What's the best way to self-publish?

Question

I'm writing a book and thinking about self-publishing (mainstream publishing is not ready for me). Has anyone out there ever done it? What did you use and how were the services?

Answer 1

I'm going to do it. But I'm not ready just yet. I'm still doing some preliminary research into the subject and developing a plan of attack.

I plan on using my own company imprint with my first novel.

This means I have to get a state business license for the operation--and then set up a website afterwards.

For my printing needs, I plan on using an out-of-state printer in the central US. Locally, I have found a few, but they weren't what I needed for the book.

But for right now, I am going e-book.

EDIT: What Persiphone says is true to a point, but it's meant to rattle and shake you from your primary objective--by saying that you have to go traditional no matter what.

I've spent 8 years doing what she suggested--and went nowhere fast. The mainstream is simply not accepting anymore new writers for the time being; subsisting primarily on their client lists and other previously published first-time authors.

As such, I have no real desire to spend the rest of my life chasing something which isn't realistic or flexible in its business needs.

I'll assume the risks of doing it myself. Not because of what the publishing industry demands of me.

But because this is what *I* want to do. And if they don't like it, they can jump off the nearest suspension bridge.

Answer 2

There are no good ways to self publish. Only nine books in the history of self publishing have made the best seller list. The average sales of a self published book is under 100. The other day I read an interesting quote from Lulu. They said they would rather sell 100 copies of 5 million different books than 5 million copies of 100 different books. It's all about them. They offer you NO services whatsoever. You are entirely on your own. They come to sites like this and prey on young kids who think they have the next Great American Novel. As long as your check clears the bank, they will publish anything.

Do you believe in yourself and your book? Then you owe it to both of you to spend at least twice the time trying to get it published traditionally than you did working on it.

Self publishing is a black hole. It doesn't make youi a "published authro". I have heard of cases where self publioshed authors were booed off the stage at wrters conventions. Publishers and agents laugh when you write to them and call yourself a publsihed author. I recently read of a woman who refinanced her house and dumped 60 thousand dollars into self publishing and marketing a book. She is about to lose her home.

Self publishing started out as vanity publishing. It was meant for nut jobs with weird conspiracy theories and religious mumbo-jumbo to get their books published and sell them on the street. If you want to spend the rest of your life selling books out of the back of your car, go for it. Pax - C

Answer 3

Define self-publish. I've heard of some e-book "publishers" that just let you post your work on the web to see if it flies. Of course, that does probably leave you with the responsibility for publicizing it.