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Is There Money in Self Publishing?

Sunday, August 31st, 2008
self publishing
Linda A Lavid asked:


Theoretically, a self published writer can make as much money as a commercially published one. In some cases, possibly more. There are several reasons why.

First, most commercial fiction writers do not make a lot of money. Let’s assume there’s an advance of three thousand dollars with royalties of 6% to follow. Now if the book has a very respectable run of 20,000 (copies) at $5.99 (paperback retail for category) and sells out, that nets the writer of $7188, the advance monies of which are included. On the other hand, if a self published writer makes a $5.00 profit on each book sold, he needs to sell around 1550 books to make a similar amount. This includes deducting the cost of publishing. Here are the numbers: 1550 (books) x $5 = $7750 - $500 (cost of publishing with subsidy publisher) for a $7250 net profit. Granted, this is a huge number of books to sell.

Second, the marketing window for a commercially published book is time limited. Publishing houses promote books aggressively for a month or so, then move on to other titles. Self published books can be marketed over a longer period in many creative ways. Granted, most self published authors don’t spend the necessary time or energy in marketing.

Third, the shelf life of a commercially published book can be as short as a month. POD books are never out of print. Granted, most self published writers lose interest in moving books after the initial flurry of sales.

Lastly, commercially published authors are only given royalties and can’t sell the book for their own personal profit. Self published books can be sold by authors to whomever they choose and for whatever price they choose. Granted, most self published writers often rely on royalty sales rather than sell books in venues that would increase their profit margin.

As suggested, the difference between making and not making money from a self published book lies less with the nature of book selling than with a self publishing author’s reluctance to market and stay the course.

Linda’s Website

Linda is the author of Composition: A Fiction Writer’s Guide for the 21st Century  Download for $3.75



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The Pros and Cons of Self-publishing

Friday, August 22nd, 2008
self publishing
Linda A Lavid asked:


Is self-publishing for every writer?

No. We all have different goals and reasons for what we do. Some writers may want to go the commercial route. They know they have the talent and persistence to make it happen and feel that anything less would be selling out. Other writers may not have the interest in spending money or want to commit to the necessary time in editing, marketing and selling. Others can’t tolerate anything that hints at technology, which is a huge liability should you want to self-publish.

To independently publish is to multitask and there’s a lot to learn. It can be done, but not overnight. Creating the product can take years, then you’ve got to market and sell it, usually while you’re working on another project. This along with keeping up a home, job, family, is a monumental undertaking. Still, allow me this argument.

Inside every writer is an independent soul who sits alone for hours thinking and writing, who has a recorder next to him to take down whatever he sees and feels, who waits in a doctor’s office with a feverish child on her lap and whose mind wanders to a faraway place. A fiction writer is a person who knows no bounds, who creates, who believes that anything is possible. The independence and freedom of self-publishing plays into this nature. So I argue: If it can be done, why not do it?

Are there good reasons to self-publish?

Here’s a laundry list: to take control, to get serious, to express yourself, to hone your craft, to learn, to grow, to finish a project, to put your work out there, to test the market, to connect to readers, to get reviewed, to gain confidence, to expand your horizons, to make your dream come true.

Are there bad reasons to self-publish?

Yes, if you have unrealistic expectations, such as making gazillion dollars so you can buy an island and hobnob with old money. Yes, if you’re not totally prepared to write a manuscript worthy of publication. Yes, again, if your ego bruises easily.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of POD self-publishing?

Advantages: You maintain control of how your book is presented. Your book will be in print indefinitely thus allowing a longer time to find an audience. Buying bulk and storing large inventories are not necessary. Basic publishing packages often include distribution, ISBN numbers, and placement in online stores. Publishing is done quickly at a relatively low cost. Post production edits are easy. Selling your book directly to a reader increases profit.

Disadvantages: Your book will be difficult to place in large chain bookstores. You’ll have to do your own editing and marketing or pay someone to do it. To make a profit you must expend time and energy into selling books.

How much money will it cost?

Initially, the expense varies depending on the add-ons that are purchased. Add-ons can be editing services, cover design, marketing packages. However, to give you a ballpark figure, I’d say the average cost to publish a book runs between $400 and $700.

Nevertheless, there’s more to consider than the initial publishing cost especially if you’re not swimming in technological waters. At a minimum, you’ll need a computer, printer, CD burner, Internet access, and a word processing program. Should you do your own cover, you may also require a scanner, digital camera and some type of Photoshop program. Marketing costs can include a website. Clearly, you can be nickeled and dimed when you self-publish; however, don’t be fooled into believing that other types of publishing come free. Many books that are traditionally published have similar expenses. Due to competition and the shrinking editorial staff found in large publishing houses, an author often has to have his manuscript professionally edited before it’s even considered for publication, an expense that can run into the thousands. Toss in postage and copying costs at twenty dollars a pop as manuscripts are routed to agents and publishers, and your trip to Paris may have to be postponed.

How legitimate is it?

Self-publishing is still self-publishing and may always have a ring of illegitimacy. Still, it’s an exciting time with an unknown, unpredictable end game. We’re in the fledgling years of a technological boom where books are being published at an astounding rate, where worldwide markets are expanding, where new voices are heard. Forecasters see POD printers in local drugstores at the ready to publish any book at anytime. Authors may even rent their own POD printers. So how will this shake down? Who knows? But one truism remains: legitimacy is about readership and connecting with people who enjoy your work.

