a pad of paper with a running list things you don’t want to have to keep looking up. For example, a cartoon I liked showed a bank robber writing a note and asking the teller, “Is holdup one word or two?” Think of words you often misspell or don’t know how to capitalize, and write them correctly on the list.

#8 Follow your publisher’s guidelines religiously even if they don’t insist.

#9 Repeat tip #2.

#10 Review the publisher’s proof carefully. When you receive the publisher’s proof isn’t the time to look for typos; you should have done that already. At this stage, the publisher may even charge you if you fix many of your own mistakes at this stage. Instead, look for their errors. Are illustrations in their proper places? Are pages and chapters numbered properly? Look at every page’s overall appearance. Is each one properly aligned? Is any text missing?

If you follow these simple (but not always easy) tips, I can’t guarantee best-sellerdom for your book, but I can promise you this: Your book will be far superior to the vast majority of self-published books. You will have a quality product.

Source: Proessay.com

When to Self Publish Your Book

2007-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

There Are Some Very Good Reasons to Self-publish Your Book

by Melanie Schwear

Self-publishing or print on demand (POD) publishing is becoming a very popular topic on the internet. Many people have the dream of becoming a published writer, and self-publishing gives them the satisfaction of holding an actual bound book with their name on it without having to go through all the submission and rejection with a traditional publisher.

With traditional publishing routes, the publisher makes sure to get your book onto store shelves and publicizes it well. After all, it is in their interest to do so. They make money off each book that is sold. With self-publishing, however, all of the promotion depends on you. Most self-published books never sell more than five hundred copies.

You Already Have a Fan-Base

If you are an already published writer, and you want to give your fans a little treat, self-publishing might be a great idea for you. You can quickly have any number of books printed that you can offer exclusively to website visitors or members of your fan club.

Having a pre-made fan-base is very helpful to a self-published author, because it is not easy to get people who do not know you to find and purchase your book otherwise.

You Write Very Specific Niche Non-Fiction

Self-publishing and print on demand publishing was made for specific niche non-fiction. You might be hard pressed to find a traditional publisher that will touch “The Effects of Symphonic Orchestral Music on Woodworm,” or “Five Hundred Things to Carve Out of Cheese.” However, if your niche has an audience, self-publishing a book is a great idea. It is much easier to market a book to a very specific segment of the population who are already interested in your topic.

You are Writing a Personal Memoir or Family History

These kinds of books are great for self-publishing, or especially print on demand books. That is because you would not intend to sell them at all. Having attractively bound books to present to your family at the next reunion is a great way of showing your familial pride. No one would want to publish these books professionally, and you probably would not want them to.

You are an Expert Marketer

If you are an expert book marketer or publicist and want to stretch your advertising muscles, self-publishing is a great idea. Many self-published authors cannot get their books into mainstream bookstores so all potential sales must be done online. And no one will market the book for you, unless you pay him or her to do it.

Your Book is Horrible

This last reason to self-publish your book is painful, yet valid. Anyone can get his or her book bound and printed by a print on demand or self-publishing company. It doesn’t matter if you can spell, use proper punctuation, or craft a decent story. Either a massive lack of confidence, or a major dose of realism can lead you to self-publish your book.

Self-publishing your fiction or non-fiction book has its drawbacks. You must market your own book and it may not be stocked in regular books stores. However, self-publishing or print on demand publishing, can be a good idea for people in several groups. If you are in one of these groups, I wish you the very best of luck.

How much does it cost to self-publish a book?

2007-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

by: Ron Pramschufer

How much does it cost to self-publish a book? This seems like a simple enough question but there is no simple answer. There are three basic types of self-publishers. I’ll call them the casual hobbyist, the serious hobbyist and the professional. Before I can answer “How much?” you need to determine which type fits you best.

Today I am going concentrate on the casual hobbyist type of self-publisher. This category probably covers the majority of all the authors currently considering self-publishing their first book. This group covers a broad range of both subject matter and personal author profiles. As a member of this group you have written a story of some sort or the other, and a friend or family member, most likely, has talked you into considering turning this story into a book. Maybe your story is an autobiography. Maybe it’s a collection of poems or short stories or your political views. Maybe it’s the memoirs of your days in the War or in the Peace Corp or your days as a hippie, an Anarchist or … whatever. Maybe it’s even a children’s story. No matter what the subject matter is, the primary audience for this book is your immediate family and friends.

As a casual hobbyist, you probably do not have any formal writing experience. You are most likely over fifty with your kids pretty much off on their own. If you aren’t already retired, you are probably getting close, at least mentally if not physically. Chances are you have been telling your story, in parts, to your family or buddies at the bar over the course of years, embellishing it as time goes on. Maybe you even listened to President Bill Clinton when he said that anyone over fifty owed it to their family to write down their life experiences (and publish it as a book).

As a casual hobbyist you do not want to invest a lot of time or money in bringing this manuscript to publication. You may have a passing thought about getting a call from Oprah or Dr. Phil, to discuss your book, but know that your main motivation is much more personal. In the end, if see your name in print and receive a bit of praise from family and friends you have met your goal.

Chances are, if you are the casual hobbyist, you may not even be reading newsletters like the Publishing Basics Newsletter because you don’t really care about publishing as a business. You are happy to give your money to the first company that makes it look easy and doesn’t charge “too much”. It’s just a hobby, and a casual one at that. If you are not the one reading this, perhaps your son or daughter or friend, is in an effort to keep you from being taken advantage of, by any of the “too good to be true” advertising of companies who prey on the casual hobbyist. Unfortunately, the Internet is full of these places.

The one thing that the casual hobbyist rarely realizes is that they are only a phone call or experience away from becoming a serious hobbyist or even a professional. This is why it is important to follow a few basic tips no matter how serious you are about publishing when you initially enter the market.

The primary rule is to never grant a company exclusive rights to your book for any amount of time to unless that company is paying you an awful lot of money. One of the slimier publishers claim to be a traditional publisher because they pay the author a one dollar advance royalty. For this one dollar, the author signs over the rights to their book for seven years. This might be fine if your book never goes beyond the dozen copies you buy to hand out to your friends but there is no reason to do it. Remember, your self-publishing status can change at a moments notice.

The other basic rule, which runs along the same line as the first is, you want to make sure that you own everything used to produce your book. What I am talking about here is the ownership of the digital files used to print your book. Again, it doesn’t matter who owns your printing file if you are only printing a few books but things change and you want to be able to react to these changes.

Once you have established that you are not giving up any rights to your book and you own the digital files used to print the books (or at least know what owning the files will cost), you can start to shop and compare pricing for the actual production of your book.

The casual hobbyist self publisher does not really need an ISBN. At this stage, this book is going no where near a bookstore, where an ISBN is required. Your primary market is your family and friends. An ISBN is not necessary to hand out books to your buddies at the VFW or your friends in your sewing circle. Having an ISBN is only necessary if you plan to sell your book in bookstores, including Amazon. You can always buy ISBN’s later, should you become more serious about your publishing but, for now, save your money.

To the casual hobbyist, hiring an editor is a luxury. Your family and friends are going to love your book, just the way you’ve written it. Between the spell checker in MS Word, a few re-reads and possibly your 10th grade English teacher, you’ll be fine. This, of course, changes if you shift from casual hobbyist to serious hobbyist or professional but it’s something that is easy enough to go back and do later.

The casual hobbyist most likely has the ability to do an acceptable job laying out the text in MS Word. The trick is to set up the page size correctly. The easiest way to accomplish this is to download a free text template from www.selfpublishing.com. Look at a few books in your library to get an idea of what your text should look like. The free template is already set up with page numbers and page headers. All you need to do is “select all”, “copy” and “paste” your word document into the template and move the type around until it looks right. Remember, the first page should be a title page and the second should be your copyright page. Copyright can be as simple as “copyright, your name, year or copyright © your name and year. You can find the symbol © by going to the Insert dropdown in word, select “symbol” and “insert” the correct symbol. If you want to get fancy, you can copy the whole paragraph of legalese printed on the copyright page of most books, but it’s not necessary. You’re covered. The rest of your text should pretty much flow. Try to stay away from using too many typefaces. Just because MS Word has 100 typefaces available, it doesn’t mean you have to use them all.

Up to this point, the casual hobbyist self-publisher hasn’t spent a nickel. The first money that will most likely need to be spent is in converting your MS word text into PDF format and designing and laying out a book cover. The converting to PDF is easy if you have the software. Laying out the cover in MS word and converting to PDF is much more difficult and probably not worth the time it would take the casual hobbyist to learn how to do it. Having a nice looking cover is important, even to the casual hobbyist. People do judge a book by its cover… even family and friends. There is no reason to spend a fortune on a high end graphic designer although you do need to spend a couple bucks to get this part done correctly.

