A Self-Publisher's Companion [Paperback]

Joel Friedlander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0936385111 | ISBN-13: 978-0936385112

No matter what kind of book you want to publish, the advice, inspiration and down-to-earth tips in this book will help you get to your goal. Joel Friedlander, one of the leading advocates for self-publishing on the internet, draws on a lifetime of experience helping self-publishers launch their books. He demystifies book publishing and, in the process, answers your questions about how to use social media, the importance of sound book construction, and the critical tasks that confront the modern self-publisher. As independent publishing becomes more popular with authors and readers, A Self-Publisher's Companion will show you the new way to publish and promote your book. From ebooks to iBooks, the author also shows how the move to ebooks is affecting independent publishers, and how best to approach the opportunity presented by Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad and all the other ebook readers. Drawn from his popular blog, TheBookDesigner.com, this book will help ensure self-publishers don't get left behind.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Book publishing is changing-for the better. This book explains the new and better ways to publish and promote your book. Don't be left behind."
-Dan Poynter, The Self-Publishing Manual

"Should one seek to go their own way, this book is a great lesson plan, from the mindset to the mechanics. This is actionable material, and worth your money."
-Chris Brogan, co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, Trust Agents

"Filled with valuable insight and practical tips, this book is highly recommended for aspiring authors."
-Dana Lynn Smith, The Savvy Book Marketer

"Finally, an Honest Advocate for First-time Authors! A lucky break indeed! For new writers immersed and perplexed with the intricate world of self-publishing options, Joel Friedlander's, A Self Publisher's Companion, is a tool they can utilize to clarify the journey and organize their goals. Commonly, new authors waste precious time and resources in failed attempts to self-promote their self-published works. Joel's book offers clear and comprehendible avenues for unmatched success. A must read for first-timers!"
-Carol Denbow, Senior Executive Editor, Plain & Simple Books

"A unique and important addition on the subject matter of self-publishing and why you should think about it."
-Zoe Winters, author of Smart Self-Publishing, Becoming an Indie Author

"This book is evergreen, it will outlive the latest tools and techniques in the online world. It resonates with Joel's many years of experience within the publishing world, his love of content creation and beauty as well as his amazing skills as a popular blogger. Highly recommended for anyone considering the self-publishing route or if you want to know more about aspects of publishing in a digital age. I have self-published four books now and still found myself jotting down notes from the useful information."
-Joanna Penn, TheCreativePenn.com

From the Author

I wrote this book to explain the world of self-publishing to authors thinking about getting into print or e-books. With the rise of print on demand technology and the coming of ebooks, it's time for every author to consider taking control of their publishing destiny. There's no reason for writers to postpone their writing career any more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Marin Bookworks (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936385111
• ISBN-13: 978-0936385112
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.5 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joel Friedlander was born in the Bronx, New York. Raised in Westchester he attended school in Buffalo and Danbury, Connecticut. He is the author of "Body Types: The Enneagram of Essence Types." He has won the AIGA "50 Books of the Year Award" for his work at Aperture Publishing, and the Printing Industries of America Gold Award for his book design and production. He is the owner of Marin Bookworks of San Rafael, California. Joel is also the author of the Self-Publisher's Quick & Easy Guides, a series of subject-specific e-books that help to solve questions for self-publishers. These are available as PDF downloads and Kindle e-books.

In 2011 Joel published A Self-Publisher's Companion, Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish. Drawn from his blog posts on www.TheBookDesigner.com, this book has been widely praised as an introduction to the new world of indie publishing. Joel's articles are also published on Publetariat.com, SelfPublishingReview.com, The RIT Open Publishing Lab, and as an author of exclusive content for CreateSpace.com. For more information on Joel, please see his blog at www.TheBookDesigner.com.

In his spare time Joel enjoys mountain biking, spending time with his family and cooking and baking for friends.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great place to start your self-publishing journey March 28, 2011

By Michael McKee TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I bought the Kindle edition of this book. I'm including that review below. The reason that I'm posting again is that the paperback product page makes it seem as if there were no Kindle edition. There is. Just choose Kindle Store for the title to get the book. This is the second book I've seen that Amazon has failed to link to its Kindle edition.