For more info: Linda’s Website

Linda is the author of Composition: A Fiction Writer’s Guide for the 21st Century  Download for $3.75



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How My Book Got Published by a Self Publisher, Who Ended Up Stealing My Royalties

Monday, August 18th, 2008
self publishing
Gianni Truvianni asked:


It all started for me, earlier this year during the first few days of February; not only had it been over half a year since I had finished and edited my first book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” but I was even looking for a publisher for it. I, in all frankness knew little if anything about publishing at the time and even now I do not lay claim to being all that informed about it but I decided to go for a self publisher. Why did I decide for self publisher as opposed to a regular? Well, the answer to this question is very simple; I wanted a publisher, that would allow me to keep the rights to my book and also one that would not ask for exclusive rights to publish it, and that way when or if my book sold well I could present it to a regular publisher who would probably be more interested in publishing after seeing how well the book was already selling.

It was only after contacting several publishers that I came to settle on iUniverse, basically because at 599 USD, their price was the lowest, or one the lowest and because I could make the payment in the form of a check. This being important since I neither had nor would have made the payment by credit card via the internet even if I had had one. Everything seemed to be ok with iUnverse; I got a contract through the internet, which I first read then printed, then signed and mailed back to the ones who would be my publisher.

The contract was basically a bad deal. I would only get 20% percent from the sale of each book and not even from the cover price but the price my publisher sold my book at; which in the case of my book is about $8 USD a copy. So basically my cut would be 2 USD per every book of mine that was sold. Regarding “New York’s Opera Society”, it was eventually decided by iUniverse that it should have the cover price which it does at present of $13.95 a copy.  Ok, I admit it, I signed a “lousy deal” but this I blame no one but myself for as no one forced me to put my John Hancock on that piece of paper which I mailed back to iUniverse.

Once the contract was signed I sent it back to iUniverse along with a “banker’s check”, which basically works like a money order or traveler’s check. This meaning that one gives a certain amount of money to a bank and it makes out a check for the amount of money received. For instance if one gives the bank a million dollars then one gets a check for that amount; which one is free to make out to whom ever one wishes but what one can not do is change the amount. For that is typed on the check by the bank, so in essence there is no way that a banker’s check might not have funds to cover it or “bounce” as some would commonly refer to it. Having done this I, in good faith after having worked hard on my book for three years sent iUniverse; a copy of my book by email for them to start work on, in order to get it published.

I however around the begging of March, got an email from iUniverse that they would stop all work on the publishing of my book because the check I had sent them did not have sufficient funds to cover it. I for my part knew that there was no possibility that this could have occurred as with the sort of check I had sent them it was literally impossible. I, however did make one mistake on the check and that was that I wrote their name as being !Universe instead of iUniverse but I figured this would not be a problem. This given that the money was there and all their bank would have to do was confirm it with the bank that had issued this check and all would be right as rain. It might take a little longer for the check to clear but it would only be a matter of a few days extra, at most.

I had at that point to a certain extent; been made the victim of “slander” by this email which I received from iUniverse, as they were accusing me of passing off bad checks which has even been known to land some people in prison. As happened once with Elvis Presley’s father; Vernon who did some time in the pen for the same reason. Naturally, I suspected that the cause of the problem might be the name I had put on the check, as there was no way a banker’s check could not have sufficient funds to cover it.

All of which I made clear to iUniverse in my reply. I also at the time got the impression that those at iUniverse were either very incompetent or simply very crooked. As it could be a case of the left hand not knowing what the right was doing. This in the way that the person who had sent me this email, simply had been misinformed or had been told there was a problem with my check and had jumped to her (it being a woman who sent me the email) own conclusion; that the issue must have been lack of funds.

Of course, I also got the impression they might be trying to cheat me out of a second check and not even publish my book, well to make it short eventually I got fed up with asking them to explain what the issue was and I was sure that it could not be lack of funds. This for reasons I have already explained. I, therefore at this point simply told iUniverse, that if they did not manage to cash that check by the end of the week, it being a Tuesday; I would simply put a stop payment on it. 

My move worked because I got an email from them saying that it had just been a case of their name being spelt wrongly on the check and not lack of funds, as they had wrongly accused me of though I got no apology from them. Not even the kind that are usually passed on by those who tried to pull a fast one and got caught and are pretending theirs was but an honest mistake. Regardless of which I continued with iUniverse, perhaps wrongly but they all things considered were going to publish my book; which would surely sell well. After all, I am a very well known writer or at least on the internet (though weather I am good or not is another issue) as anybody who looks up my name on google will see for him or herself and my book was and still is a very good one or at least in my opinion, though I am not naïve enough to believe that that is what everybody else will think.       

Eventually, the process got under way. I sent them my manuscript and all that they required to have it published; such as a photograph of myself for the back cover and a painting for the front cover. This while they sent me an email saying I would get my free author’s copies two weeks after the book was published which would be sometime in early May. True to their word they did publish my book in early May, on the eighth but contrary to their promise I did not get the five author’s copies, which my contract stated I would two weeks after the publication of my book. These I got after eight weeks instead of two with an additional five extra copies; I might add for having been patient with their incompetence, which I had already gotten used to by then.