SelfPublishing.com has a program they call their “Hybrid Design” program. This program takes the author’s supplied, laid out word document and converts it to a press ready PDF file. The author then has a choice of 30 or so basic cover designs as well as thousands of cover pictures and illustrations to choose from. The final cover will be assembled and converted to a print ready PDF by a qualified designer. The cost is only $149, as long as the author prints with SelfPublishing.com or $199 if the author wants to print with someone else. Remember when I said you want to own the digital printing file? For $199 you own the file with no strings attached. Most of the POD publishers, like Iuniverse, Author House and Xlibris have starter programs which include basic layout but their prices are higher and you do not own the digital printing file when you are done.

Now that you have a digital file ready for printing, you need to find a printer. This again is pretty easy. There are only two choices that I will mention in this article because they are clearly the best two choices. If you are truly only going to print 5-10 copies, I would use Lulu.com. There is no setup cost with Lulu. All you need to do is supply a print ready PDF file, which we just talked about above. The cost per copy is fairly high but the total number of dollars needed for a small quantity is quite low. If you think your circle of friends may extend beyond that and you think you might want to print 100 or 200 copies, selfpublishing.com would be a more cost effective alternative. With either of these services you are not tied down with any exclusives. You can always start with Lulu, buying a few copies, and do a larger press run with SelfPublishing.com later on. Or, the other way around, you can print 100 or so with selfpublishing.com and order a couple at a time, as needed, after your original printing runs out from Lulu.com. One way or the other, your total investment in prepress and printing is minimal… under $1000 for 100 copies.

The total number of dollars needed to be spent on sales and marketing for the casual hobbyist is the cost a few phone calls to friends and perhaps a little postage. These costs will be more than recovered with the free beers your friends buy you after seeing your book. When you are done, you will be the proud owner of a nice, professional looking book. Depending on whether you buy 10 or 100, you will have presents for at least the next holiday or two. Once you run out of friends, you will always have your book close by in case you run into a stranger who shows an interest. Who knows, maybe you’ll be stuck in an airport delay one day and be sitting next to Oprah and she will take an interest in you and your book. Stranger things have happened. Like I said earlier, if you set yourself up correctly in the beginning and you didn’t sign away any of your rights and own your printing file you can shift from Casual Hobbyist to Serious Hobbyist or even Self-Publishing Professional, in a hurry. Next month we’ll talk about the self-publishing costs involved for the serious hobbyist type of self-publisher.

Article Source: Blog.selfpublishing.com

How to Decide Between Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing

2007-05-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

By: Bruno Somerset

In years past, the only way to get a novel published was through what we now refer to as "traditional publishers". Today, however, technology has made self-publishing a viable alternative for many authors. To properly assess traditional publishing vs. self-publishing as a means of getting your novel to readers, you must first understand the realities of each method. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and in the end, it is up to each individual writer to decide which choice's pros outweigh its cons.

Being published by a major (or even minor) "traditional" publishing house is the goal of nearly everyone who has completed a novel. We envision huge advances, even bigger royalty checks, movie deals, and no more 9 to 5 job. It rarely happens that way. Most of the time you need an agent first, because publishers usually won't accept manuscripts from anyone but agents. Agents often only accept query letters, not full manuscripts or even sample chapters, and you need to be prepared for a deluge of form rejection letters that may not even spell your name right. If you do get an agent, there is no guarantee he will be able to sell your novel to a publisher, and if he does, he will gladly take 15% of everything you earn for his trouble.

After acceptance by a publisher, it will be at least a year or more of editors changing your novel in a seemingly arbitrary way. This will be followed by more delays because it wasn't finished in time for the most current catalogue they are sending to booksellers. And while you weren't looking, they slipped a clause into your contract that requires you to pay back part of the advance if the book doesn't sell enough copies for royalties to cover it. They will handle the cover art, and you may even have some input. But be ready to do all the publicity yourself, because unless your name is Grisham or King, they're not going to do it for you.

Self-publishing has just as many difficulties, but in my opinion, the pros here do outweigh the cons. To clarify, vanity publishing and subsidy publishing are not what I consider self-publishing. More often than not, they are simply scams. True self-publishing companies include Xlibris, iUniverse, Cold Tree Press, and Lulu. Of these only Lulu (www.lulu.com) charges no fees for their service; they only make money on copies of your book that actually sell.

With self-publishing, you have to hire a freelance editor; do not trust your best friend who was an English major to do this for you. You will do most of the work yourself, or pay a hefty fee for a publishing package to do it for you: cover design, layout, reviews, and many other things. You will have to market yourself, but as mentioned earlier, this is true for traditional publishing as well.

The most difficult aspect of self-publishing is getting placement in brick-and-mortar bookstores. An ISBN will get you listed in Books in Print, which nearly always leads to listing on Amazon.com, Borders.com, and other retailer's websites. But because most self-published books are published using Print On Demand (POD)Technology, and POD companies do not accept returns, most bookstores are hesitant to carry them. Bookselling is one of the few industries left that still expect not only a huge discount from wholesalers, but the ability to return for full credit anything they don't sell.

Your best hope of getting into stores is to sell enough online that they can't ignore you. Advertise it on your website, your blog, and every other online presence you have. Utilize your e-mail distribution list, as well as those of your friends and family. But even if this doesn't make the bookstores take notice, enough books are sold online every year for you to attract a wide audience through aggressive marketing and positive word of mouth. And you don't have to give 15% to an agent in the process.

In the end, while you may want to keep sending queries in the hope that someday a publisher will actually read your manuscript, you might want to give self-publishing a try. It sure beats waiting on rejection letters.

Source: Associatedcontent.com

SELF-PUBLISHING PART 2: Self-Publishing Tips For Artists

2007-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

by JessicaDelfino under Hacks & DIYs

Say you are making a comic book, a coloring book or a comic strip. In some ways, these are easier to reproduce than a manuscript. However, there is often post-production, which is why Staples Superstore can be so handy. They have a paper slicer that they will let you borrow, glue sticks, scissors and staplers - all important tools of the old-fashioned, yet not-to-be-underestimated cut-and-paste trade. Recently, I went to Staples and asked to borrow the big paper cutter, but they said no. They said someone sliced themselves, and now no one can use it. One clumbsy dumb ass ruined my slicing recources. But I kept showing up and asking nicely, and promised I wouldn't sue, and finally, they will let me use it again. If your hometown Staples won't let you use the slicer, just buy your own. They are about $20 brand new, for a half-assed but workable cutter.

I have considered purchasing my own or some time now. I found an old one for sale at my local pizza joint. The guy who runs the place also sells odds and ends now and then, and one night when I went in for a cheesier kind of slice, he had a big old art class style slicer for sale. You know, the one with the big arm that comes down and would just chop the head off a barbie doll in one swoop. If I didn't live in a refrigerator sized NYC apartment, I would have bought it. It was $5. I still think that I should have just bought it, but I really do not have any place to put it. I would have had to use it as a door mat or something. So until I live in a barn in Sweden with all the room in the world, I just go to Staples to do my slicing. I can't think of one city in the whole world where there is not yet a Staples. Normally, big business kind of makes me lurch, but call me a hypocrite, I love me some Staples Superstore.

What with Photoshop now, anyone can make their own artwork and simply print it out. If you can't print at home because your parents will beat you if you use their printer, you can't afford the ungodly cost of ink or your printer is broken, try going to the public library to print out your work. Most libraries will let you print at least a few pages for free or very cheap. Once you have printed what you need, you can copy them at Staples or at your day job. If you don't have Photoshop and can't afford to pay a grand for a copy of it, though it is worth every penny, for the love of man, get a copy from your friend who is in art school. If you can afford to pay for Photoshop, you shouldn't be reading this column.

If you can't afford ink for your printer, try using those ink replacement kits, for example, the Polaroid Ink Jet Refill System. This is a kit that comes with ink in a tube, a needle and some rubber gloves so you don't get ink all over your brand new suede jumpsuit. You take an old, used up cartridge out of the printer and basically fill the needle with ink and squirt it back into the cartridge. Be sure to read the instructions carefully, some printers don't use them, or you have to somehow trick the printers into taking them, now with the damn sensor chips on the cartridges. Who the hell does Epson think they are, anyway?

If you want to save a few bucks on your ink, don't forget to recycle your old cartridges if you buy your ink at Staples. They give you three bucks off your new cartridge. That is how you know replacing the ink yourself is legit. Because Epson themselves do it. That's right. For all I know, I'm using Madonna's old ink cartridges in my printer as we speak. So, if the printer companies can do it, why shouldn't we be able to do it, too?

A good program to use if you don't have Photoshop for very basic layout and cut and paste work is IrfanView. It is free to download off of the internet and you can do a plethora of crafty photo or scan work using it, including resizing, etc. The Paint Program of old is a piece of crap, but you can also use that do make some funky little pieces of art.

