A log of lessons learned and of progress made.
Will share info on the books, websites, and other resources I come across in my quest to self-publish.
I plan to publish in about four months, so initially I'm just learning the ropes
Some background:
A year and a half ago, my husband came up with the idea to write a book. A historical fiction book. We would write it together.
Now, I love to write and I love to read, but… us together? And… history?!
My educational background is in Literature. I stopped working so that I could write Creative Nonfiction. Not history.
He’s a historian, by hobby. (Though don’t think that by “hobby” I mean “casual interest,” nor that the term somehow magically regulates its consumption of time-- that it simply must, by definition, take up less time than one’s primary profession.)
Ultimately, though, he sold me on the idea: We would spend more time together. I would do most of the writing and editing, and I would develop the book’s fictional characters. Also, I was enthralled by our topic! He figured out a conspiracy in history that no one else has figured out… and he can prove it!
We did a ton of research. (As it turns out, we work well together.) Our book became longer, and longer, and longer. We started saying things like, “How about a Part 1 and a Part 2?” or “How about a trilogy?”
But the message is too urgent to wait years to say it aloud.
So our book—researched, outlined, partially written—was put on hold. There was now to be a separate book, a nonfiction book. One that would say all the bold facts of the fiction book, but that would tell it rather than show it. The research is all the same, but this approach gets the message out quicker.
We will return to our original book—with its interweaving plot, its three-dimensional characters, and its larger historical fiction audience—afterward.
This new book, while not short, is (much) shorter than the other one. He is doing the writing; I am doing the editing and figuring out publishing.
I’m excited about this book! I want it to do well. And learning about the self-publishing world will help when we finally finish our fiction book.
So, here I am: Isolated writer learning about the vast, crowded, and intricate industry of book publishing.
This is my log of what I learn and my progress. I hope it can be helpful to others.
*Note: My husband will hereafter be known as The Historian.
Also, when I say “the forum,” I’m always referring to AW
I’m about a month in, so here is what I’ve learned so far.
So far…
Day 1.
I know nothing about self-publishing. The Historian says he looked online at some popular self-publishing companies: AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Outskirts Press. He hands me their brochures.
I go to bed.
Day 2.
Monday, August 4th
I Google writer’s forums. Found AW, and did a search through AW under each of the companies names: Outskirts, iUniverse, and Authorhouse.
Outskirts isn’t too familiar to people, but lots about AuthorHouse having bad customer service, and these types of companies being “vanity” presses, and not technically even “self”-publishing.
Huh?
After some more AW forum reading and googling I’m seeing the bigger picture: If I want control, I must publish on my own. Using services, yes, but not using a company does everything for me.
I found this link helpful in defining and detailing vanity presses.
http://www.aeonix.com/vanity.htm
One aspect I uncover about having the most control:
I need to have my own ISBN number, so that it’s not owned by a company and I’d have to get a new one if I get out from under their contract. If I need help with certain services, I can hire someone on my own, like for editing or cover art design.
But… Do I actually need to start my own publishing company??
Overwhelmed.
I share what I’m learning with The Historian, who has an amazon trigger-happy finger, and before I can say much, he’s ordered two books on self-publishing. Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine.
“These have the best reviews.”
Okay then, bébé.
I find a thread on the self-publishing area of the forum on the best books on self-publishing (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289237), and am happy to learn Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual is on there. (Yay!)
Day 3.
I create an account at AW. I start asking questions. I hear about CreateSpace.
I look at CreateSpace author showcase: https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/community/member_showcase/author_showcase/blog
Day 4.
Wednesday, August 6th
I look again at AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Outskirts Press.
With AuthorHouse looking the most impressive, I start there. They have a great website, but I keep going back to their “packages” page and not finding the brass tacks on how much control I would have vs. how much control they would have.
Outskirts looks okay, but their spotlighted authors are mostly saying how great the customer service is, how they got help with editing and cover design… but NOT how well their books are selling. I don’t just want our book to go to friends and family. I want it to SELL. On the Outskirts website they kept saying how the author has more control than other self-publishing companies, but I couldn’t find exact details on any of the three sites.
Back to the forum…
The people on AW are advising others who’d posted about vanity presses to use CreateSpace and Lightning Source.
Lightning Source. The forum says it’s tedious to learn how to submit your manuscript to LS, and if you realize a typo later, it’s not cheap to fix; whereas, with CreateSpace, it’s free, and immediate for ebooks. CreateSpace is more user-friendly, and cheaper. But the quality of printed books are not nearly as good.
Lightning Source’s website linked me to IngramSpark, their program tailored for Independent Authors.
Ingram Spark… another name in the mess of names in my head.
Bed.
Day 12.
Thurs Aug 14th
Smashwords… what’s Smashwords??
Day 13.
Friday Aug 15th
How to publish a book with Ingram Spark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B854Nl_2SDw
This is a video from RevanWright, who posted about using Ingram Spark on this thread: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286934&page=2
This video really helpful to me. I got to see the finished product (it looks great!) and learn a little about the process with IngramSpark and what their website looks like from a member’s perspective, making it much less intimidating. Also really cool to see someone getting the finished product (their book) in the mail and opening it!
From this video, YouTube is suggesting I watch a few more videos.
Okay then, YouTube.
An hour long video on IngramSpark I found really informative:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5on8XtGOI
The two people answering questions on Ingram Spark work for the company.