I must confess at this point that from the moment I heard of the system of print on demand and understood how it worked that I saw how it could lead to me being cheated by iUniverse with regards to my sales figures, as there was little accounting for sales and I even expected to be cheated but only to a certain extent. This not because of me being pessimist but a realist, are people not always cheated in some way or another by somebody regardless of who they are or how much or how little they may have. Once, I even read that most people in America and I imagine in the world who work jobs; never get paid the exact amount in wages they should, as there pay check always shortchanges them by at least 50 cents. This after the taxes have been deducted, however the amount which they get cheated out of is so small that most people will not even notice and those who do usually do not consider it worth arguing about much less litigating about in a court of law.

We could even stop to think when we buy any product. For instance, a bottle of shampoo that claims that the amount that should be contained is 200 ml but how often do we check to see if that in fact is how much we are getting, for it could be 195 or 198 centiliters. Of course most people would not fret over such small amounts; even if they could prove such was the case however for a company selling millions of bottles, then it does make a difference as those 5 or 3 centiliters will add up to a huge amount if extracted from every bottle they sell. It was this argument that was the reason I opted not to give too much mind to the issue that I probably would be getting cheated by a few books a month by iUniverse. For unfortunately this is the case in most of the issues that concern life, which none of us can really do anything about.

I during the month of May also took the time to visit some of Warsaw’s bookstores in order to present myself as an author with a published book and one that they would do well in buying for it could sell well if they did. Many book stores in Warsaw were interested but unfortunately could not buy my book as they only bought books from certain wholesalers, however among all those bookstores I visited during the month of May there was one in particular which bought five copies of my book. This because I managed to convince the owner of this small bookstore that several of my friends would come in and buy copies of “New York’s Opera Society”, which in fact is what happened. I even went to the store with all five of these friends of mine, when they made their purchase of “New York’s Opera Society” and signed it for them, so one could say that I saw with my own eyes these five copies of my book “New York’s Opera Society”.

Eventually June arrived and I noticed on the internet that my book was selling on more internet bookstores then just iUniverse’s; as there were two others where my book was available, perhaps not right away way but one could at least order it. one of the these internet bookstores was once called “Target” and another was “Books Unlimited” from Ireland. I also at this time started putting up more articles on the net on websites such as ezinearticles, articledashboard, and many other big websites with each one containing in my author’s bio that I was the author of a book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” which could be purchased on iUniverse. I had been putting up articles on the net since February of 2007 (my first article “The Little Opera Singer”) and still do; basically as a means to promote not only myself as a writer but my book “New York’s Opera Society”; as I put up links to where people who read my articles may find my book if they seek to buy it.

During the following three months, July, August and September I become even more committed to the promotion of my book on the internet as I was putting up an average of three articles a week on diverse, topics such as the Olympic games, football, formula one racing, politics and many others. All with the intension of promoting “New York’s Opera Society” and its sales, as can be expected, for I was not getting paid for the articles I was putting on the net but did so in order to be more well known among those who choose to read articles on the net. During the month of July I even discovered that I could promote my book on www.ezinearticles.com by putting up its ISBN number on my page, which not only put up its cover on my page but a direct link to Amazon, where it could also be bought.

Yes, it is true my book was available on Amazon and it did not take long for Tesco, Barnes and Nobles, Woolworth’s and many others to follow suit. I even saw that some people were selling used copies of my book on Amazon, which they had bought but were looking to sell as perhaps they had no intensions of reading my book a second time, as how many people read the same book twice? I also figured that there were those who perhaps just wanted to sell it so they could use the money to buy another book or who might not have liked the book. I never claimed to be able to please everybody, as no one really can but my book was selling on Amazon. This was something that I must say gave me a sense of pride that so many people were looking at my book and even buying it, as I saw the number of used copies that were available and could imagine that not everybody who had bought the book wanted to sell it. Amazon after all is a place where people can sell any used product providing it is one which they already have in their catalogue such as CDs, books, DVD, etc.

Everything seemed to be ok, or at least it was during the last week of the month of August as it was on the last day of this month on which I was supposed to be getting my first royalty check, or at least for the months of May and June. I at that point even started thinking of publishing my second book with iUniverse entitled “Love Your Sister”, which I informed them about in an email that I had a second book ready for publishing.

It was a Thursday, late in the evening at about 10:30 pm and the date was August 30 when I got a phone call from iUniverse, from a man (whose name I will not mention), who called me to ask when I planned to publish my second book and also with an offer of how cheaply it could be done if I did so the following week. This due to a promotion this man claimed to be available from iUniverse, during the following week, which would make it possible for me to get the same publishing package which I had gotten for “New York’s Opera Society” only at a price that was 200 USD less then what I had paid in February. I must say that there was a certain tone of despair in this man’s voice; almost as if he needed me to agree to his package right away, given he asked me to send the money the following day. His was almost like one of those salesmen, who wants to put as much rush and pressure as possible on his customer, as he told me all sorts of things that I was an international author which I already knew from what I had seen on the net and that the time was right for my second book. I even remembered how he mispronounced my name calling me Giovanni as in “Don Giovanni” by Mozart, instead of my real name of Gianni which does not have a “V” in it anywhere.   

I for my part was ready to buy the package being offered to me, in spite of this man’s poor manners and lack of salesmanship but I was hoping to do so with my first royalty check which was due to arrive the following day. I even asked if I would have my first royalty check mailed to me the following day, which he told me I would and I asked not the amount as this would not have been his department or the point of his call but if I could use my royalties to pay for the publishing of my second book. To which I was told for some strange reason that I could not, though I know not why since they are the same company why they could not simply take some out of my royalty check and use it to pay for my next package.