I personally made my own CD inserts, and I'm very glad with the way they came out. I first took a few dozen photographs of myself and other objects using my digital camera, which I uploaded into Photoshop and manipulated. I then laid out my two sided, 6 paneled insert using Photoshop. I typed in little witty Delfino-isms, pasted various images of my own face, put contact information and on the last panel, chopped up and glued my face back together in a brady-bunch styled 9 panel face-off with myself. The trippiness of it inspired a caption that reads, "Smoke pot and stare at me." I put my art on a disc and also sent a back-up e-mail of the work to myself, making sure it was saved in a high resolution of 300 dpi. At my day job, I printed it out using their nice color printer and then copied it 100 times on their very fancy color copier. It was glorious. I have since photocopied the magnificent color version to make a black and white copy that I can afford to copy myself, as I am no longer employed at that place of business.

I'm too busy making great art to work at some hovel in midtown, slinging antiques all day. I mean, who the hell is Christie, anyway?

Article Source: E-junkie.com

SELF-PUBLISHING PART 1: How To Be A Copy Cat

2007-05-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

by JessicaDelfino under Hacks & DIYs

There are many resources out there to help people who want to make their own works en masse, but don't want to have to wait around to be discovered at a writer's convention, do an expensive and ill-reputed vanity press (though I have mixed feelings about that repute), pay some lame corporation to publish their poems in a book that they will then have to pay $50 per copy for, or "accidentally" meet their mentor in the crapper. Sure, you can send your uncopyrighted manuscript into Random House or Doubleday Books, and most likely, the idea won't get stolen. Yes, most likely, the idea won't get used at all. If you haven't figured out yet that artists are rarely judged on merit anymore, you are living in a time long passed. This is a generation of pay for play, and it really is very much so about who you know and who you blow. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is very lucky, very resourceful, or very full of shit.

Of course, you can spend a lifetime trying. Why not? You can work your day job from 9-5, and in any spare moments you have, I encourage you to stick your outline, your half-hashed ideas, or if you've got your shit together, a completed copy of your manuscript or what have you into an envelope and send it to John or Jane whats-his-face over at that place your friend suggested. It couldn't hurt...could it? I believe the answer is no.

But in the mean time, get to work making your own thing. You are, in my own humble opinion, 1000% more likely to sell something that the person who you would like to sell it to can hold in their hands, smell in their nostrils, and see with their eyes. I mean, think about it. If you were considering spending $10,000 on something, wouldn't you want to see it first?

You will need as many copies as possible. 50 is a good starting point, but as many as you can get is the amount that will have to do. This is your prototype, so try to make it look good. If you have made enough copies, you can sell a few and make your money back.

I can't tell you enough what a great resource a crappy day job is when it comes to making your dreams come true. Sure, you have to get up at 8 or 9 am and sit in a wretched cubicle, painted some kind of egg shell flavor of white or hospital blue. Yes, you question your existence on an hourly basis. Fine, the fluorescent lighting sucks your brain clean of inspiration, and probably gives you at least three kinds of cancer. But that photocopy access almost makes it all worth while. Every day job I've ever had has served as my "office" for my own projects. And each day job hath served me quite well. It is best not to make a spectacle of your photocopy usage. Just make some copies here and there, while you're making other copies anyway. Or stay late and use the shit out of it after most of the other employees have left for the day to go live their regular lives out as moms, dads, or people who go do things. They probably aren't writing the next best selling novel. Losers. Also do not forget to not underestimate the near limitless supply of black pens, business-y looking clasp envelopes, and if you have access to it - postage. These are important tools in the battle of self-publishing.

If you are one of those people who has some kind of "problem" "stealing" "office supplies", get a hold of your self. First of all, you are not "stealing". You are getting paid $8 per hour for every $1000 your company is making. Consider it a bonus, or a percentage of their profit. Second, they aren't office supplies. Most offices have an understanding. You work for $8 per hour while the people on top drive Mercedes and eat abused duck livers, and they don't mind if you help yourself to the envelopes and ink-jet printer usage. It's what we call a business agreement.

If you do not have a day job, chances are most of your friends do. If you ask 10 friends to make 2 copies each of your script, you have 20 right there - enough to send off to 15 "important people" and a few left over to keep as a reserve for emergencies. Say for example, you are planning to "accidentally" meet your mentor in the shitter at his favorite restaurant - not something I would recommend, by the way, though it seems to have worked for some.

If you refuse to utilize your office stash, or you want to mix it up a bit, another of my favorite resources is Staples. Staples is great in that you can go in and use their photocopiers with no hassle, using your debit or credit card. Their copies used to be 5 cents each, just a few months ago, but the price has raised, at least in NYC, to 9 cents per copy. Strangely, the copies cost 8 cents per copy at another location uptown. When you are a struggling artist making multiple copies of a publication, those pennies count. If you live in a smaller city, Staples copies are probably still 5 cents. They were 9 cents at Staples here, but when I went out of town, they were still 5 cents in North Carolina and elsewhere. You can also find a little neighborhood copy shop where they are still 5 cents each. Most of the places where there is the yellow sign hanging in the window offer 5 cent copies. Making pals with people who work at Staples, encouraging a friend to get a job at Staples, or getting a job at Staples yourself is never a bad idea. You only have to work there until you get rich and famous, and that is just around the corner, right?

Another favorite self-publishing trick I know and love is the trick of the trade. What do you have to trade with someone who owns, runs or works at a copy shop? Maybe you make great baked goods. Maybe you give a terrific back rub. Perhaps you are a computer whiz, or a Mr. Fix-It. Whatever you know how to do, pimp that skill out to get what you need.

Good luck!

Article Source: E-Junkie.com

Should You Self Publish Your Book?

2007-05-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Things to Consider Before Starting Your Own Publishing Company
© Barbara Doyen

Help for self-publishing a book. A publishing professional offers a checklist to determine if entering book publishing might be a good business decision for you.
You’ve written a great manuscript all ready for a book publishing company. You’ve heard that some authors are self-publishing their own books and you’re wondering if you should try it yourself. What elements should be present to indicate your book could be successfully self-published?

Check off all the following that apply to you and your book:

1. ___Your book will be nonfiction.

Fiction makes up only a small portion of the self-published book market because it’s so tough to sell self-published novels. Nonfiction is much easier.

2. ___Your book topic is needed and something people will pay money to read.
Hopefully you are an expert in the topic and you have a thorough understanding of what information is useful in your subject area.

3. ___You've identified your target book-buying audience niche.
This should be written up in detail, including actual numbers.

4. ___You know how to reach your target book-buying audience.
This is perhaps the most essential element for self-published authors. Not only must you be able to make your audience aware of your book, you must also provide them with convenient buying opportunities.

At the outset, assume that you will be selling the books yourself. Don’t count on getting a self-published book on bookstore shelves, because it is tough to do. Marketing and sales will be your responsibility.

5. ___You are committed to creating a high-quality book.
You will provide all the elements of book publishing, hiring professionals where needed to insure a fine product. Amateur efforts are not good enough.

6. ___You understand that you are creating your own company to self-publish your book.
You are not paying another so-called publishing company to publish your book—the latter indicates a vanity or book publishing scam.

7. ___You will invest a great deal of time to your book publishing company.
First, by educating yourself thoroughly about the self-publishing book business. Then, by taking the time necessary to create a quality product. Finally, by regularly and diligently dedicating time to marketing and sales.

8. ___You’ve researched the other similar books in print.
Your book should be comparable, if not superior to others.

The mere presence of competing books should not be a deterrent. Being able to identify, reach and provide sales opportunities to your target audience is more important.

* * * * * *

How did you rate?
The results of this checklist will help you know if you should consider self-publishing a book.

Obviously, you should have checked every item, above. Even so, starting your own book publishing company to self-publish your book should be considered carefully. Like any other business decision, you should not go into it without having strong indicators that your investment of time and money will be worthwhile.

Copyright 2007 by Barbara Doyen. All rights reserved.

Assessing Your Future in Self-Publishing

2007-05-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Publishing is not for the faint of heart, the short-sighted or the introvert. It’s a commitment that demands courage, risk-taking, planning, energy, creativity and assertiveness.

Note: I’m speaking here of true self-publishing—establishing your own publishing company.

Before entering into the realm of self-publishing, consider the following:

Is there an audience for your book?

Are you willing to take the steps necessary to establish and operate a publishing business?

Do you have the funds available to pour into your publishing project?

Do you have room to store boxes and boxes of books?

Do you have the time and inclination to promote your book(s)?

I know hundreds of authors who have self-published their books. Some have a book or a series of books they produce while working full-time jobs, others have one book that they self-published and marketed until their stock ran out. But most of them are like me: They set up a publishing company in order to produce numerous books. To date, I’ve self-published about a dozen and a half books and I have five with traditional publishers.