One helpful thing that was said:
The woman in the video (Robin Cutler) said you can use CreateSpace for Kindle/Amazon, and use IngramSpark for everything else—there is no rule against doing that. Good to know.
The video was hosted by Orna Ross, director of ALLI. (Who’s ALLI??)
…Oh, ALLI is a what, not a who: The Alliance of Independent Authors.
So they’re a group of self-publishers.
Their website (http://allianceindependentauthors.org) says: “We offer contacts, connection & collaboration plus expert guidance & advice. We also widely champion the interests of independent authors.”
You pay to join. The fee seems to vary from about $60 to $139 (per year, I’m assuming).
A benefit? Discounts.
“We negotiate great discounts on behalf of our members with self-publishing services, printers, designers, editors, proofreaders, PR and marketing agencies, rights managers and also for key literary and publishing events like London Book Fair and Book Expo America. Save on your subscription fee many times over.” (http://allianceindependentauthors.org/benefits/).
Okay, that all sounds good. I’ll have to look into this more later. I’m sure there’s other organizations like this too. Could be worth joining one. Maybe there’s a genre-specific one.
Day 15.
A week finishing reading the two books ordered by The Historian: Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
I like them both a lot.
Self-Publishing Manual:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1568601425/?tag=absowrit-20
Dan Poynter’s is sale-sy, and you’re frequently directed to his website to download more info, generally for a fee, but the book is plenty informative, very comprehensive about the whole self-publishing thing in general. He’s great at marketing, and he explains his process step-by-step. My book is now underlined to death, starred, and dog-eared. I will refer to it often.
Problem is that it’s a little out-dated. 2006/2007 it was published, and we’re now halfway through 2014. He offers enough general business advice for the book to merit reading on that alone, but for specific details about How To’s involving ebooks, or which companies to use, it’s not the book to read for that. I did look up and see that he has a Vol.2 to this book, but I think that was published in 2009, so probably not something I want to buy.
He emphasizes specialty shops. Try to get your books into local specialty shops. For instance, his book on parachutes—great for sporting stores.
He also shares what he knows as the best way to do things. And these are not out-dated. For example, create your own website, and sell from there (as well as other places, of course). Hire a distributor. (He describes how to do this.) Get yourself a mailbox other than your home address. Open your own publishing company (and how to do this). What to put on your back cover and why (and his back cover looks damn catchy, so his is good advice).
He even has a checklist in the back of the book for what you should be doing and when. It’s really great.
He emphasizes that you must buy this book:
Literary MarketPlace (LMP)
http://www.literarymarketplace.com/lmp/us/index_us.asp
Says you can go to the library to reference it, but that you’ll need to reference it so much that it’s worth buying.
But… It’s over $300. (!!!) So I decided to buy the 2013 edition used from Amazon for now. It was $47.00. Two Vols. Make sure if you do this you’re getting BOTH vols. Thankfully, I read an Amazon reviewer who complained about this, and so I went through another Amazon seller and am pleased. More on the LMP later. I have yet to look them over. Who knows, I may end up buying the 2014 one, though likely I’ll be going to the library to reference that one as needed.
Also, getting back to Dan Poynter, I want to mention that he has print outs on his website for free. Rather, some are free. His info kits are helpful, and they’re free.
Free info kits:
http://www.parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm
I printed out Info Kits 1 and 2, and they’re now covered in bright pink highlighter ☺
(By the way, in his second info kit he emphatically says to use Smashwords. Smashwords. Here we go again, what is Smashwords?? Must look into this.)
The Fine Print:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1626525358/?tag=absowrit-20
This book is much more up-to-date: 2013. It has a whole chapter on ebooks.
This book, like Self-Publishing Manual, is underlined, starred, dog-eared and will be referenced again and again. Not as often as the other book, however.
He instructs how to get your website viewed as often as possible. And considering how The Historian found his book after only a two-minute online search, I’d say he knows of what he speaks.
Chapter 8 is amazingly helpful. It’s titled “An Apples to Apples Comparison of Major Self-Publishing Companies.”
This includes CreateSpace, Lulu, AuthorHouse, iUnverise, Outskirts, and many more. (Basically, all the companies I’ve thought of using, heard of, and then fives times more.)
For instance, I learned (and by easy to read chart, no less):
Lulu marks up their print cost 99% when author buys books from them. So if I wanted to buy a dozen copies of my book to sell on my own (maybe through a website I create or local bookstores or specialty shops), I would be paying 99% above actual print costs. And who does Lulu use to print? Lightning Source. And what does Lightning Source charge to print? $3.90 per book. So… why wouldn’t I just go directly to Lightning Source??
I would. Lulu out; Lightning Source in.
Mark Levine has his own “book publishing and technology company” and mentions this throughout his book. Not in a sale-sy way, like the other book I just read, but enough to make his point for sure. It sounds to me like hiring his company to consultant on things like cover design and marketing strategies could be really worthwhile. Non-the-less, due to limited funds, I’m not likely to be contacting him. But if we had a bigger budget, I certainly would. He knows his stuff. He has experience being both a self-published author and a publisher for others. He’s intelligent, successful, and gives sound advice.
Here is one website Mark Levine recommends that I need to look into:
http://www.publiceye.com
Oh good. Another website.