The following day arrived and I; in what was a big mistake on my part sent this man, the text  to my second book, “Love Your Sister”, (though I have had it copy written since then) along with an email that I would send them the check for the money soon. This was a Friday and the following week came and went and still I had no check, so after waiting the week I sent iUniverse an email asking when I could expect my first royalty check to which I received a reply that simply stunned me. It coming in the form that my book in the months of May and June had only sold three copies! I was even sure of five copies being sold as I had seen them for myself, with my very own eyes and this I informed iUniverse about in an email which earned me a reply that what I would need to do was get the receipts as proof of this purchase and that I could look up my figures on my sales history page. This page showing in fact that in May, my book had sold one copy and another two in June or at least according to iUniverse I had only sold so few.

Now, looking back on the phone call I got from this rather clumsy man in manners, and more so its timing I would say it was perfect. iUniverse knew all along that I was not going to be getting a check any time soon or perhaps ever, therefore they wanted to rush me in to buying  another package before the following week went by and I found out that I would not be getting the royalty check I had been told would be surely coming. I naturally asked this man, to whom I emailed my second book to; to kindly delete it from his files as there was no way I would ever publish another book with iUniverse again.

It was not so much that there was a big difference between three books and five books but that was not the point. First of all how was I going to go all around the world asking bookstores which might have bought my book. Second of all, if I was even being lied to about the sell of these books which I was as sure as can be had been sold what about those which I was not being told about and would have no way of knowing about. I, naturally complained to iUniverse, and was eventually told a month later that there had been an error committed in the counting of books during the month of May and June and their would be an internal audit as they were a company that took such matters very seriously. I even got a message attached to this file in a form that I could not even open and had to ask a friend of mine to open for me. It was regarding how many books I had sold in the month of May and June though not the whole sum. The amount I saw was higher then the three copies they had mentioned and I at this point figured it could be like that and started to think that it all might have been but an honest mistake, for if one thing I was 100% sure of and still am is the lack of competence by iUniverse.

This company all things considered was very inefficient which did not by necessity mean they were crooked as well. They had published my book, when they after all could have kept the money from the check I sent them and had even sent me 10 free author’s copies (though I don’t know how free they are if one has to pay for them) instead of the 5 they said they would for being late on their delivery.

Another thing I started, thinking was that perhaps the sales that came from Amazon, Tesco and Woolworths should not really be counted for the months of May and June as “New York’s Opera Society” did not make its way on to those bookstores till July. I even mentioned how used copies of my book were being sold on Amazon and other websites that allow customers to sell items through their services. This however was met by what I now see as an untruthful answer though at the time I thought only ignorant reply that those books were just a trick of companies like Amazon; to make people think that my book was selling better then it really was in order to encourage people to buy it.

Of course other things made me suspicious of iUniverse.  Like when I saw on Amazon and Tesco that my book was in stock and could be delivered to the client in one day. This opposed to being available which has more meanings then in stock which is more specific and how could it be that these internet bookstores could get my book to their clients in a day or two if they did not already have it and had bought it from iUnivese? For delivering it to the customer after having ordered it from iUniverse would at least take two weeks, given that iUniverse only prints there books once they have received orders for them and then they send them out to their clients who have already paid in advanced, so how would it be possible for a company like Tesco to deliver my book in one day? Unless a company of their size, the UK’s biggest retailer was simply lying. This I told iUniverse but they had no answer, therefore did not reply as they had failed to do on a number of occasions; like when I told them about those used books on Amazon, whom they called liars for stating these copies were being sold as used by third parties on their website. 

I though despite all this was hopeful perhaps naively at this point that the error which iUniverse itself had confessed to would be clarified and that on the first of December I would get my royalties not only for the months of August, September, October but May and June as I had been told I would. I after all had even been sent a file by iUniverse stating that I had sold 28 books in those months however once again I was deceived!

For on Thursday, 4th of December of this month I received an email claiming that my book had only sold 14 USD worth of copies. This meaning that not only was I not going to get paid, given iUniverse has a policy that claims that royalty checks are only made out for sums of 25 USD or higher but that my book had only sold about 7 or 8 copies world wide. This though I know for a fact; as I have had it confirmed to me by Amazon that those used copies are in fact being sold by those who have bought the book and are now selling it, with 20 copies being available for resale on amazon.com alone. This not even taking in to account those copies that were sold but are not being resold, which are probably a lot more then even that sum of 20 copies.

Also Amazon though they could not tell me when I asked them how many copies of my book they had sold; did tell me they had a sales ranking on their websites and though I asked not about this I saw for myself that the ranking of my book, “New York’s Opera Society” was quite high, as any who looks up my book on Amazon can see. This regardless of which Amazon one looks up “New York’s Opera Society”, as it is high on the sales ranking of every Amazon bookstore expect the one in China. This given that my book is not yet available on Amazon.ch but it is my truest hope that it soon will be. For it would be an honor if people with such a great culture as the Chinese would consider reading my book and enjoy it or at least nothing would make me happier then if this were to be the case.

In conclusion, I have decided that to take my publisher iUniverse; to court and am presently looking for a lawyer to do as I have had enough of dealing with people who are blatantly lying to me and cheating me out of my hard earned royalties. For it is not really for me to say if I am a good writer or not but even if I were the worst who ever lived; this would not justify me having my royalties stolen from me by those who hide behind a system known as print on demand. In this I will not even mention how many versions of my book might have been sold via PDF and emailed to individuals. For there is absolutely no way to account for this specially when one has a crooked publisher as I do in iUniverse.

???My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” which is now available on Amazon.



