Barrier to entry may be low, but creating a book that looks professional and is indistinguishable from a book published by a "real" publishing house is very difficult and requires a minimum investment of a few thousand dollars (I'm up at around $5,000 right now). You wonder why "real" books take 9 months to produce--and usually significantly longer. Well, I now know why. It's hard to get everything just right (if you're a novice at book formatting, Microsoft Word will become your worst enemy). And once you've finally received that final proof, you feel it could be slightly better.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know
On CNET, David Carnoy offers a practical and realistic guide to self-publishing.
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This is don't believe - the time factor maybe, struggling with the formats and technologies is really frustrating but the money? Has David Carnoy even looked at lulu.com? The main problem for authors seems to be in the marketplace - reader resistance to looking at buying or downloading books from these sites; snobbery even. It may be that it is early days - and the environmental factor and convenience will grow the market along with a sense of adventure amongst readers.
ReplyDeleteBooksurge is an Amazon company - anyone can order your book from Amazon; anyone can link to it through key words. They offer a cover design service, & PR. I've used it twice. It is excellent.
ReplyDeleteI hope no member of a trade union would ever even consider buying anything, product or service, from Amazon:
ReplyDelete"Behind the scenes Amazon, which can expect its busiest day of the year tomorrow, is employing thousands of casual workers in Britain to fetch and package items under arduous conditions. An investigation by The Sunday Times at Amazon’s enormous warehouse in Bedfordshire has found that workers were:
– Warned that the company refuses to allow sick leave, even if the worker has a legitimate doctor’s note. Taking a day off sick, even with a note, results in a penalty point. A worker with six points faces dismissal.
– Made to work a compulsory 10½hour overnight shift at the end of a five-day week. The overnight shift, which runs from Saturday evening to 5am on Sunday, means they have to work every day of the week."
full story:
"http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article5337770.ece"