This one offers a free assessment of if “your book is in the public eye”, but mostly seems to offer paid marketing services, including blog tours, book tours, social media set up, social media management, author website, Google Adwords (Levine says to definitely use Google Adwords, but does say it’s a fair effort to learn, and that you might consider hiring someone to help), Amazon Exposure Program, etc.
Amazon Exposure Program. That sounds interesting.
Here’s what their site says about what they’re offering with this:
http://www.publiceye.com/amazon-exposure-program/
• Complete Amazon author profile setup, which includes: author photo, author bio, and bibliography. Optional: email address, website link, blog RSS, videos, and book trailers.
• 30 unique keyword to create tags for your book
• 3 Goodreads Listopia lists which feature your book
• 1 So You’d Like To guide which features your book
• Shelfari completion of book listing
I’ll revisit this later. I’m going to try to learn everything I can myself, in the time I have, and then I see where my weak areas are and how much money is left. Then, maybe.
In the meantime, here’s a link to the recommended Google Adwords:
https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
I will look into this more later too, but I’m glad I have an idea of it now.
Day 21.
SAT 23rd Aug
More names:
BookBub
BookBaby
More websites:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
http://www.crowdspring.com
http://bookcoverarchive.com
http://bookcoversanonymous.blogspot.com
Been reading APE (Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur). Super helpful. Marketing info good. Really up-to-date info on companies like CreateSpace and many self-publishing companies for ebook and POD, and how they work. Shares technical details, like how to convert files, or your manuscript to ebook format.
It is APE that recommends CrowdSpring. (Possibly those other websites too. Hard to say.)
Day 23.
Monday
Created a new Amazon account. (We have one, but it’s our personal account.)
Apparently, you can connect your Amazon account to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. But… I do not have a Facebook or Twitter account.
Time to create a Facebook account? I don’t think I want to create a twitter account. Also, I learned that you create a Facebook “page” rather than a “profile.” This is what you do when you’re a business. If I go this route, I’ll make it in the name of our publishing house (once it’s set up) or in the name of the book. I wonder: Can it somehow be for both?
Created a YouTube account, or “channel.” Not sure I’ll ever post videos, but this allows me to leave comments under the videos I watch. (That's why I did it.)
Back to the new Amazon account (which I got so that I could post reviews of books I’ve read on Amazon) :
Turns out I can’t post a review on Amazon unless I’ve made a purchase before. And although I’ve purchased hundreds of things on Amazon, I have purchased _nothing_ through my new account.
Okay, no problem. I’ll just order me a new book. How about one of self-publishing?
No. No, this isn’t going to work. I need to give my address.
In The Self-Publishing Manual, Dan Poynter says you should set up an alternative address, otherwise you’ll have people showing up at your door. And I learned (whether through him or online searching) that I can use UPS to get an alterative street address, rather than have a P.O. Box. The new street address will be the UPS store I chose to pick up my business mail at. http://www.theupsstore.com/mailboxes/Pages/index.aspx
But, I have not done this yet. So, like many other things, I will have to return to this at a later date.
Darn.
Oh well. It’s time to take the dog to daycare anyway. (Yeah I said it. Doggie daycare. Daycare, for dogs.)
Day 24.
Tuesday
APE says join:
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
They offer significant discounts on a variety of publishing and marketing related things.
Looking at their website, they seem to offer more discounts than ALLI does. I would pay $129 (a year?) with IBPA, so the price between the two isn’t the deciding factor.
Why would I chose IBPA over ALLI? I goggled this, but can’t seem to find any input.
Day 26.
Thursday
I’m learning from APE that Lightning Source will do off-set printing, but they’re a POD printer primarily.
Off-set printing is a good idea if you can afford (and think your book will sell well) several hundred copies at least at a time (maybe spend $2,000). This is the way to get the highest quality print job. It is also the best way if you have pictures in your book. (Our book will have maps and some pictures).
APE recommends hiring a professional to help you, if you decide to use off-set printing. He says also you should get quotes from three different printers.
Here is the link APE gives for finding an off-set printer:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011...rinting-estimates-for-self-publishers-part-1/
This is a list of the 100 top printers, for off-set printing:
http://www.bookmarket.com/101print.htm
So… I feel like what I’m doing here is learning “the best” way to do things, and I’m liking that, but ultimately I do not think it is where I will end up. I think when it’s decision time, we’ll find a lack of money and time will lead up to POD. And ebook, of course, but that’s always been the idea.
Nonetheless, it’s good to research things out fully.
By the way, side thought: Remember when books were just fun to read? When it was all about what happens next? I can’t remember the last time I read a book for fun. Since I was 17, I think reading just became an all out learning exercise. I read a few sentences, a few paragraphs, maybe even a few pages, but then it’s the note-taking, the stepping back to think about style or characterization.
Of course with the books I’m reading of late, it’s meant to be all learning, but the process is still similar. Only now it’s look things up online and read related web pages. Oh well.
Here is a great pleasure read:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0752435469/?tag=absowrit-21
Harris’s List. A conversation piece as a coffee-table book. A history lesson. A delightfully lewd guide to finding that special lady. (Comical. Lewd. Poetic.)
(Although I recommend it as a “pleasure read,” my copy is all marked up with the typical underlining, dog-earing, and starring.)
Day 28.
Sat 30th Aug
I’ve begun making binders, for organization.
The one I’m making now is websites of interest. The binder will consist of one-page screen shots of websites that I’d like to look into more.