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Saturday, August 16th, 2008
self publishing
Christopher Kyalo asked:


Very few people ever think of self-publishing their website or blog content. Yet behind this simple thought lies a secret that has opened the flood gates of traffic for many.

I am not suggesting that you go out and publish a book (although this is even a better idea), what I am talking about here is online self-publishing. One of the wonderful things that the World Wide Web has done is turn millions of us into online self-publishers. You see by having a web site or blog, whether you acknowledge it or not, you are already self-publishing.

But it gets really powerful when a webmaster or blog owner goes beyond their own site and self-publishes their content elsewhere, in other people’s sites. It becomes even more interesting when they go even further in self-publishing and create an information product from their web content and offer it for sale online. Some smart webmasters are even doing both but using the former to help sell the latter.

You see there is an increasing number of websites that accept article submissions relevant to their subject of interest. Not to mention the dozens of high traffic article directories that will accept an article on virtually any subject of interest. The first thing that happens is that you instantly create valuable links back to your site (the rules of self-publishing free articles online are such that every article has a resource box with details on the source of the article including links). These links will do two things that are bound to have an enormous impact on your traffic. The first is that they will positively affect your search engine rankings. The second is that they will directly lead traffic to your site or blog.

By creating and promoting information products based on your site’s contents, you will often find that you are generating even more interest in the free content on your site. Since what is already on your site is similar to what you are selling, many people will want to examine it before they purchase your product. Others will want to glean as much as possible from it so as to avoid purchasing your product.

Are you getting an idea of the power there is in self-publishing your content?

I have nothing Interesting Enough To Consider Self-Publishing

Most folks don’t believe that their content is interesting enough to self-publish. The truth is that if this were true, then chances are that your site does not deserve to exist. Besides, what the World Wide Web has done is to create markets for tiny niches covering imaginable subject you would care to think of. In other words, whatever it is you have to say, chances are that there is somebody out there who is eagerly seeking that information.

As you aspire to attract as much traffic as possible to your site, self-publishing the content that you are using to do this becomes a breeze.

Self-publishing Sharpens Your Focus

By self-publishing your content at other websites and by creating other information products, you sharpen your focus on creating captivating content that will attract traffic and keep as many folks as possible coming back again and again. In the increasingly crowded and competitive web, this can be a huge advantage.

Self-publishing does this for you by forcing you to focus on the real value of your content and what your target market wants.

Online Self-publishing Is The Future And the Future Is Already Here

According to a recent article in BusinessWeek magazine, blogging is rapidly redefining media worldwide. If we take a moment to consider the role blogs have been playing in recent elections, most notably the 2004 US presidential elections, then it becomes clear that this is in fact an understatement.

Blogs are at the forefront of online self-publishing and it is not surprising that they are a powerful online marketing tool these days, frequently used by many Fortune 500 companies in their marketing plans.

The sooner you start looking into self-publishing your website content the better for you and your self-publishing business



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

Thursday, August 14th, 2008
self publishing
Dodie Cross asked:


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!



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Self-publishing Without Paying Upfront

Thursday, August 14th, 2008
self publishing
Mandy Singh asked:


It’s long been held by writers that ‘publishers pay you - you don’t pay publishers.’ Unfortunately, there are many vanity presses and near-vanity presses out there (including several of what’s known as ‘print on demand’) that are quite ready to take your cash in exchange for the hope of selling your books to the masses.

First off, is self-publishing worth it? If you have a story idea that would appeal to a lot of readers, or is considered more mainstream or genre (think romance, science fiction, mystery), or if you have a non-fiction story that many people can relate to, then you should try to find a publisher. And an agent.

Finding a publisher (or agent) is admittedly hard for an unpublished author - but it does happen. After all, go back far enough and you’ll find a point where Stephen King and J.K. Rowling were unpublished nobodies. They got their chance and so can you. It’s easy enough to get dispirited when you see the likes of Nichole Ritchie or Madonna getting book deals just because they’re famous - but publishers also like to take chances on unknowns, often because it costs them a lot less to sign.

Having said that, if your book will only appeal to a very small market, or if you have plans to sell it yourself (as an adjunct to lectures, for example, or in conjunction with your crafts), it may make more sense to self-publish.

There are four basic methods to self-publishing your book:

1. Lay out the book yourself, design the cover yourself, and pay a printer to print 200-1,000 copies which you’ll then have to keep on hand while you try to get them stocked in bookstores or sell them yourself.

2. Pay a vanity press a lot of money for them to lay the book out, design the cover, and print a small number of copies. Why a small number? Well, they don’t think you’ll be selling (or giving away) more than a few.

3. Pay a print-on-demand company like iUniverse or Xlibris some money for them to layout the book and design the cover, and have it ready to be printed whenever someone buys a copy (’on demand’).

4. Sell it electronically.

You may not have considered selling an electronic version of your book, but you should. Here’s why:

1. No upfront costs. You can download templates to format your manuscript, and you can also download free software that will convert your word processing document into Adobe PDF (portable document format) files, the most common type of files for ebooks.

2. No worry about printing or reprinting. You can sell as many or as few copies of your ebook without having to figure out how many books to print ahead of time. It simply doesn’t cost anything to duplicate an electronic file.

3. Easy to set up. There’s no need to contract with booksellers or distributors; sell the ebook yourself on your own Web site or blog, or even your Facebook or MySpace page.

What’s the easiest, fastest way to get started selling your ebooks? CybaSumo (http://www.cybasumo.com).

