(by 19 people)
Writers are excited about the Internet for a lot of reasons, and the ability to self-publish is one of them! Today writers have hundreds of options ranging in price and flexibility, and this lens gives you a look at the most popular places to get your work self-published.
Self-Publishing Websites
- Lulu.com
- This is the first website I used to self-publish my work and the one I recommend for beginners. There are no upfront fees to list your book and sell it online, but if you need help there are dozens of resources available for everything from cover art to formatting to PDF processing and editing. Lulu is VERY user friendly and flexible, and can help you get an ISBN and break into the Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com markets.
- iUniverse
- If you're interested in getting into Barnes & Nobel fast, iUniverse is the place to do it. Unlike Lulu.com there are BIG upfront costs at iUniverse. Expect to spend $350-500 to get your book published. The benefits are that you have a lot more flexibility in your book sizes and materials, artwork, and formatting. Sign up for a free publishing guide at their website to learn more.
- Author House
- I have not yet personally used Author House but I know of many satisfied customers. You are basically in charge of the financial and marketing details of your book, and they claim to have helped more authors get published than any other company.
- Self-Publishing.com
- This site takes you through the four steps of education, preparation, book printing, and distribuition & marketing.
- Guide to Self-Publishing
- Writing guide Moira Allen takes you step-by-step through editing and publishing.
- Editing & Publishing at Suite101.com
- Topic editor Kimberly Dawn Wells provides insights on publishing techniques and options.
Recommended Book: The Fine Print of Self-Publishing
The Fine Print of Self-Publishing: The Contracts & Services of 48 Major Self-Publishing Companies--Analyzed, Ranked & Exposed
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 10/06/2008)
Self-Publishing Articles I've Written
- Binding Your Book
- Choosing the binding that is right for your size and type of book.
- Do I Need an ISBN for my Book?
- How to decide if you need one and where to get it.
- Formatting a PDF eBook
- Tips for properly formatting your PDF ebook for sale.
- Should you Copyright your eBook?
- Tips for deciding whether or not to copyright your self-published ebook.
- Publish America Claims
- What is it about this publisher that makes some people so wary and irate? Get the inside story.
- What is Vanity Publishing?
- Making sense of a misunderstood self-publishing term.
- Vanity Publishing Scams
- How to tell when a publisher just isn't right for you.
- Misleading POD Info
- Why this industry isn't as bad as critics say and how to select a great one.
- Blog to Book with Blurb
- Turn your blog into a profitable self-published book with the formatting support of Blurb.com.
Tell Everyone you're a Writer with your Shirt!
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"i get paid to sit around all day, drink coffee, and make stuff up. i love my job." A fun way to flaunt your awesome career.
Price: 24.99
writer. Baseball Jersey
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Tan Red My Journal
Price: 14.99
Books on Self-Publishing
Complete Guide to Self Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote, and Sell Your Own Book (Self-Publishing 4th Edition)
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 10/06/2008)
So You Want to Write a Book: How to Write, Self-Publish and Sell Your Own Non-Fiction Book (First in My How-to Series-Prior Series Title Is ""Gone Fishin'"", 2)
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 10/06/2008)
How To Publish and Promote Online
Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 10/06/2008)
How to Self-Publish Your Book With Little Or No Money! A Complete Guide to Self-Publishing at a Profit!
Amazon Price: $15.96 (as of 10/06/2008)
Tips for Producing Winning Cover Art
- Chosing Cover Art Colors
- Selecting colors that invoke the right impression of your book.
- Chosing Cover Art Images
- Creating a great first impression with your cover art.
- Chosing Cover Art Fonts
- Fonts can make or break the style of your book. What will your fonts say about you?
- Chosing Cover Art Layout
- Tips for designing a cover that flows and includes the right components.
Additional Articles on Self-Publishing
- Do's and Don'ts of Self-Publishing
- It used to be where people who self-published were considered neophytes who weren't good enough to be published by more traditional publishers. They clung like barnacles to the edges of the book world, trying but not gaining access to the inner sanctum -- a place on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and a trip to Oprah's couch...