This is a good idea because whenever I’m looking into something, I inevitably find other things to look into. Now instead of ending up having twenty windows open on my laptop, ten on my phone, and five on my kindle, I can simply take a screen shot, hit print, and then add it to the binder. Voilà.
Literary Marketplace (LMP)
Really glad I bought this! I bought the 2013 one, thinking I can just go to the library to see the 2014 one if need be. (Thus saving $300.)
It’s the complete reference for everything. Like an encyclopedia for all in the literary field.
For example: Book publishing associations. I’ve heard about IBPA and ALLI. Which should I join? Looking at their websites, I can’t decide. Then it occurs to me: Are there book publishing associations that are genre based? Is there one for history? How would I find this out?
…Oh! LMP.
I look in the Table of Contents. “Associations, Events, Courses & Awards” is the header, and “Book Trade & Allied Associations” is below it. P. 615. Okay, I found IBPA, but not ALLI. ALLI was founded in 2012, so maybe that was very late 2012 and it didn’t get in the 2013 LMP? …
Okay, well, moving on: There is an index of three pages of associations, categorized by purpose; like, “Literacy,” “Publishing,” and “Writers,” and I find IBPA under “Publishing.” There are about 50 associations in this category.
Any for history? No. But there’s one for Music and Hispanic publishers.
But I’ve learned that IBPA has 3,000 members and has been around since 1983. Good to know.
Also, when looking for associations, I first found “Book Clubs” and did find a history book club. I took a screen shot and printed out their home webpage
I just emailed ALLI to ask if they’re not in the 2013 LMP or if I’m looking in the wrong category. I also emailed IBPA to ask a basic question. Since I can’t decide who to go with based on website comparison, maybe their response to my emails will help me decide.
Just came across the name Goodreads again. APE mentioned this, said it was a good social network to join for authors.
Looking at the Goodreads website, I see they have an Author Program. Need to look into this more.
APE also recommends: BookTalk, Shelfari, and Nothing Binding.
Adding them to the binder.
Downloaded a copy of Goodreads for Authors: How to promote Your Books Using Goodreads, by Michelle Campbell-Scott. Going to start reading that tonight. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKE039I/?tag=absowrit-20
Just finished reading APE, by the way. Great book, highly recommended. I feel like it offers more real time details, and more specifics, like company names and how to publish using CreateSpace. It is the perfect companion to The Self-Publishing Manual, as it picks up where the other leaves off.
Day 29.
Sun, Aug 31st
Purchased the book Self-Publishing On a Shoestring: Insanely Helpful Links for Indie Authors, by Christiana Miller.
The book is a compilation of links helpful to authors trying to self-publish. One reviewer said it’s the ultimate directory for all a self-publishing author needs to know.
Sounds kind of like a Literary Marketplace narrowed down for self-publishers. This book was published in 2013, so while not being up to the minute in accuracy, it is a recent publication.
I’m excited to look through it. First though, reading the book about Goodreads.
Learned about Netgallery through a helpful email exchange. Screen shot. Binder. Will look into this more later.
Started reading Goodreads for Authors and am finding it really helpful.
I created a Goodreads profile. Added a picture, but they deleted it. And here I thought the nude beach was a great backdrop! (This is entirely untrue, just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)
Spent about an hour and a half on the site, finding and rating my favorite books. Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Heights, The Bloody Chamber... and many, many more. It’s a fun website! I’m not very social, and I don’t have a Facebook account, but I could actually see logging into Goodreads regularly. You can have discussions about favorite books. You can recommend books. You can write and read reviews. And you get to have a neat virtual bookshelf, showing all your favorite reads. You can have many bookshelves, actually. The site gives you three: Read, Reading, and Want to Read. The author of Goodreads for Authors recommends that you add some more bookshelves—one for each genre you read, and especially for the genre you write in.
First, you must create an account as a reader. Then you can find your book via search, or enter it manually, and in about 2-3 days you’ll have yourself an author account. The site is for readers to share their recommendations and learn about the recommendations of others, so its main purpose is not for authors to advertise. The general idea seems to be that you write reviews, rate books, make friends, and join groups, and then people will click on your profile and your book(s). And even though it’s not a site primarily for authors, it’s apparently how 50 Shades of Grey became a bestseller.
Michelle Campbell-Scott (author of Goodreads for Authors) has a nice chart showing that Goodreads is one of the best ways to promote your book, whereas Facebook, author websites, and Twitter rank much, much lower. Goodreads also ranks above Amazon.
Goodreads is now an Amazon company, by the way. As of 2013. I believe this means that when you want to buy a book you see on Goodreads, it will direct you ONLY to Amazon, not your personal author website, not Barnes & Noble, etc..
I’ve been reading this book on my Kindle. (Also an Amazon device ) The Historian got us both Kindles about a year and a half ago. He (amazingly) only paid $7 for each, as we had earned so many points on our credit card that it nearly paid for them in full. He uses his a lot, but I’ve never really used mine before. I’m liking it. I can highlight and bookmark, my favorite things to do whilst reading.
_________
Well, there you have it: One month down, three to go. And much to do; I feel like I need six months at least. The Historian is still finishing up writing, and I have only done draft editing on what he's written thus far. So, I must edit a book, contract artwork, build a website, create a publishing company, make a go of marketing, and publish a book.
If I was a drinker, I'd have a drink! As is though, I'm about to watch a unabashedly gory horror movie, eat my chocolate soy milk ice cream, and go to bed.