With CybaSumo, you simply create an account and upload your ebook (all for free). CybaSumo handles the transaction, fulfillment, and billing - leaving you free to work on your writing.

You can sell your ebook wherever you want to with CybaSumo. First, at www.cybasumo.com you’ll find an attractive set of stores you can join with your products. But there’s also the CybaSumo portable store, a Flash widget you can embed on your own Web site, blog, or social networking site (think MySpace or Facebook).

While publishers pay you only a fraction of the cover price, and vanity presses and print-on-demand firms require substantial upfront fees, there’s no fee ever to list your ebook with CybaSumo, and aside from a tiny percentage taken off for administration, you get all the profit from your work.More and more authors are releasing works via ebook, including Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, and Scott Sigler. Join the twenty-first century publishing revolution and sell your ebooks to your fans today - wherever they are. Join CybaSumo!



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Direct Mailing List Tips Self Publishers & Business Owners Must Know

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
self publishing
Helen Hecker asked:


Many self publishers, book publishers, entrepreneurs, and home-based and small business owners are in the dark about mailing list rentals-how to order targeted, direct mailing lists - say for a direct marketing campaign, what to look for, and what to beware of. And they often make a few expensive mistakes. The following tips and trade secrets will help you avoid some of these mistakes and help you make better decisions when you seek out quality mailing list services.

First of all, generally, you rent, not buy mailing lists. They remain in the ownership of the mailing list company and are usually not for sale.

Many business owners rent lists but don’t use them right away, which is a mistake. Most lists change considerably in 30 days or less. Some lists, like mailing lists of public libraries, prisons, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, daily newspapers, TV stations and radio stations will have very few changes. They are fairly stationary so not as likely to move. Bookstore lists, new age bookstores lists, organization lists, specialty lists, MLM lists and business mailing lists may have a high rate of return. To avoid a lot of returns, rent the selected lists just prior to making your mailing.

Be careful about renting any mailing list that goes to individuals: consumer mailing lists, seniors mailing lists, residential mailing lists, homeowners mailing lists and opportunity seekers mailing lists, for example. With 20% of the population moving every year you may get significant returns.

But do expect some returns. As often as we mail using lists, we always get returns (called ‘nixies’ in the trade) from the post office. People move, forwarding orders expire, people expire, post office boxes close, and businesses close their doors.

Mailing list management and upkeep is expensive. It takes a lot of time and labor for companies to compile, add to, clean and mail to their lists and other necessary maintenance. They also use expensive mailing list software programs which can have costly bugs of their own.

To help you plan ahead, before you order your mailing lists, ask when you can expect the order to arrive. This can vary considerably from company to company. Some companies can take up to two weeks or more.

Mailing lists can usually be ordered in at least three formats - peel and stick (pressure-sensitive) labels or Cheshire (18 pound, spreadsheet-size computer paper-less common these days) or on a floppy disk (used less often these days) or CD. You order peel and stick labels if they’re going to be affixed to your mailing piece by hand. Or if you know how to import the lists you can order them on CD. If your mailing house is going to do your mailing they’ll probably prefer the floppy disk or CD - check with them on this before you order.

Mailing houses used to require the Cheshire format instead of peel and stick labels before the advent of computer technology and CD ROM. They have machines that cut the printed Cheshire sheets into labels and glue them to the envelopes. When ordering lists on CD, specify the format you want to use for conversion, usually ASCII comma-delimited. You must know how to import it when you get the disk though. The mailing lists will always be for one-time use only even if they’re on a CD or disk. And some mailing list companies offer instant downloads of lists.

Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage. If you can’t answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details.

Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece. You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package.

When you do mailings First Class, you’ll get returns from the post office at no additional charge. If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won’t get returns. They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you’ve printed ‘Return Service Requested’ on the envelope. Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or ‘Change Service Requested’ (cost based on piece regardless of weight.) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically.

Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren’t enough for a credit, which is almost always offered. This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon. They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon.

When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you’re mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.

The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since decoys are different for each list order, the renter who abuses a contract is easy to trace.

Mailing lists are protected by copyright and trade secret law. Any violation of a list agreement is strictly upheld by the courts. Once a list rental contract has been broken, the list owner has legal recourse to sue for compensatory and punitive damages. Punitive damages could amount to as much as three times the value of the list and more.

All list owners have good reason to be so protective of their data. List rental is a multibillion-dollar business. There are literally thousands of lists available for rental in the United States alone.

If all else fails, you can enlist the help of a mail list broker. Brokers usually collect their fees from the mailing list company. Check this out first.

In any case caveat emptor! In any case you can reap rewards handsomely from sending out fliers, press releases, press kits, review copies of books and other materials via the direct mailing lists you choose.

These tips and trade secrets should help self publishers, book publishers, entrepreneurs, home based or work-at-home and small business owners make better decisions when working with mailing lists, mailing list rentals and mailing list companies.



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Mark Cressnan Gives the Abcs on Baseball in His Self Published Book

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


When it is a hop, a skip and a week to any championship game in the State, almost every baseball team in America will psyche themselves to claim that title. This year, the Philadelphia Phillies happen to be the most psyched among the many teams and won the 2008 World Series Championship in baseball.

The last time the Phillies won a World Series title was in 1980. Their victory and other historical information on the who’s-who in the world of baseball are chronicled in Mark Cressnan’s self-published book The A-to-Z History of Baseball.

