Posts Tagged ‘Self-Publishing’

Last week in Part 1 I looked at my very first print on demand purchase from Lulu.com.  It was C.R. Stapor’s The Wraith Atlas.

Here’s a conversation with C.R. himself about the process and result of self publishing on Lulu.com…

Ian Tuttle:  Are you happy with the physical quality of the book?

C.R. Stapor:  Yes. Very much so. I was initially skeptical (even though I’d seen how great sPARKLE & bLINK looks), but when I first saw them I was very impressed.

I.T.:  What do you wish you had done differently during the self-publishing 
process?

C.R.S.:  Paid more attention to how Evan formatted it! Seriously though, I can’t think of a single thing other than that – in my rush to get the d@*% thing out there – I didn’t research as closely as I could have the ins-&-outs of ISBN numbers, and the relevant formatting needed to qualify for inclusion in certain well known book lists. All of this can, of course, be done after the fact.

I.T.:  Do you think you’ll self publish again?

C.R.S.:  More than likely.

I.T.:  How many copies did you initially order?

C.R.S.:  20

I.T.:  Will you order more, or let people buy directly online?

C.R.S.:  That depends on a number of factors, that, as of now, have not been determined. But yes. I will order more. And of course I support anyone who decides to order directly from Lulu.

Bill Ayers leads quite a few “meet-ups” focused specifically on the ever-evolving publishing industry.  I attended one featuring three self-published authors to learn from their experiences.  Here are three tips from three different self-published authors:

(1.)  If you self publish, BUY AN ISBN for your book! This will enable you to sell it in bookstores, place it in libraries, and get it in national databases.  (from Tracy Jones, author of I think Therefore I am, and Still Breathing…).

(2.)  Ramp up publicity before your release date. Don’t wait until it’s already out to start promoting it.  Time your release with a well-planned publicity campaign.  (From David Jedeikin, author of Wander the Rainbow.)

(3.)  Self-publishing is good for super-niche markets, or if you already have an audience willing to buy your book. Lots of “how-to” authors follow this advice.  If your topic is extremely narrow, then chances are your audience will come looking for you.  If, however, you’re looking for broader exposure, consider the traditional publishing route.  (Curran Galway, author of The Aquarians).

Individual Book Titles Published in the U.S., by Year

2009 totals: 288,355 books traditionally published, 764,448 books self-published.  (Statistics from Bowker.  Download full stats here).

Matt Stewart’s novel The French Revolution debuts in print on July 14, 2010 (that’s Bastille Day, for you non francophiles).  But it’s already out there for free, on the internet airwaves, for anyone with a Twitter account.

Frustrated by a chain of publisher refusals, Stewart decided to “tweet” the whole thing, gratis, 140 characters at a time.  The feat earned him world wide publicity, a cult following, and–the coup de grace–a coveted publishing deal with Soft Skull Press.

It’s hard to say whether this stunt could work twice, but Stewart gets high marks for enterprise and cojones, winning in the long term by giving it all away in the short term.

The tweets are available under @thefrenchrev.  The Book’s website is here.  The revolution in book marketing and self-publishing is underway.

This is an essay by Steve Almond on TheRumpus.net about his decision to self-publish.

My favorite advice:

“Am I suggesting that every aspiring writer should run out and self-publish?

No way. Aspiring writers should spend their time and energy at the keyboard, trying to figure out how to make better decisions.”

Since Mr. Almond is no longer aspiring, and simply is a writer, he did run out and self publish.  Read the essay here.