Will share info on the books, websites, and other resources I come across in my quest to self-publish.
I plan to publish in about four months, so initially I'm just learning the ropes
Some background:
A year and a half ago, my husband came up with the idea to write a book. A historical fiction book. We would write it together.
Now, I love to write and I love to read, but… us together? And… history?!
My educational background is in Literature. I stopped working so that I could write Creative Nonfiction. Not history.
He’s a historian, by hobby. (Though don’t think that by “hobby” I mean “casual interest,” nor that the term somehow magically regulates its consumption of time-- that it simply must, by definition, take up less time than one’s primary profession.)
Ultimately, though, he sold me on the idea: We would spend more time together. I would do most of the writing and editing, and I would develop the book’s fictional characters. Also, I was enthralled by our topic! He figured out a conspiracy in history that no one else has figured out… and he can prove it!
We did a ton of research. (As it turns out, we work well together.) Our book became longer, and longer, and longer. We started saying things like, “How about a Part 1 and a Part 2?” or “How about a trilogy?”
But the message is too urgent to wait years to say it aloud.
So our book—researched, outlined, partially written—was put on hold. There was now to be a separate book, a nonfiction book. One that would say all the bold facts of the fiction book, but that would tell it rather than show it. The research is all the same, but this approach gets the message out quicker.
We will return to our original book—with its interweaving plot, its three-dimensional characters, and its larger historical fiction audience—afterward.
This new book, while not short, is (much) shorter than the other one. He is doing the writing; I am doing the editing and figuring out publishing.
I’m excited about this book! I want it to do well. And learning about the self-publishing world will help when we finally finish our fiction book.
So, here I am: Isolated writer learning about the vast, crowded, and intricate industry of book publishing.
This is my log of what I learn and my progress. I hope it can be helpful to others.
*Note: My husband will hereafter be known as The Historian.
Also, when I say “the forum,” I’m always referring to AW
I’m about a month in, so here is what I’ve learned so far.
So far…
Day 1.
I know nothing about self-publishing. The Historian says he looked online at some popular self-publishing companies: AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Outskirts Press. He hands me their brochures.
I go to bed.
Day 2.
Monday, August 4th
I Google writer’s forums. Found AW, and did a search through AW under each of the companies names: Outskirts, iUniverse, and Authorhouse.
Outskirts isn’t too familiar to people, but lots about AuthorHouse having bad customer service, and these types of companies being “vanity” presses, and not technically even “self”-publishing.
Huh?
After some more AW forum reading and googling I’m seeing the bigger picture: If I want control, I must publish on my own. Using services, yes, but not using a company does everything for me.
I found this link helpful in defining and detailing vanity presses.
http://www.aeonix.com/vanity.htm
One aspect I uncover about having the most control:
I need to have my own ISBN number, so that it’s not owned by a company and I’d have to get a new one if I get out from under their contract. If I need help with certain services, I can hire someone on my own, like for editing or cover art design.
But… Do I actually need to start my own publishing company??
Overwhelmed.
I share what I’m learning with The Historian, who has an amazon trigger-happy finger, and before I can say much, he’s ordered two books on self-publishing. Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine.
“These have the best reviews.”
Okay then, bébé.
I find a thread on the self-publishing area of the forum on the best books on self-publishing (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289237), and am happy to learn Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual is on there. (Yay!)
Day 3.
I create an account at AW. I start asking questions. I hear about CreateSpace.
I look at CreateSpace author showcase: https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/community/member_showcase/author_showcase/blog
Day 4.
Wednesday, August 6th
I look again at AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Outskirts Press.
With AuthorHouse looking the most impressive, I start there. They have a great website, but I keep going back to their “packages” page and not finding the brass tacks on how much control I would have vs. how much control they would have.
Outskirts looks okay, but their spotlighted authors are mostly saying how great the customer service is, how they got help with editing and cover design… but NOT how well their books are selling. I don’t just want our book to go to friends and family. I want it to SELL. On the Outskirts website they kept saying how the author has more control than other self-publishing companies, but I couldn’t find exact details on any of the three sites.
Back to the forum…
The people on AW are advising others who’d posted about vanity presses to use CreateSpace and Lightning Source.
Lightning Source. The forum says it’s tedious to learn how to submit your manuscript to LS, and if you realize a typo later, it’s not cheap to fix; whereas, with CreateSpace, it’s free, and immediate for ebooks. CreateSpace is more user-friendly, and cheaper. But the quality of printed books are not nearly as good.
Lightning Source’s website linked me to IngramSpark, their program tailored for Independent Authors.
Ingram Spark… another name in the mess of names in my head.
Bed.
Day 12.
Thurs Aug 14th
Smashwords… what’s Smashwords??
Day 13.
Friday Aug 15th
How to publish a book with Ingram Spark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B854Nl_2SDw
This is a video from RevanWright, who posted about using Ingram Spark on this thread: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286934&page=2
This video really helpful to me. I got to see the finished product (it looks great!) and learn a little about the process with IngramSpark and what their website looks like from a member’s perspective, making it much less intimidating. Also really cool to see someone getting the finished product (their book) in the mail and opening it!
From this video, YouTube is suggesting I watch a few more videos.
Okay then, YouTube.
An hour long video on IngramSpark I found really informative:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5on8XtGOI
The two people answering questions on Ingram Spark work for the company.