I’m often asked during a workshop or other presentation which I prefer—going with a traditional publisher or self-publishing. Truth? I like the ease of having a traditional publisher who handles the business end of the project and pays quarterly royalties. I like not being responsible for storing the books. Since I’m still involved in promoting the books, however, I actually prefer self-publishing. I like being in control of the project. When I self-publish, I choose the title and the cover design. I decide what chapters stay and which ones go. But this also means that I have total responsibility for promoting the book.

Certainly self-publishing is not for everyone. I respond to writers’ questions for writing/publishing-related newsletters for Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (www.spawn.org). I got a question last week from someone who yearns to be published, but doesn’t want any kind of paper trail leading to her. She doesn’t want to do anything involving public interaction. She probably would not be a good candidate for self-publishing.

Elderly people may want their memoirs published, but may not relish the hassle of self-publishing—setting up a distribution company, finding a cover designer and printer, promoting the book, taking orders and shipping books, etc.

Someone with a full-time career and who writes a book as a sideline, probably doesn’t want to get involved in operating a publishing business.

Anyone on a small income will find it difficult to finance a self-publishing venture.

I often coach authors who want to start their own publishing company and have observed about a fifty-percent success ratio. Those who succeed have built a business around their project and they take that business seriously. They have goals and they evaluate their goals regularly. They give their project their full attention. If they lack skills in a particular area, they hire someone to take up the slack.

I know one author, for example, who spent two years operating quite a successful campaign on behalf of her book. Her book was reviewed in major newspapers all over the country. She traveled far and wide giving demonstrations and selling books. When she ran out of steam, energy and ideas, she hired a publicist and book sales absolutely soared.

I don’t do page layout and design, so I hire someone to perform that task for me. I find shipping and handling large mailings rather mundane and time-consuming. So I hire my grandchildren or neighborhood children to help with these projects and we do them outside of regular business hours.

You get interesting responses when you tell people that you have a publishing company. Some ask you where you keep the printing presses, “In the garage?” Others want to discuss having you publish their grandmother’s memoirs. Still others call or stop you on the street to say, “I’m thinking about writing a book, how do I go about publishing it?” It was this question multiplied by dozens that prompted me to hang out my shingle. I now charge for consultations.

The discouraging thing is that most people are looking for a shortcut to publishing success. It’s after I map out the well-traveled course that the serious authors are culled from the wannabes.

Are you serious about self-publishing? Do you believe in your project enough to put in the effort and time? Or are you looking for a get-rich-quick scheme?

Enter into the world of self-publishing with a viable project, an open mind, creative ideas and a willingness to learn. You will experience success in equal measure to what you ultimately have to give.

Patricia Fry is a freelance writer and the author of 25 books, including, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book” (Matilija Press, January, 2006) and “How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less,” (Matilija Press, 2005). www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html (for details). Or contact Patricia at plfry620@yahoo.com Visit Patricia Fry’s informative blog often: www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

Article Source: blog.selfpublishing.com

Top Ten Reasons to Self Publish!

2007-05-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

1. Self publishing may be the only way to get published. You may not be able to get anyone to professional look at your idea.2. As a self-publisher you get to keep all of the profits from your sales. You only get 4 - 6% in royalties from a publishing company.

3. You have absolute marketing and editing control when you self publish. 60% of the big publishers do the final editing, 23% select the final title, 37% do not involve the author in promoting their own material.

4. Major publishers may receive up to several hundred manuscripts a week. Unless you’ve published before, the odds are they won’t even look at your material.

5. When you self-publish you are in control every step of the way. By depending on a publisher, you take the chance of never getting anywhere.

6. By self-publishing you gain a different perspective. You handle the complete marketing package.

7. Self publishing saves you valuable time. Using a publisher it takes up to 18 months before the first copy reaches the market.

8. Self-publishing eliminates the waiting and wondering. Waiting for a letter from a publisher that might never come is frustrating and embarrassing.

9. You get more directly involved in the entire process. You develop greater skills and obtain a bigger picture of the world of publishing.

10. As a self-publisher you will receive greater business tax advantages. This can be important as a means of off setting some of the income received from the sale of your work.

Source: connectuscanada.com

Writers Turn to Self-Publishing

2007-04-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Marvin Kimble
Self-publishing has become more of an attraction for authors, such as those that wrote the above books. Some authors are finding it's easier to get published when they do it themselves.

The road from the initial brainstorming stages of a book to the finished product in a bookstore is a long journey with many twists and turns. Self-publishing is an avenue attracting more authors, despite its challenges.

"With new technology, print on demand, anybody could start a publishing company," said Martin Naparsteck, author and former professor at Utah State University.

A current New York resident, Naparsteck has published four books and more than 400 book reviews for the Salt Lake Tribune. He has now opted for his books "War Song" and "Hero's Welcome," novels about the Vietnam War, to be published through print-on-demand on the Internet.

Print-on-demand publishing is an option for authors who wish to self-publish, allowing them to hire a printer to manufacture the books as people order them online, cutting excess inventory.

"Clearly, it would save publishers a lot of money," Naparsteck said. "Some people estimate that more than 50 percent of books that are printed are never sold ... [and] nobody makes money with something that just sits on the shelf."

Naparsteck recommended IUniverse, a self-publishing support Web site offering the "new face of publishing" for budding authors who want to publish without the risks of an over excess of books or the headaches of marketing to bookstores.

"Normally, if you get published by a publisher they take care of the selling, and that's one of the problems with any small publisher," Naparsteck said. "They don't have a team of salesmen."

Salesmen visit bookstores and pitch books for the store to include on their shelves. Authors who do not promote their books through the venue of a publisher or distributor have to do the sales job themselves.

The process of publishing incorporates the stages between writing and printing: editing, revising, proofreading, layout process for printing and marketing. The difficulty with self-publishing is it puts the bulk of the weight of responsibility on the writer.

"When people self-publish, they have to do all of the steps themselves," said Linda Brummett, manager in the BYU Bookstore book department.

Brummett has seen thousands of books come through the Bookstore in her 33 years there, and she said she's seen an increase in self-publishing due to higher quality printing sources.

"Self-publishing looks every bit as professional as commercial," Brummett said. Desktop Publishing and new technology help in the process.

Brummett cautions those looking to self-publish, however, warning that it's a time-consuming path, and costly both in time and money.

"[Self-publishers] have money tied up in books that are in their basement, garage or closets," she said.

Anita Charles, BYU Bookstore sales floor supervisor, buys the books used for special promotions and book signings. She recommended new authors go through a publishing company and use the inclusive "Writer's Market" book to find the publisher that best fits the author's needs.

"Big publishers do so much work that an author can't do themselves," Charles said.

Currently the Bookstore carries a number of self-published books, including "Emergency Food in a Nutshell" by local author Leslie Probert. The book has done really well in the Bookstore, according to Brummett, selling hundreds of copies, and is even in its second edition.

Local publishing companies include Springville-based Cedar Fort, Brigham Publishing, Deseret Book and Eagle Gate.

For those set on self-publishing, there is the option of finding a local printer to create the finished product.

Doug Maxwell, administrator in the BYU Print and Mail Production Center, said self-publishers can digitally submit their work to be printed. The majority of printing projects at the BYU Print and Mail Production Center are for the university, including packets, mail distributions and textbooks. He said that the Print and Production Center completes 50 to 100 self-publishing projects a month.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Self-Publishing

Benefits:
* Control over the finished product
* Nobody makes changes without your consent
* No middleman

Disadvantages:
* Have to do it all yourself
* Big investment of time and money

Different routes to go with publishing
-Self publish and hire printer
-Print on demand
-Online e-book
-Hire a distributor

Article by: Crystalee Webb - 12 Apr 2007

Self-Publishing Pros and Cons

2007-04-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Should You Self Publish?
by Rebecca Livermore

Perhaps you've always wanted to write a book. Or perhaps you've already written one but don't quite know what to do with it. One thing you do know, however, is that you want your book to be published and read by as many people as possible. Unfortunately, competition is fierce, and you may find it difficult if not impossible to find a reputable traditional publisher willing to take you on as a new author. Many people opt to use an agent to assist in this, but it can be almost as hard for people to find an agent as it is to find a publisher. Also, agents typically take a 15% cut of all profits, which seriously cuts into your earning potential.Because of these issues, and because of the many new options now available for self-publishing, many authors are choosing to bypass traditional publishers and go it alone. Here are some things to consider when trying to make the decision regarding whether or not to self-publish.

SELF-PUBLISHING CONS
1. It cost money. The cost of self-publishing varies, depending on which self-publishing company you choose to go with, but regardless of which option you choose, self-publishing cost you, the author, money. In contrast, traditional publishers pay you money, typically in the form of an advance and then royalties, once the advance has been paid back through book sales.