- Self Publishing Book Printing: Save Yourself A Fortune
- Self publishing book printing is probably one of the most challenging aspects in the whole self publishing process.
Not only does printing of your book in self publishing require a huge cash outlay, but is also very easy to make mistakes. Here are a few book printing tips that will save you a fortune... - Skilled Self Publishing Book Marketing Is Vital For Success
- The most common mistake people make when self publishing their books is to ignore marketing until it is too late...
- 5 Tips To Help you start self publishing for profit
- Here's a really simple way... to start your own business selling information products...
- Getting Published
- If you write articles for Ezines you might think publishing a full-length book is not in your future. Think again. Your knowledge and enthusiasm about a subject of interest to a host of readers might be just what a book publisher is looking for. A financial expert for example, has a niche audience. A racing car aficionado has a niche audience. Horticulture professionals and wine connoisseurs have loyal insatiable readers. If you write in one or two genres, you might be a candidate for publishing a collection of your articles...
- How Good Writing Becomes a Wonderful Book
- Every book was once a mere snippet of a notion with a pencil (or a computer keyboard) dangling off the end of it. The difference between an author and someone daydreaming out the window is that, finding the pencil or keyboard attached to a notion, the writer continues drawing, writing, pulling, prodding, and scratching at the notion until it becomes a book. But how does that book become wonderful? There lies the real mystery. No one really knows...
- Book Publishing Without Pain
- When I meet an author with a great book concept, one who's definitely the right person to write that book, right away I'll often encourage her to self-publish. This is because I know that, if that author is thoroughly invested in what she has to say, and if she is determined to create a buzz about her message, she'll discover...
Getting the point where you can publish
What happens when your muse has gone missing in action? Almost every writer goes through a period of writer's block at some point. Frustration can take over, causing you to lose passion for your writing. The pain is real when you stare at the blank screen or page, willing yourself to write. What is at stake for you if you aren't writing?
In as little as one hour, you can be having fun and allowing your muse to play. I would like to introduce you to Holly Lisle's How to Beat Writer's Block (And Have FUN Writing From Now On). With this mp3 audio course, Holly will take you step by step through the process of overcoming your block. In just 30 minutes, the ideas for your new story or solutions to a problem in your current project will pour across the page.
Holly is no stranger to writer's block and would like to share her methods. With her expert guidance, you will not only move past your block but will learn how to prevent the block from happening again. You will also receive commitment training, a walkthrough to get you focused on writing again, dozens of ideas, and five-minute daily coaching. The course includes the forms you will need to keep up with your new ideas as well as a bonus report, 21 Ways To Get Yourself Writing When Your Life Has Just Exploded.
Head over to Holly's shop now and purchase How to Beat Writer's Block for immediate download. You will be writing and having fun again in no time.
Was this helpful?
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Gretchen_Lee_Bourquin
This is some great information. I went with Lulu, because I can't afford a lot of upfront costs. There's a lot of good writers that don't have a lot of money. I will have to check out your other articles as well Posted August 16, 2008 |
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KathleenGageSpeaker
Outstanding lens. I have been a self published author for years and find your information to be very helpful. Posted August 12, 2008 |
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qlcoach
Wonderful information on self-publishing. This is how I started too. Please consider interacting with my site: http://www.squidoo.com/groups/publishingclub Posted June 29, 2008 |
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littlespark
Good lens. Awesome information about self publishing. I never seen a lens with this topic. I could learn a lot from this lens. Good job and keep on it posting. Would love this lens. Thanks for sharing the information. Book publishing is a vast field with full of opportunities. I come across a good informative site about book Publishing on Publishing Feel free to visit this site to surf more information about Trade Book Publishing, Text Book Publishing, Steps To Publishing A Book and various categories of book Publishing. Posted May 02, 2008 |
A major hangup for many self-published authors is just GETTING to the point where they can confidently publish their book? when go through your lens they can find a solution for that problem.Here is also a similar kind of useful information on book publishing online-book-publishing,an interesting site about Steps To Publishing A Book,Poetry Book Publishing
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Posted March 22, 2008