One helpful thing that was said:
The woman in the video (Robin Cutler) said you can use CreateSpace for Kindle/Amazon, and use IngramSpark for everything else—there is no rule against doing that. Good to know.
The video was hosted by Orna Ross, director of ALLI. (Who’s ALLI??)
…Oh, ALLI is a what, not a who: The Alliance of Independent Authors.
So they’re a group of self-publishers.
Their website (http://allianceindependentauthors.org) says: “We offer contacts, connection & collaboration plus expert guidance & advice. We also widely champion the interests of independent authors.”
You pay to join. The fee seems to vary from about $60 to $139 (per year, I’m assuming).
A benefit? Discounts.
“We negotiate great discounts on behalf of our members with self-publishing services, printers, designers, editors, proofreaders, PR and marketing agencies, rights managers and also for key literary and publishing events like London Book Fair and Book Expo America. Save on your subscription fee many times over.” (http://allianceindependentauthors.org/benefits/).
Okay, that all sounds good. I’ll have to look into this more later. I’m sure there’s other organizations like this too. Could be worth joining one. Maybe there’s a genre-specific one.
Day 15.
A week finishing reading the two books ordered by The Historian: Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual and Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
I like them both a lot.
Self-Publishing Manual:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1568601425/?tag=absowrit-20
Dan Poynter’s is sale-sy, and you’re frequently directed to his website to download more info, generally for a fee, but the book is plenty informative, very comprehensive about the whole self-publishing thing in general. He’s great at marketing, and he explains his process step-by-step. My book is now underlined to death, starred, and dog-eared. I will refer to it often.
Problem is that it’s a little out-dated. 2006/2007 it was published, and we’re now halfway through 2014. He offers enough general business advice for the book to merit reading on that alone, but for specific details about How To’s involving ebooks, or which companies to use, it’s not the book to read for that. I did look up and see that he has a Vol.2 to this book, but I think that was published in 2009, so probably not something I want to buy.
He emphasizes specialty shops. Try to get your books into local specialty shops. For instance, his book on parachutes—great for sporting stores.
He also shares what he knows as the best way to do things. And these are not out-dated. For example, create your own website, and sell from there (as well as other places, of course). Hire a distributor. (He describes how to do this.) Get yourself a mailbox other than your home address. Open your own publishing company (and how to do this). What to put on your back cover and why (and his back cover looks damn catchy, so his is good advice).
He even has a checklist in the back of the book for what you should be doing and when. It’s really great.
He emphasizes that you must buy this book:
Literary MarketPlace (LMP)
http://www.literarymarketplace.com/lmp/us/index_us.asp
Says you can go to the library to reference it, but that you’ll need to reference it so much that it’s worth buying.
But… It’s over $300. (!!!) So I decided to buy the 2013 edition used from Amazon for now. It was $47.00. Two Vols. Make sure if you do this you’re getting BOTH vols. Thankfully, I read an Amazon reviewer who complained about this, and so I went through another Amazon seller and am pleased. More on the LMP later. I have yet to look them over. Who knows, I may end up buying the 2014 one, though likely I’ll be going to the library to reference that one as needed.
Also, getting back to Dan Poynter, I want to mention that he has print outs on his website for free. Rather, some are free. His info kits are helpful, and they’re free.
Free info kits:
http://www.parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/infokit.cfm
I printed out Info Kits 1 and 2, and they’re now covered in bright pink highlighter ☺
(By the way, in his second info kit he emphatically says to use Smashwords. Smashwords. Here we go again, what is Smashwords?? Must look into this.)
The Fine Print:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1626525358/?tag=absowrit-20
This book is much more up-to-date: 2013. It has a whole chapter on ebooks.
This book, like Self-Publishing Manual, is underlined, starred, dog-eared and will be referenced again and again. Not as often as the other book, however.
He instructs how to get your website viewed as often as possible. And considering how The Historian found his book after only a two-minute online search, I’d say he knows of what he speaks.
Chapter 8 is amazingly helpful. It’s titled “An Apples to Apples Comparison of Major Self-Publishing Companies.”
This includes CreateSpace, Lulu, AuthorHouse, iUnverise, Outskirts, and many more. (Basically, all the companies I’ve thought of using, heard of, and then fives times more.)
For instance, I learned (and by easy to read chart, no less):
Lulu marks up their print cost 99% when author buys books from them. So if I wanted to buy a dozen copies of my book to sell on my own (maybe through a website I create or local bookstores or specialty shops), I would be paying 99% above actual print costs. And who does Lulu use to print? Lightning Source. And what does Lightning Source charge to print? $3.90 per book. So… why wouldn’t I just go directly to Lightning Source??
I would. Lulu out; Lightning Source in.
Mark Levine has his own “book publishing and technology company” and mentions this throughout his book. Not in a sale-sy way, like the other book I just read, but enough to make his point for sure. It sounds to me like hiring his company to consultant on things like cover design and marketing strategies could be really worthwhile. Non-the-less, due to limited funds, I’m not likely to be contacting him. But if we had a bigger budget, I certainly would. He knows his stuff. He has experience being both a self-published author and a publisher for others. He’s intelligent, successful, and gives sound advice.
Here is one website Mark Levine recommends that I need to look into:
http://www.publiceye.com
Oh good. Another website.