2. All of the responsibility for marketing the book is on your shoulders. Nowadays, all authors are expected to work hard at marketing their books, regardless of whether they go with a traditional publisher or self-publish. But those who go with a traditional publisher have at least some help with marketing their book. For instance, the publisher may get the book into catalogs, arrange for radio interviews, put together press releases, etc. If you self-publish, you have to do all of that yourself, or hire others to do it for you.

3. You won't have a quality control team. Traditional publishers often have an entire team of experts in the publishing business to go over your book to make sure everything is in place. They check grammar, references, etc. If you self-publish, you won't have a team of people working with you unless you hire an editor.

4. People may not take your book as seriously if they know that it is self-published. The problem with self-publishing is that anyone with the discipline to write a book and the money to get it published can do it. Because of that, many self-published books are not the quality you would hope for and expect in a published book. Therefore, many people automatically assume that if you self-publish, your book may be of a lower quality and they may even assume that you self-published because your book isn't good enough for traditional publishers.

5. You may have a hard time getting the book into brick and mortar stores. Self-published books can definitely make their way into brick and mortar stores, but it can be a battle to get brick and mortar stores to stock your book. Again, the responsibility for getting your self-published book into the store will rest on your shoulders and it may be an uphill battle.

SELF-PUBLISHING PROS
By this point, you may think there is no way you would want to self-publish a book. But don't lose heart! Just as there are self-publishing cons, there are also self- publishing pros that make self-publishing an attractive option for many authors. Below are just some of them.

1. You have complete control over the work. A traditional publisher may require you to add certain things to your book or remove certain paragraphs or perhaps even chapters that you really like. In traditional publishing, authors seldom have control over even simple things such as the title of the book. As a self-published author, you maintain complete control over every aspect of your book.

2. You can complete the book on your own time table. As a self-published author you will not be pressured to complete your self-published book fast, but can often complete it and get it published much quicker than if you were going with a traditional publisher. The traditional publishing route takes a very long time. You may write the book, then take a year or longer to find a publisher, only to have it take an additional year or so for it to hit the shelves. As a self-published author, you can write your book as slowly or quickly as desired, and have it published within a few months after completion.

3. You don't have to deal with rejection, at least on the publishing level. As a self-published author, your book is guaranteed to be published. You don't have to send it out and then bite your nails while you wait for a response (which often turns out to be a rejection) from a publisher.

4. You can potentially make more money. Although self-publishing cost money, it can also potentially make you more money because you keep the lion's share of the profits. For instance, through a traditional publisher you may make $1 per book, and through books you self-publish, you may make $5 per book. (Actual figures vary, based on numerous factors. But self-publishing always provides a much higher royalty rate.)

5. You can be as creative or offbeat as you want to be. As a self-published author, you don't have anyone to put down your idea or tell you how far you can or cannot go. Your creative will not be hampered in anyway. Only you can determine whether or not self-publishing is the best option for you. At the very least, it's an option to consider if you want to see your book in print.

Article Source: Help For Christian Writers

Dos and Donts of Self-Publishing

2007-03-31T05:02:00.000-07:00

Article by: Noel Brinkerhoff

It used to be where people who self-published were considered neophytes who werent good enough to be published by more traditional publishers. They clung like barnacles to the edges of the book world, trying but not gaining access to the inner sanctum -- a place on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and a trip to Oprahs couch.

These days, however, self-published authors can make themselves lots of money, build platforms for the launch of further projects, and even sell their books at Barnes & Noble. Some have landed deals with larger publishers after selling a few thousand books with their own blood, sweat & tears, and even found themselves face to face with the Queen of the book clubs herself.

The first Do of self-publishing is to grant yourself the power to see your words in print. No one is going to come down from on high and give you permission to be published, so you might as well start with a hearty pat on the back for finishing a book. After all, its almost a national joke about how many people are writing or planing to write the great American novel at some nebulous time in the future. You are the only one who can truly decide to empower or dis-empower yourself at this juncture.

The second major Do of self-publishing is to do your research. Most people are in such a hurry to see their words in print that they neglect what will happen after the printer delivers 40 or 50 heavy boxes of books to their doorstep. Enterpreneur publishes a great step-by-step start-up guide for Self-Publishing Businesses that teaches you how to market your book, get repeat business, manage your business finances, and more.

The third major Do of self-publishing is to hone your writing until it shines. New Novelist, from Write Express, is software that can help, whether youre writing fiction or narrative non-fiction. The software takes your idea and builds it intuitively into a full-fledged story, and comes with testimonials from no less than Will Self, a novelist published many times over. Your writing will sparkle, and youll be a lot less frustrated if you use this important tool.

The first major Dont of self-publishing is dont expect someone to sell your book for you. If youre self-publishing, youre taking on the roles of author, publisher, publicist and distributor, so you will need to think up clever ways to connect with your potential readers. One way I find extremely helpful is to hook up with Verizon Super Pages. They can help you get a web site up and running, if you plan to sell your book this way, or even help you bring some money in, through Pay-Per Click Advertising, while youre waiting for people to purchase your wares. Its a great place to place ads and start getting your name out there.

And the last major Do of self-publishing is be as loud and proud about your book as you want to be. Yahoo Search Marketing has one of the best and fastest ways to get noticed in the crowded world of books. Sponsored Search puts your book in front of millions of eyes, alongside relevant articles and product reviews. Fast-tracking your listing will widen your reach, including your listing on CNN.com, AltaVista.com, and some of the other largest sites currently in business. Doing it this way not only ensures you traffic to your site, it cements your reputation as an expert and an author.

That leads us to the last really important Do of self-publishing, which is to celebrate your achievement. Writing a book is not easy -- thats why we lionize (some of) our writers. Take pleasure in the fact that you have successfully put your thoughts into print, and are well on your way to publishing success!

For more stories like this, visit http://www.GrammarGods.com

Self-Publish Your Book With National Distribution

2007-03-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

By: Daphne Succes

Many writers struggle with constant rejection from the publishing world. A rejection, though a part of the industry, is difficult for writers at any stage in their career. You pour your heart and soul into a book, along with hours of work, only to hear a publisher indicate that it isnt what they are looking for at this particular time. Many books that were otherwise snubbed by traditional publishing houses have gone on to be very popular. How? Its simple. Self-publishing is an avenue that many new, or rejected, writers pursue.

When you hear self-publishing, perhaps you think about writing a book and taking it to a printer, paying for copies and doing all of the footwork to get your new work listed with major bookstores. But, thanks to the internet and an innovative new approach to publishing, thats no longer the case. Sure, you still have to pen the book yourself but leave the printing up to someone else. A growing number of POD (print on demand) publishers are stepping up in search of the next bestseller. Print on demand is a term used to describe a publisher who handles all of the printing aspects, but on an as-needed basis.

The best self-publishing companies offer a variety of programs with the majority of them handling the issuance of an ISBN number and getting your book cataloged with all of the major online bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, etc. In addition, when a book is issued an ISBN number, it can be ordered at any bookstore. Your book may or may not be physically stocked at your local shopping mall, but the bookstore inside will have the capability to order it as requested. As your new title is listed nationally with every major bookstores catalog, it will steadily surface globally as well. A year after your book is released; dont be surprised if search engine results show that it is listed with major online bookstores across the world, including Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, etc.

With print on demand publishing, or self-publishing, you will have to pay a fee to get your book in print. Longtime publisher iUniverse (http://www.iuniverse.com/) offers publishing packages starting at $499.00 and up. In exchange for the startup fee, the company issues a printed version of the book while the author retains all electronic rights to the work and a 3-year contract with a 1-year automatic renewal. A generous 20% royalty is offered on the sale of every book with quarterly statements mailed to the author.

If you have been turned away by traditional publishers, or simply want to retain full control over your book, its cover design and content, self-publishing may be the way to go. If you have never been published, it is difficult to find a traditional publisher. With self-publishing, you will have documentation of your previously published work and royalty statements to show its success. Once your book is published, get out there and promote your work. Its the best way to take your career from new to permanent status.

Daphne is a Writer, Business Owner, Motivator and Self-Starter and full-time Mom. She started Passion Parties by Daphne in the Summer of 2005 as a hobby while working full time. It has since become a full time passion for her and hope to quit her full time job soon. She enjoys writing articles about small businesses and family and tries to motivate other women with the same desire. She can be reached at 1-877-TOY-DIVA http://www.daphnespassion.com

Free Self-Publishing Kits

2007-03-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Below is a listing of self-publishing companies who offers publishing guides for free. Make your wise choice. Check them out for your review:

Xlibris Corporation - Free Publishing Kit
iUniverse - Publishing Guide
AuthorHouse - Self Publishing Guide
Trafford - Free Guide
Aventine Press - Download Publishing Kit

Look Out! New Trends in Self-Publishing

2007-03-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

By: Christopher Willitts

Unless you’ve been hiding out in a cave somewhere, you’ve most likely noticed a significant movement towards the publishing of eBooks, a.k.a. “electronic books.” This new trend is making an enormous impact on the writing community for several reasons. Creating unlimited numbers of eBooks costs absolutely nothing apart from the initial purchase of the software needed to create them. In addition, there is no cost to deliver eBooks, and delivery is immediate because the entire delivering process is electronically generated.