This release from the book publishing company, Xlibris, is a play by play look and a timely read on the famous personalities in the field of baseball such as Josh Gibson, Christy Mathewson, Satchel Paige, and Babe Ruth, to name a few. Cressman, who possesses a Master’s Degree in Sport Administration, is an authority on the subject matter having an expertise in the field of sports.

Reading The A-to-Z History of Baseball will definitely bring enthusiasts into a timeline where men rally over statistics and getting that trophy, award and recognition is second nature to subsisting in the sports world.

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=kr, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.



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Warnings From a Traditionally Published Author: Don’t be Bamboozled Into Self-publishing a Book

Sunday, August 10th, 2008
self publishing
Stacy-Deanne asked:


I am a traditionally published author with Simon and Schuster. I’ve been in the business for almost twelve years and have taken most of that time to learn the ins and outs of the business. I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. During my quest to know as much about the industry as possible, I became published. Now that I am at a point in my career where things are taking off, I have become more aware of the prejudices in the industry. You may think I am speaking of the prejudices against self-published authors vs. mainstream authors but I am not. I am speaking of the prejudices that self-published authors have against the mainstream industry in general.

I often wonder what makes someone self-publish a novel. I can understand a technical book, poetry book or a diary but why self-publish a novel? Self-publishing can be the death and is the death of many wannabe novelists. While studying self-publishing, I came to the conclusion that many new writers were bamboozled into thinking that this was the way to go for their books. Yep, they are being tricked. You can’t even blame this type of trickery on sharks such as shady POD presses, vanity or subsidy presses. No I blame this on one group of people…bitter self-published authors. They spread bad advice and untruths like a disease and it’s damaging the careers of new writers.

It’s true. New writers are being duped into self-publishing by self-published authors. These types of self-published authors are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They lie and spread myths in order to feel good about their own poor publishing choices. Not only does this bother me because it gives inexperienced writers a false sense of reality, these same authors who glorify self-publishing have taken it upon themselves to talk down upon mainstream publishers and spew dishonest myths about the mainstream publishing industry. How can a self-published author who hasn’t had experience with the mainstream publishing industry, say what does or does not go on with such a company? Point blank, they cannot. It burns me when I see self-published authors speaking as if their books are the equivalent of heaven sent, while labeling mainstream authors sellouts. How are we sellouts? Mainstream authors paid their dues, not their money. I think these high and mighty self-published authors need to take a good look at the bigger picture. Who really sold out?

The method of publishing should be up to the author. If you want to self-publish, make sure you know the business and that it’s your choice. Do not be duped by doing it just because Pam, Dick and Jane said they did. Pam, Dick and Jane say that a publisher won’t want your work but that’s not true just because someone didn’t want theirs. Some self-published authors act as if they are a part of a cult or group of bloodthirsty vampires that are trying to gather as many unsuspecting writers into their cartel as possible. It’s maddening when you look at it. It’s like they dare a new writer to go the traditional route. And don’t dare be self-published then get a traditional contract! These cutthroat self-published authors will ban you from the island faster than you can speak! It’s scary to see how some of these cliques behave sometimes. I’ve found some self-published authors to be downright hateful towards anyone who disapproves of self-publishing yet have the nerve to turn around and say the industry is prejudice against them. Say what?

 Now that I’ve gone into that, I will clear up a few myths about mainstream publishing that some misguided and vengeful self-published authors push upon unsuspecting aspiring writers.

Myth 1: Traditional Publishers Take Full Control of Everything

I get so sick of self-published authors telling new writers this because it’s not true at all. First of all authors have different types of contracts and they vary. Also, traditional publishers do not steal your rights away like vanity presses do. For example, I hold the complete rights to my books which means I can do just about anything I want with them including acquiring film deals and other options. A publisher does hold control over some things more than the author but it’s mainly the business aspect (the reason why most authors choose to have an agent), not the creative side. Most publishers require an author’s approval before any changes can be made to a book. This means that the house editor can make some suggestions, but they cannot make you take them. It may be in your best interest if you do, but still, you have a choice. It’s publishing, not prison. Also you can always get out of your contract with a big house if you want to. It’s not like being stuck for years in some shady deal with a vanity press that takes your rights for twenty years.

Myth 2: New Authors Can’t Get Published By Big or Traditional Houses Without Agents

(Clearing throat), been there and done it twice. I do not have an agent. I sold my books on my own and so did many other traditionally published authors. Of course this is rare and has gotten more difficult during the years for new authors to do but it is not impossible. This is one of the biggest myths about traditional publishers. While most require agents, there are ways to slip through the cracks. This is where research comes in. Look at it this way, if a book is good and your writing is what a publisher is looking for, they won’t care how it got to them. A publisher is not gonna turn down an author they’re interested in just because they don’t have an agent. There are many authors who have been successful for years and have yet to get an agent. Do your own research and do not let self-published authors who do not know what they are talking about break your spirits.

Myth 3: You Will Make More Money Self-Publishing Than With A Publisher

This is another huge myth. Some self-published authors become successful and become millionaires. But that is like one in half a million and they come around like once every five years if that. Also these are not novelists but people who have written technical books or self-help guide books. In other words the authors were experts to begin with. Many of them know the sales business and how it works which means they know how to promote. Do not look at one example and think that it proves something works for all. On average most self-publishers wind up in debt, let alone selling enough books to make money. Also, remember that as a self-published author, you put up all the costs, which means you’re out of thousands of dollars. This automatically pushes you below a mainstream author when it comes to that royalty check because the mainstream author didn’t pay anything at all to begin with. Traditional authors get paid for their work while self-published authors are trying to get rewarded for an investment. Do the math. This is another time when research and making up your own mind comes in handy.