This one offers a free assessment of if “your book is in the public eye”, but mostly seems to offer paid marketing services, including blog tours, book tours, social media set up, social media management, author website, Google Adwords (Levine says to definitely use Google Adwords, but does say it’s a fair effort to learn, and that you might consider hiring someone to help), Amazon Exposure Program, etc.
Amazon Exposure Program. That sounds interesting.
Here’s what their site says about what they’re offering with this:
http://www.publiceye.com/amazon-exposure-program/
• Complete Amazon author profile setup, which includes: author photo, author bio, and bibliography. Optional: email address, website link, blog RSS, videos, and book trailers.
• 30 unique keyword to create tags for your book
• 3 Goodreads Listopia lists which feature your book
• 1 So You’d Like To guide which features your book
• Shelfari completion of book listing
I’ll revisit this later. I’m going to try to learn everything I can myself, in the time I have, and then I see where my weak areas are and how much money is left. Then, maybe.
In the meantime, here’s a link to the recommended Google Adwords:
https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
I will look into this more later too, but I’m glad I have an idea of it now.
Day 21.
SAT 23rd Aug
More names:
BookBub
BookBaby
More websites:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
http://www.crowdspring.com
http://bookcoverarchive.com
http://bookcoversanonymous.blogspot.com
Been reading APE (Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur). Super helpful. Marketing info good. Really up-to-date info on companies like CreateSpace and many self-publishing companies for ebook and POD, and how they work. Shares technical details, like how to convert files, or your manuscript to ebook format.
It is APE that recommends CrowdSpring. (Possibly those other websites too. Hard to say.)
Day 23.
Monday
Created a new Amazon account. (We have one, but it’s our personal account.)
Apparently, you can connect your Amazon account to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. But… I do not have a Facebook or Twitter account.
Time to create a Facebook account? I don’t think I want to create a twitter account. Also, I learned that you create a Facebook “page” rather than a “profile.” This is what you do when you’re a business. If I go this route, I’ll make it in the name of our publishing house (once it’s set up) or in the name of the book. I wonder: Can it somehow be for both?
Created a YouTube account, or “channel.” Not sure I’ll ever post videos, but this allows me to leave comments under the videos I watch. (That's why I did it.)
Back to the new Amazon account (which I got so that I could post reviews of books I’ve read on Amazon) :
Turns out I can’t post a review on Amazon unless I’ve made a purchase before. And although I’ve purchased hundreds of things on Amazon, I have purchased _nothing_ through my new account.
Okay, no problem. I’ll just order me a new book. How about one of self-publishing?
No. No, this isn’t going to work. I need to give my address.
In The Self-Publishing Manual, Dan Poynter says you should set up an alternative address, otherwise you’ll have people showing up at your door. And I learned (whether through him or online searching) that I can use UPS to get an alterative street address, rather than have a P.O. Box. The new street address will be the UPS store I chose to pick up my business mail at. http://www.theupsstore.com/mailboxes/Pages/index.aspx
But, I have not done this yet. So, like many other things, I will have to return to this at a later date.
Darn.
Oh well. It’s time to take the dog to daycare anyway. (Yeah I said it. Doggie daycare. Daycare, for dogs.)
Day 24.
Tuesday
APE says join:
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
They offer significant discounts on a variety of publishing and marketing related things.
Looking at their website, they seem to offer more discounts than ALLI does. I would pay $129 (a year?) with IBPA, so the price between the two isn’t the deciding factor.
Why would I chose IBPA over ALLI? I goggled this, but can’t seem to find any input.
Day 26.
Thursday
I’m learning from APE that Lightning Source will do off-set printing, but they’re a POD printer primarily.
Off-set printing is a good idea if you can afford (and think your book will sell well) several hundred copies at least at a time (maybe spend $2,000). This is the way to get the highest quality print job. It is also the best way if you have pictures in your book. (Our book will have maps and some pictures).
APE recommends hiring a professional to help you, if you decide to use off-set printing. He says also you should get quotes from three different printers.
Here is the link APE gives for finding an off-set printer:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2011...rinting-estimates-for-self-publishers-part-1/
This is a list of the 100 top printers, for off-set printing:
http://www.bookmarket.com/101print.htm
So… I feel like what I’m doing here is learning “the best” way to do things, and I’m liking that, but ultimately I do not think it is where I will end up. I think when it’s decision time, we’ll find a lack of money and time will lead up to POD. And ebook, of course, but that’s always been the idea.
Nonetheless, it’s good to research things out fully.
By the way, side thought: Remember when books were just fun to read? When it was all about what happens next? I can’t remember the last time I read a book for fun. Since I was 17, I think reading just became an all out learning exercise. I read a few sentences, a few paragraphs, maybe even a few pages, but then it’s the note-taking, the stepping back to think about style or characterization.
Of course with the books I’m reading of late, it’s meant to be all learning, but the process is still similar. Only now it’s look things up online and read related web pages. Oh well.
Here is a great pleasure read:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0752435469/?tag=absowrit-21
Harris’s List. A conversation piece as a coffee-table book. A history lesson. A delightfully lewd guide to finding that special lady. (Comical. Lewd. Poetic.)
(Although I recommend it as a “pleasure read,” my copy is all marked up with the typical underlining, dog-earing, and starring.)
Day 28.
Sat 30th Aug
I’ve begun making binders, for organization.
The one I’m making now is websites of interest. The binder will consist of one-page screen shots of websites that I’d like to look into more.