Software is fueling the fire for this new trend.

At this moment, an individual could design an eBook with software, design the cover with software, market the eBook from his or her website, which is designed completely by software, and then automate the entire process of delivering the eBooks with software.

Once everything was set up properly, the website would both sell and deliver your eBooks for you. It would basically run itself. Just imagine... your own "eBook selling machine", twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And because you don't have to worry about the hassles of supplies or inventory, this method of publishing is incredibly convenient.

An eBook may have even more features and benefits than a printed book: it may have sound, video and hyperlinks. An eBook can provide a richer experience to your reader. Ground-breaking concepts like this are empowering the writing community like never before!

You can find the best self-publishing resources the internet has to offer at http://www.go-publish-yourself.com .

Christopher Willitts, Founder, Go Publish Yourself.com
Address: P.O. Box 2031, Lewisburg, TN 37091, USA
Email: christopher@go-publish-yourself.com Voice/Fax: 931.422.9906
”Empowering Writers by Bringing Them into the Innovative World of Self-Publishing.”

East Cleveland Author Successfully Self-Publishes and Empowers Writers Nationwide

2007-03-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

M. LaVora Perry’s "Successful Self-Publishing: From Children's Author to Independent Publisher, a Simple Guide for New and Not So New Authors" is a tool for writers who want an introduction to independent publishing and published authors who need winning strategies to boost book sales.

East Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) May 27, 2005 -- “This is such an easy to read and easy to follow book….I've already learned so much.“ –Michele Rankins, Poet and Author

M. LaVora Perry’s "Successful Self-Publishing: From Children's Author to Independent Publisher, a Simple Guide for New and Not So New Authors," is a tool for writers who want an introduction to independent publishing and published authors who need winning strategies to boost book sales.

What motivated Perry to write Successful Self-Publishing? When over the course of two years her effective Internet and offline promotion of her first book—a children’s story—resulted in the author/publisher receiving scores of email and telephone inquiries from writers from around the country who wanted to know how to publish and sell their own books and achieve the impressive sales results Perry had achieved, she knew she was onto something big.

Here’s her publishing success story: In July of 2003, only seven weeks after the release of her first book, Taneesha’s Treasures of the Heart, against the odds, M. LaVora Perry was interviewed as a guest on National Public Radio (NPR) to discuss her unconventional story of two friends facing a bullying older child—one friend was urban, black, American and Buddhist, the other was white with a physical disability.

Today the long list of writers who have sought Perry’ expertise as an independent publisher includes Janis F. Kearney, the First U.S. Presidential Diarist (Clinton Administration) and the author of Essence magazine best-seller Cotton Field of Dreams—a Memoir. On Successful Self-Publishing cover are the following words of praise from Kearney:

“LaVora, thank you for the work you're doing to make it easier for new authors who seek to publish independently! So many of us have learned from your example. I for one depended on your wisdom and experience as I began to look at options in starting our own small press. Your assistance has been invaluable.”

Less than two years after her NPR appearance, Perry had sold nearly 4,000 copies of Taneesha’s Treasures of the Heart—a feat few authors accomplish. Taneesha’s Treasures and Perry’s recent titles—Wu-lung & I-lung, Pictures of My Days: An Art & Writing Workbook for Creating the Life You Want and Daily Pages for Creating the Life You Want: A Companion Workbook to Pictures of My Days—are in bookstores, schools and libraries throughout the United States as well as in Africa, Asia and beyond.

In Successful Self-Publishing writers learn about:
• the three basic ways their books can be published
• highly affordable printing options if they choose to independently publish
• practical ways to effectively promote books for children through adults that will sell theircurrent book(s) and generate new sales for their previously published and future titles

Visit www.foresthillpublishing.com for the author's event calendar and to read excerpts from Successful Self-Publishing and more titles and to learn about Perry's workshops and presentations for children through adults on creative envisioning and goal setting and on publishing and promoting books.

In 1995, Perry became the first African-American staff card writer for American Greetings (AG)—the world’s largest publicly-owned greeting card company. She twice received AG Creative Excellence awards for writing and editing before resigning from the multinational corporation in 2002 and going on to publish her first book. Building on the strategies outlined in Successful Self-Publishing, Perry founded Forest Hill Publishing, LLC (FHP) in 2004. She lives in Northern Ohio with her husband and three children. View a calendar of the author's events at http://www.foresthillpublishing.com/calendar.htm

Successful Self Publishing—From Children’s Author to Independent Publisher, A Simple Guide for New and Not So New Authors
Forest Hill Publishing, LLC
ISBN 0-9759251-7-2 104 pp. $10.00
Release Date: June 30, 2005
Available for the trade through Ingram
Available for reserve retail orders at www.foresthillpublishing.com

Successful Self-Publishing Endorsements:
“LaVora, you are an inspiration to the literary community.” –Nancy Gilliam, Contributor to Chicken Soup for the African American Soul

“LaVora certainly knows her stuff!” –Mary Dowling Daly, Author of Around the World in Cleveland and Irish Laws

Everybody Wants to Write a Book

2007-03-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Self publishing is becoming more and more popular, but why aren't more authors successful?

Calgary, AB (PRWEB) April 1, 2005 -- Actually, everybody wants to write and publish a bestselling book, and it’s easier than ever to do it… but why are so few authors successful?

Authors and writers search everywhere for the secrets of publishing success, but they haven’t been able to find the answers – until now! The publishing experts at Ink Tree Ltd. are now “on call” for authors and publishers who want to know how to publish a book that sells.

The experts at Ink Tree have “walked the talk”. Learn the secrets of successful publishing from a group that has actually sold hundreds of thousands of books. Learn from experts who actually have self published and created best-sellers. Founding partner Denise Hamilton sold over 250,000 copies of her own book… Ink Tree will teach authors how to do the same with their books!

Ink Tree can show aspiring authors and publishers:- How to know whether to self publish or to seek out a conventional publisher- The easiest way to create a publishing business plan and budget- The biggest mistakes most self publishers make that cost them thousands of dollars- The best ways to get books into bookstores and the strategic ways to get customers to the stores to buy- The secrets of turning a great book idea into a profitable business

"Self-publishing was always a bit of a mystery to me until now, and I enjoyed the way you broke it down... and made me realize the benefits and control that this option brings." Stacey Robinson (on one of our seminars)

Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books!

The Ink Tree Ltd. team is available for interviews. See http://www.inktreemarketing.com for more information.

Original Article from: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb223800.htm

Theres a Book in You!

2007-03-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Article by: Viojieley Gurrobat

You know you have the skill, knowledge and ability to write a book. But whats keeping you from writing is the problem of publishing it. You dont have a direct line at the editors of some of the biggest publishing house in the country and you certainly cant afford getting rejected for several times by these publishing houses. If this is your dilemma, then maybe it is time to consider self-publishing.

But what is self-publishing? Self-publishing basically allows the author to be in control of the entire creative and selling process of his book. Self-publishing is one of the fastest growing book publishing method in the publishing industry. If you are a self-published author you pay the full cost of producing your book and are responsible for marketing and distributing it. This means that all subsidiary rights, the copyright, all finished copies and all money received from book sales are solely your.

Printing the book is just a small part of publishing your book. Selling it is the most important factor. There are hundreds of printers out there that are willing to print your book. But you must be careful in selecting the right one or it could cost you thousands of dollars in sales.

Profit may not always be your reason for writing a book. Your book may be designed and created to fill specific needs of a business, organization or your family or it may be designed to explore your own interest. As traditional publishing houses prefer books that will interest the mass market, they will not usually accept a book intended for a small audience. Thus, self-publishing may be right for you.

Some of the reasons that people self-publish their work are because of time, control, profit, legacy and locality grounds. Because a book is a reflection of the author, self-publishing gives you the final word on the direction of your work. All decisions are wholly yours and not entrusted to third parties who have interests different from your own. Additionally, as a self-publisher you own all rights to your book. If you use a traditional publishing company, they will own all rights. Thus, if they lose interest in your book you will not be able to print additional copies unless you purchase your rights back. Whats more, people do not only publish their books to make money. They publish to share what they have learned or leave a legacy.

