Books For Authors
Get the Most Out of a Self-Publishing Company: Make a Better Deal, Make a Better Book [Paperback]
Michael N. Marcus
(from the publisher) It's been said that "self-publishing is the future of publishing."
Each year, self-publishing companies publish many more books than the year before. Large traditional publishers have formed self-publishing operations, and tiny publishers copied them. Apple allows self-published authors to sell books for iPads. Bookselling giants Amazon and Barnes & Noble publish e-books for authors.
Self-publishing companies enable anyone who can type to quickly become a "published author" and compete for the attention of the reading public. There is no longer a need to go through the years-long process of finding an agent and publisher.
Sadly, some self-publishing companies publish badly written books, and sometimes do a bad job of publishing and promoting them. Their writer-customers spend a lot of money, and many customers are disappointed in book quality and limited sales and book reviews.
You can minimize disappointment if you are properly prepared -- and this book will prepare you to pick the right publisher, make the best deal and get the best book.
It warns you not to buy services and trinkets that you don't need and to pay the right prices for what you do need. There's no good reason to pay a company as much as $249 to register your book for copyright when you can easily do it yourself for $35. Don't pay $99 for a Library of Congress Control Number that you can quickly get for FREE. Don't pay $2 each for promotional postcards that you can get for a dime.
Let the publisher do the work you don't want to get involved in, and concentrate on the creative process -- perhaps with independent editors and designers. Make a good-reading, good-looking book which you can be proud of and maybe make money from.
The fully illustrated book is detailed, yet easy-to-read. It will guide you from picking a subject and title, through writing, editing, cover design, interior formatting, pricing, establishing a publishing business, and promoting your books. There's an extensive publishing glossary, and even a section with words that are tricky to spell.
It's loaded with info and tips based on personal experience and extensive research, and is useful for all authors. It's funny, too.
(from Michael) I wrote the book and I think it's terriffic.
$17.95, order from Amazon.com
$17.95, order from Barnes & Noble
Tools for building better books