This is a good idea because whenever I’m looking into something, I inevitably find other things to look into. Now instead of ending up having twenty windows open on my laptop, ten on my phone, and five on my kindle, I can simply take a screen shot, hit print, and then add it to the binder. Voilà.
Literary Marketplace (LMP)
Really glad I bought this! I bought the 2013 one, thinking I can just go to the library to see the 2014 one if need be. (Thus saving $300.)
It’s the complete reference for everything. Like an encyclopedia for all in the literary field.
For example: Book publishing associations. I’ve heard about IBPA and ALLI. Which should I join? Looking at their websites, I can’t decide. Then it occurs to me: Are there book publishing associations that are genre based? Is there one for history? How would I find this out?
…Oh! LMP.
I look in the Table of Contents. “Associations, Events, Courses & Awards” is the header, and “Book Trade & Allied Associations” is below it. P. 615. Okay, I found IBPA, but not ALLI. ALLI was founded in 2012, so maybe that was very late 2012 and it didn’t get in the 2013 LMP? …
Okay, well, moving on: There is an index of three pages of associations, categorized by purpose; like, “Literacy,” “Publishing,” and “Writers,” and I find IBPA under “Publishing.” There are about 50 associations in this category.
Any for history? No. But there’s one for Music and Hispanic publishers.
But I’ve learned that IBPA has 3,000 members and has been around since 1983. Good to know.
Also, when looking for associations, I first found “Book Clubs” and did find a history book club. I took a screen shot and printed out their home webpage
I just emailed ALLI to ask if they’re not in the 2013 LMP or if I’m looking in the wrong category. I also emailed IBPA to ask a basic question. Since I can’t decide who to go with based on website comparison, maybe their response to my emails will help me decide.
Just came across the name Goodreads again. APE mentioned this, said it was a good social network to join for authors.
Looking at the Goodreads website, I see they have an Author Program. Need to look into this more.
APE also recommends: BookTalk, Shelfari, and Nothing Binding.
Adding them to the binder.
Downloaded a copy of Goodreads for Authors: How to promote Your Books Using Goodreads, by Michelle Campbell-Scott. Going to start reading that tonight. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKE039I/?tag=absowrit-20
Just finished reading APE, by the way. Great book, highly recommended. I feel like it offers more real time details, and more specifics, like company names and how to publish using CreateSpace. It is the perfect companion to The Self-Publishing Manual, as it picks up where the other leaves off.
Day 29.
Sun, Aug 31st
Purchased the book Self-Publishing On a Shoestring: Insanely Helpful Links for Indie Authors, by Christiana Miller.
The book is a compilation of links helpful to authors trying to self-publish. One reviewer said it’s the ultimate directory for all a self-publishing author needs to know.
Sounds kind of like a Literary Marketplace narrowed down for self-publishers. This book was published in 2013, so while not being up to the minute in accuracy, it is a recent publication.
I’m excited to look through it. First though, reading the book about Goodreads.
Learned about Netgallery through a helpful email exchange. Screen shot. Binder. Will look into this more later.
Started reading Goodreads for Authors and am finding it really helpful.
I created a Goodreads profile. Added a picture, but they deleted it. And here I thought the nude beach was a great backdrop! (This is entirely untrue, just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)
Spent about an hour and a half on the site, finding and rating my favorite books. Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Heights, The Bloody Chamber... and many, many more. It’s a fun website! I’m not very social, and I don’t have a Facebook account, but I could actually see logging into Goodreads regularly. You can have discussions about favorite books. You can recommend books. You can write and read reviews. And you get to have a neat virtual bookshelf, showing all your favorite reads. You can have many bookshelves, actually. The site gives you three: Read, Reading, and Want to Read. The author of Goodreads for Authors recommends that you add some more bookshelves—one for each genre you read, and especially for the genre you write in.
First, you must create an account as a reader. Then you can find your book via search, or enter it manually, and in about 2-3 days you’ll have yourself an author account. The site is for readers to share their recommendations and learn about the recommendations of others, so its main purpose is not for authors to advertise. The general idea seems to be that you write reviews, rate books, make friends, and join groups, and then people will click on your profile and your book(s). And even though it’s not a site primarily for authors, it’s apparently how 50 Shades of Grey became a bestseller.
Michelle Campbell-Scott (author of Goodreads for Authors) has a nice chart showing that Goodreads is one of the best ways to promote your book, whereas Facebook, author websites, and Twitter rank much, much lower. Goodreads also ranks above Amazon.
Goodreads is now an Amazon company, by the way. As of 2013. I believe this means that when you want to buy a book you see on Goodreads, it will direct you ONLY to Amazon, not your personal author website, not Barnes & Noble, etc..
I’ve been reading this book on my Kindle. (Also an Amazon device ) The Historian got us both Kindles about a year and a half ago. He (amazingly) only paid $7 for each, as we had earned so many points on our credit card that it nearly paid for them in full. He uses his a lot, but I’ve never really used mine before. I’m liking it. I can highlight and bookmark, my favorite things to do whilst reading.
_________
Well, there you have it: One month down, three to go. And much to do; I feel like I need six months at least. The Historian is still finishing up writing, and I have only done draft editing on what he's written thus far. So, I must edit a book, contract artwork, build a website, create a publishing company, make a go of marketing, and publish a book.
If I was a drinker, I'd have a drink! As is though, I'm about to watch a unabashedly gory horror movie, eat my chocolate soy milk ice cream, and go to bed.