Myth 4: Traditional Publishers Do Not Look at New Writers

This is the dumbest myth of them all. I don’t know who came up with this crap. I assume it was some hack that couldn’t get published and decided to badmouth the industry. If this were true, then no one would be published! Use your own mind folks. That’s what it’s there for. If something seems too stupid to make sense then it usually is. If someone can name one author who wasn’t "new" before being published then I’d love to see him or her because it’s no such thing. Publishers want authors who are good and show promise. If they didn’t want new authors there wouldn’t be the need for literary agents would there? The publishing industry would have stopped centuries ago I believe.

Myth 5: You Will Be Seen as A Rebel or Revolutionary if you Self-Published

Uh, actually you’ll be seen as a no-talent hack that couldn’t get published. You may be a great writer but the minute people realized you paid to get published, your writing won’t matter. I become tickled when I hear self-published authors spewing this crap to new writers because it’s not true and they know it isn’t. They are blatantly lying to other writers and getting their hopes up. Self-publishing can ruin your reputation as an author and most people will not go near a self-published book with a ten-foot-pole! Why do you think so many self-published authors only self-publish once then try to get a real publisher? They learned the hard way that this is true. Please do not fall into this trap. Don’t let someone gyp you into self-publishing. It’s not worth it.

Myth 6: The Reading Public Respects an Author Who Published Their Book

Maybe if they are your family but the general public has the same opinion about a self-published book and self-published author as the industry does. Remember that the general public didn’t just start reading when you started writing. Give them credit. They’re smart readers and can tell a self-published book from a mainstream one. Believe me they know the difference and yes, most times it affects their opinions.

Myth 7: Self-Publishing Will Lead to a Traditional Contract

(Sighing). It can, but will it? Sadly this is why most people self-publish. They think that they will sell enough to get the attention of the big guys. This happens once in a blue moon and you have to sell thousands of copies for a big publisher to even sneeze in a self-published book’s direction or even think of reprinting it. Most self-published authors do not sell five hundred copies of their books so this should tell you how hard it would be for many to sell thousands. Also, look at the source of this claim. I find it very strange that those same self-published authors who are so critical of the mainstream are the ones trying to hock their book to a real publisher on the side. Who’s the sell out again? If mainstream is so bad then why do these hypocritical-type self-published authors try so hard to break into it while badmouthing it? Simple, they know where their best interests lie. This is how you realize that they are not telling the truth and they don’t even believe their own claims. They’re just spitting loudly because they are upset and bitter because they couldn’t get a publisher. Go figure huh?

Now that I’ve exposed some myths, I hope you see the bigger picture. I am not downing self-published authors, please don’t think that. I support all authors. I am downing the ones with evil intentions who do not want to honestly help writers but who set them up for failure. New authors are constantly falling into the trap of self-publishing while believing they will land on Oprah or end up with a movie deal. Your book won’t even be in stores, so you can have an idea of how much you’d sell.

If you think I am trying to discourage you from self-publishing than you are right. I am. If you worked hard on your books then they should deserve the best. Why take the easy way out, especially if you really didn’t know what you were getting into? Self-publishing by choice is one thing but self-publishing by stupidity can cost you your dreams and career.

The bottom line is to examine your expectations and what you expect to gain in the future from your work. Don’t give up and do not let others step on your dreams just because theirs did not work out. Just because Pam and Dick couldn’t do it, doesn’t mean that you can’t.

So shame on those self-published authors who step on the dreams of unsuspecting newbies just because they can’t make it and don’t want to see others succeed. Writers should look after one another not push each other onto train tracks headfirst. We have too much against us as it is. We should stick together but unfortunately some authors do not. Shame on you, you know who you are. Shame.



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Self Published Book Details Osteoporosis in Men and Effective Cure

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
self publishing
Michael McCain asked:


sis has long been known as a woman’s disease that affects their bone mineral density. However, the Xlibris book “B.O.N.E.S.: Beating Osteoporosis Naturally, Easily, Sensibly” reveals that osteoporosis is no longer just a disease that affects women but can also develop in men.

Author Robert Pirello relates his experience with osteoporosis, which is considered a major public health threat for over 44 million Americans beyond the age of 50. In this self-published book, Pirello narrates his encounter with the disease, detailing the impact of the osteoporosis on his life – from diagnosis to cure.

B.O.N.E.S. also follows Pirello’s successful story in beating osteoporosis – from enlisting the help of his doctor, Bernardo Merizalde M.D., to changing his diet – and how he recovered his athletic lifestyle after being cured. He overcame the disease without the help of pharmaceuticals and he believes others can do the same.

This Xlibris release encourages women who are afflicted by osteoporosis and men who are discovering their susceptibility to the disease to face the challenges posed by this ailment. B.O.N.E.S. shows that by improving bone mineral density, one can regain strong bones naturally, easily, sensibly.

About Xlibris

Xlibris was founded in 1997 and, as the leading publishing services provider for authors, has helped to publish more than 20,000 titles. Xlibris is based in Philadelphia, PA and provides authors with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound, and full-color formats.

For more information, please visit http://www.xlibris.com/requestkit/index.asp?src=apr&key=mm, e-mail pressrelease@xlibris.com or call at 1-888-795-4247, to receive a free publishing guide.

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