As a writer you would not want your precious books to end up in some dusty garage. So if you think self-publishing is right for you then its time to start moving and polishing your pages to get them snapped up as soon as possible.

For comments and suggestions kindly visit Book Digital Printing Services

Why Self-Publish?

2007-03-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

By: Katrina Williams

You have written a book. Now you want to publish it. Which way do you go? Self-Publishing or Traditional Publishing?

For most people, the traditional method seems safer, more reliable, and simply, easier. But it can take a long time to see their labored-over work in print. For many people, that dreaded rejection letter, saying their work is not something the publisher can market successfully at this time, leaves them feeling disillusioned. Thats when other means of getting the book into print comes to mind.

Self Publish. It makes sense for the writer who has the money, the time to devote to promotion, and the desire to be his or her own boss. There are basic steps that will allow you to be successful at self-publishing your own book.

Write

Before you write your story, make sure there is a market for it. This can be very hard for some writers to comprehend because they may believe the story they have written is one that everyone will want to read. If you determine the market for your book before you write it, you can save yourself a lot of aggravation in the long run. Finding that you spent two years writing a book that no one wants to read can be a hard pill to swallow.

Research

Once your story is written and you have determined there is a market for it, research the publishing industry. Learn the ins and outs before jumping in feet first and sinking quickly. You will avoid many pitfalls that new writers make when self-publishing their own books.

Find Funding

Find funding for self-publishing your book. If you have the capital yourself, great. If not, consider other sources that would help you raise the capital for self-publishing your own book.

Get the Book Reviewed

Before your book is set to go to the printer, send out copies of the manuscript to magazines and online book sites that review books. You want to send press releases also to let the world know your book is coming on the market.

Design the Book

Once you have the funding, decide on the design of the book and locate a printing company to print your book. Print-On-Demand companies and subsidy publishing companies are good places to start. Each type has its own advantages, so check out both types of printing companies before deciding on one to produce your book.

Develop a Marketing Strategy

Now that the book is printed, the real work begins: promoting and marketing your book. Design a publicity campaign and an advertising campaign for the book. You should have a marketing strategy in place to sell those millions of books you have always dreamed of selling.

Research Distribution Methods

Explore the various methods for distributing your books. Contact bookstore chains, individual bookstores, and online bookstores for stocking your book. Bookstores are not the only places to sell your book. Research distribution channels such as wholesalers, libraries, and direct mail order. Consider non-traditional methods and places to get your book in the hands of readers. Be inventive. Creative.

Promote Your Book

Now promote, promote, promote your book. If you have found a niche that is perfect for your book, and you promote the book like crazy, you will have achieved that ultimate goal of selling millions of copies of your book.

Ready for the next one? Self-Publish now.

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Katrina Parker Williams is an English Instructor and teaches English Composition and Grammar at a community college. She is also the author of a fictional novel Liquor House Music and publishes writing and publishing articles online. Visit Katrinas website at http://www.stepartdesigns.com/.

Distribute Your Self-Published Book (Part 1)

2007-03-04T02:26:00.000-08:00

By: Judy Cullins

Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or, did it already die an early death after a few months?

New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker & Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the
"brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.

Authors go through many hoops and snags to accomplish this-- what I call the "traditional publishing nightmare" of inefficiency and lack of support for authors. Usually the author only gets around 10% royalties and has to pay back all promotion expenses such as book signings. So many hoops, some give up. So many authors I speak with who have gone this route still have hundreds, even thousands of unsold copies littering up storage space. Talk about discouragement.

Distributors Can be Dangerous to Your Book's Health and Your Wallet

One author wrote, illustrated, and marketed six beautiful children's books. Her books were well reviewed and received. For some time, the profits rolled in until her distributor went bankrupt, owing her $160,000. After she stopped crying, she decided to take her books on the road—to local fairs and talks where she could KEEP all the profits.

Distributors take quite a chunk of money from the author's profits too. They charge the author for storage, and when books are returned, the author loses those sales, and has to pay the distributor too. Authors lose from the bookstores because their payment is late or unreliable. Some authors wait way beyond 90 days. In fact, many just don't get paid. Writers are not always good at collections either. These middlemen not only take most of the author's profits, they cause much stress too.

How Can Self-Published Authors Distribute?

Self-published books include: print books (perfect bound, comb bound, print on demand or print quantity needed, or stapled) or eBooks (sent over Email through Word or Portable Document Files)

Local Distribution.

For each venue, make sure to include ordering information such as your Web site URL, your company address, your toll-free 800 number, your local phone number, and an order page to fill
out for fax or phone orders..

1.Distribute through the Press.

-Create a "Power Press Release" (include tips and how-to's)
-Get a Feature Story from the Media
-Write a how-to article and submit

2. Distribute through a local Talk Show-Radio and TV or guest speak for another person's teleclasses.

Just a phone call away you can reach 100's of people interested in your book's topic. Do some research on www.teleclass.com. From my guesting with other experts every 2 months, new clients come, new book and teleclass sales increase to make up half my income.

On the talk shows or the teleclasses, offer the audience a free report to capture their email addresses. You can also send it through your host and she will distribute that information to her large email list. Of course you include your sales-pulling signature file at the end.

3. Distribute at local talks to groups. Sell your print books at the back of the room. Take a clip board and capture everyone's email at the talk. These people become your dedicated sales force and tell others. Word of mouth takes up to one or two years, so be patient for results. Check your library for Clubs who need free speakers.

Develop a selling two-sided flyer with testimonials, your book cover, excerpts, and an ordering coupon. Take books and flyers with you everywhere. Offer to all you meet, even your dentist!

Authors need to be proactive in book promotion because publishers won't do it for them. (Part 2 of this article is available)

Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams eBk: "Ten Non-techie Ways to Market Online"

www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml

Start Small but Finish Big in Self-Publishing

2007-03-04T02:10:00.000-08:00

by Anthony Obey

You may have never considered self-publishing as an option for your book or
even considered publishing at all for your work. Publishing a book is extremely
effective in broadcasting your message, ministry, or organization. A book gives
you the ability to thoroughly inform, educate, and inspire your audience on what
you are teaching. A book also adds another very lucrative stream of income to
your organization that will enhance your existing ones.

Now that your interest is peaked about the power of writing a book, you may
directly go to thinking "who should I go with: Random House or Nelson
Publishing?" Who said that you would be able to go the traditional route in the
first place? Traditional publishers only publish about a dozen to 50 books a
year while they receive 1000's of book proposals from would be authors every
single month. Do you see how the two don't equal a book deal for you any time
soon?

But take heart, many of the greatest writers of time past up to today have
been self-published authors. Check out this list of names to see if
self-publishing could be profitable for you:

WEB Dubois, Ken Blanchard, Benjamin Franklin, Earnest Hemingway, Spencer
King, Edgar Allen Poe, William Strunk, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, T.D.
Jakes, and Walt Whitman.

This is some list, huh? What makes the difference is not whether you get a
book deal with a traditional publisher or self-publish, the difference is within
you. You have to determine how successful you will be and what legacy you will
leave to the world after you. I wouldn't let the rejection that you'll get from
traditional publishing companies stop me from being successful if I were you. I
know because my wife and I didn't let that stop us. We self-published our book
and started marketing, promoting, and speaking to teach our message to the
world. We have found this to be a great way to get our message out and reach
people.

You should definitely consider self-publishing as the road that will lead you
to where you are trying to go. Do your research on different Self- Publishing
companies and get your work out there.

Anthony Obey is the owner of GMA Publishing providing book publishing and marketing services to Writers, Pastors, Leaders, and Speakers. At http://www.GMApublishing.com you can also sign up for Book Coaching and receive FREE E-Tips on Writing, Publishing, and Marketing your book.

Avoiding Self-Publishing Mistakes

2007-03-02T03:47:00.000-08:00

If you're about to self-publish your first book, you can make a handful of mistakes that can mean the difference between a successful publishing venture and a total bomb. Careful planning and implementing your own common sense are two ingredients that can help guarantee your success.

Not targeting your audience appropriately
In addition to ensuring that the content within your book is appropriate for your intended readers, craft the language and vocabulary to appeal to your readers and to be easily understandable. A fun, upbeat book about how to create a scrapbook or plan a family vacation shouldn't read like a history textbook or scientific research paper. Know your audience and write specifically for those people.

Inaccurate information, a lack of organization, and poor writing
Providing inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or misleading information to your reader damages your credibility and takes away value from your book. Avoid this mistake by doing proper research. Even if you're writing fiction, you want your plots and characters to be realistic or believable.

Proper organization makes your book easier to read. The content flows in a more logical order and it's easier to understand by the reader. The trick to developing a well-organized book is to begin by developing an extremely detailed outline before you start writing.

Just because you've decided to write a book doesn't automatically mean that you're a talented writer. Many authors spend years fine-tuning their craft. If you feel that you don't have the skills to create a well-written, full-length manuscript, seriously consider hiring a co-author who's a professional writer, a ghostwriter, and/or a really good editor to work with you.

A lack of attention to detail and editing
A well-written book contains absolutely no spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, inaccurate information, misprints, incorrect details (such as incorrect names, phone numbers, Web sites, statistics, chapter references, facts, or figures) or mislabeled figures and captions. In addition to proofreading your own work, hiring a professional editor to review your manuscript before it goes to press is crucial.

Inefficiently using money and resources
As a self-published author, all the expenses related to creating, editing, laying out, printing, distributing, advertising, marketing, and promoting your book come out of your pocket. Careful budgeting and knowing what expenses you may incur during each stage of the self-publishing process helps you best utilize the money that you have available when it comes to publishing your book.

Implementing poor cover design and copy
Having a well-written book with a poorly written and designed cover or a bad title has a negative impact on sales. Conversely, having an amazing cover and catchy title on an otherwise average book may dramatically improve sales. And hiring a professional graphic artist or experienced book cover designer to create your book's cover is an essential piece of your puzzle. Unless you have professional graphic design experience, hire someone who does!

Choosing the wrong printing method
For many self-published authors, Print-On-Demand (POD) publishing offers the perfect solution. It's inexpensive, relatively quick and allows virtually anyone with a good book idea to get published. POD has many benefits, but it's not the ideal publishing solution for everyone. Other traditional printing options, such as offset printing and eBook publishing opportunities, may be more appropriate based on your goals.

A lack of comprehensive distribution
In addition to writing an awesome book and heavily promoting it, the third key ingredient for success is making sure that your target audience can find and buy it. Based on how you're going to publish your book, figure out the best and most achievable distribution methods, and then make full use of them.

Wasting the potential of online distribution
Online sales, whether it's through your own Web site or the well-established online booksellers, such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, are extremely cost effective and powerful distribution channels that can't be ignored by self-publishers. These days, more and more people are Internet savvy and finding ordering books online convenient.

Improperly planning the publicity and marketing campaign
Writing what can potentially be a bestseller and publishing it is certainly important, but making sure that potential readers know about your book's existence is equally important when it comes to generating sales. Many self-published authors do an excellent job creating and publishing their book, but inadvertently they forget about marketing and advertising, or they don't realize the importance of these efforts.

A comprehensive and well-timed advertising, marketing, and public relations campaign is crucial for a book's success. If you don't have the advertising, marketing, and PR savvy to create, launch and manage an effective, well-planned, and comprehensive campaign, hire experienced experts to help.

Bad timing throughout the self-publishing process
As you complete the various steps in the publishing process, pay careful attention to scheduling, lead times, and deadlines. Rushing steps, cutting corners, or taking shortcuts is a surefire way to failure and making costly mistakes.

Timing also refers to when your book actually gets published and becomes available to readers online or at retail. Is there a specific date, season, holiday, or time of year when interest in your book may be stronger? Choosing the most appropriate release date is essential, especially if the book somehow ties into or relates to a specific date, holiday, or season. Most people aren't going to buy a Christmas cookbook in July.

Adapted From: Self-Publishing For Dummies

Self-Publishing Companies

2007-02-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

Self-Publishing

A word "Self-Publishing" can sometimes be very intimidating compared to the standard publishing practices. One that has to consider about self-publishing a book is the marketing side after the book is self-published. These are the following self-publishing companies that you may consider and most of them also offers marketing services.

Self-Publishing Companies

Try to check the following self-publishing companies. In no order of preference:

Xlibris - www.xlibris.com
iUniverse - www.iuniverse.com
AuthorHouse - www.authorhouse.com
BookSurge Publishing - www.booksurgepublishing.com
Lulu - www.lulu.com
Aventine Press - www.aventinepress.com
Publish America - www.publishamerica.com

Self-Publishing — Yeah or Nay?

2007-02-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

There are some reviewers, literary critics, and traditional publishers who believe that self-publishing, in all its varieties, is for the unprofessional and untalented author. Self-published authors have not faced any critical review of their work, and the companies that do self-publishing are motivated by money rather than the quality of the work! There is definitely some truth to this, but it applies equally to some of the traditional publishing houses. These houses have, over the last 10 years or so, maintained an unhealthy fixation on “Best Sellers” and on the “bottom line” — none of them have said they are not interested in making money. Many in the publishing industry are concerned about this trend and about the trend that the bigger houses have become too removed from the general writing population.

Clearly there are differences between self-publishers and the major publishing houses. The major houses have editors who edit the books. The major houses pay for the production costs, start to finish, for their authors. The major houses have good distribution systems and will heavily advertise books they feel will break through and become “Best Sellers.”

It is naive to think that authors taken on by the major houses are not paying for their books to be published. These authors do pay to get their work published — and pay and pay and pay. They receive royalties (as low as 10%) on actual book sales. The author also loses a great amount of control re copyright, editorial, graphic, and marketing decisions. The accounting practices of some major houses have left some authors waiting for months to be paid or to have recalculations and holdbacks on their advances. It is not until you become an important and saleable author that you can negotiate to make the traditional publishing house deals more equitable.

Authors: Alex Landels & A.G. Landels.
Source: SelfPublishing.com

How to Self Publish

2007-02-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

Throughout the history of the written word, self publishing has always been an option for aspiring authors, but with the advent of the Internet, the ease, affordability, and popularity of self-publishing has exploded. With so many options, it can be difficult to know how to self-publish. This webpage offers critical advice and resources on how to self publish.

Complete your manuscript. In your quest to self-publish, you must do your own editing or hire a professional editor--the choice is yours. Just make sure your manuscript is as good as it can possibly get.

Choose a self-publishing company. Many self-publishing companies are ready and waiting for you. Choose the publisher that best suits your needs and budget.

Get the book printed. Send your manuscript to the self-publishing company--usually, this is through email. Every company has their own requirements and procedures. Work with them to choose interior layout and cover design--they often offer design templates you can use.

Market and sell your book, using any creative means necessary.

Excellent and comprehensive guides on self-publishing can be found in your local bookstore, library, or Internet stores. Here are some of the best ones:

The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book. A complete self publishing guide for writing, printing, publishing, promoting, marketing and distributing books.

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book. This self-publishing guidebook offers advice on writing, publishing, marketing, and selling books on your own, focusing on the publishing scene, preparations, product quality, public relations, traditional marketing strategies, alternative venues, and all business aspects of self-publishing.

Smart Self-Publishing: An Author's Guide to Producing a Marketable Book. An easy to read, practical and honest self publishing tutorial touching on all aspects of self-publishing.

Article Source: Publishing Smart

Why Self-Publish Your Book

2007-02-22T04:05:00.000-08:00

Ceci Miller says:

“… The power of belief in our words is what makes promises good and turns dreams into reality. Authors who self-publish their books believe deeply that others will benefit from reading what they have to say. They have unshakable conviction. Such authors often tell me, “I had to write this book. I just have to get it out there!” Deep belief is the selfless power that drives all true service and makes a difference in the world. Authors with a strong sense of purpose know that they can make their books succeed. They don’t want to wait around for a publishing house to “accept” their work. Aware that time is precious, such authors create their own publishing opportunities. They get behind their own message. They launch a campaign fueled with belief in the creative power of intention.”

Read the whole article from Vision Business Pros

What is Self-Publishing?

2007-02-22T03:15:00.000-08:00

by Moira Allen
With the proliferation of inexpensive "pay-for-publication" options, this has become a confusing question. Many writers believe that "self-publication" refers to any mechanism by which the writer bears the cost of publication -- including subsidy electronic and print-on-demand publications. Many vendors encourage this belief, as "self-publishing" tends to sound more respectable than "subsidy publishing."

As a traditionalist, however, I intend to stick to long-accepted distinctions between self-publishing vs. subsidy publishing. The self-published author is responsible for a much greater range of tasks (and expenses) than a subsidy-published author -- and it is these additional tasks and challenges that will be addressed in this section (though subsidy-published authors will find much of value here as well).

To offer a quick and easy definition, therefore:

"Subsidy publishing" is a form of publication in which the author pays ANOTHER PUBLISHER to produce a book.
"Self-publishing" is a form of publication in which the author BECOMES the publisher of the book.

This distinction is important. When you subsidy-publish your book, "author" and "publisher" are two distinct entities. If, for example, you publish through Xlibris, Xlibris will be listed as the publisher of your book. When you self-publish, author and publisher are the SAME entity. Your name, or the name you've chosen for your "publishing house," will be listed as the publisher of the book.

Moira Allen, editor of Writing-World.com, has published more than 350 articles and columns and seven books, including How to Write for Magazines, Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and Proposals, and Writing.com: Creative Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career.

Read the full article at Writing-World.com