I've written "the end" for my novel. It's far from ready for the world, as it needs serious editing. Yet, it's near enough to done that I am seriously considering options for getting it out to the world. As a long time blogger, I have a strong bias towards self-publishing and want to seriously explore that option. The publication of "A Self-Publisher's Companion" just as I'm looking into that avenue is a godsend.

This book looks to serve as an excellent starting point in my exploration. It's current, and important consideration in the fast changing world of self-publishing. Since, it is a compilation of blog posts, edited into book form, it has the added benefit of reader's comments folded back into the text. That's an advantage that many experts lack, real-world feedback by the book's target audience. Also, since it evolved out of blog posts, "A Self-Publisher's Companion" has lots of wonderful lists. The format works. Here are some examples:

* 5 Good Reasons To Self-Publish Your Work
* 5 Things That Shouldn't Surprise You About Self-Publishing
* 17 Ways for Writer's to Publish Their Content
* 6 Keys to Self-Publishing Success in the Age of the Ebook

Another list, that is worth the price of the book by itself is "The Self-Publisher's Self-Questionnaire", which gets at motivations for self-publishing.

Unlike a couple of self-published books on self-publishing that I've read, this one has clean and well proofed copy. It's easily the equal of big publishing house how-to books in organization, content and finished quality. A great example.

Joel Friedlander has self-published successfully and knows what works. You won't find write-ups on specific software or how to self-edit. This book is focused on the whys and hows of self-publishing. All the bases from self-motivation to social networking and marketing are touched, though not in great detail. Consider "A Self-Publisher's Companion" to be an excellent overview. There is a list of resources at the end of the book that points toward's more in-depth material on most areas of interest in the field.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I AM EATING A WHOLE BUNCH OF CROW OVER THIS ONE! What an informative read this one is. June 28, 2011

By D. Blankenship HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I will have to admit to you right up front that I was fully prepared to dislike this work. I have read quite a number of what you would call "Self Help Books" over the years and found the majority of them to be poorly written, boring, pretty much useless and to top it off, most of them are either overtly or in a sneaky sort of way trying to sell you something. I have spent a lot of time both writing and talking in badmouthing such works. Yup, I had an attitude before I even opened the cover on this one.

Well, I suppose that in every life a bit of crow must be eaten from time to time and I am telling you that the dish was passed to me on this one. I will humbly eat it without any condiments to cover the taste.

My primary reason for being tempted to read this work is that I review a lot of books by self published authors. These books run the gambit from great and amazing to wretched and horrid. Since I review them I thought I should learn a bit about the process. Secondly, we have been putting together a group of children's e-books (hopefully they will not fall into the wretched and horrid category), and have been doing quite a lot of research via the web. I figured it really could not hurt to some expert advice on the subject and also figured "what can I loose?"

I must say that I was thoroughly enchanted by this work and found it to be simply running over with useful and helpful information. I also found it to be extremely motivating.

This is a collection of blogs by the author who has taking his writing and placed it into book format. This is NOT a "nuts and bolt press the button and then go to....." type of book, but rather one that gives you a good overall picture of the self publishing industry, the ins and outs, what to watch for, and the endless little details that must be taken into consideration when contemplating such a project. Despite all of our research, the author brought up subjects and details that I never would have thought of...until it was too late.

The entire book is written in English. When I say English, I mean that the average person on the street can understand it and you are not bombarded with endless tech talk on the level that you need a degree in computer science to understand.

For me, the most useful portions of the book included why to self publish, where to self publish, publishing an e-book and marketing. Motivation I had and have, although I will say that the author has reinforced my feelings as to this subject.

I wish now that I had had a copy (and actually read it) when I first began contemplating this project. I could have avoided many dead-end alleys and would undoubtedly been much further down the road than I am now.

This is a great starter book and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering the possibility of self publishing their work. I would highly recommend it for really anyone as it could quite likely to give self publishing a shot, even it you have never thought about it. This is a very useful tool indeed!

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A companion for the thinking self-publisher, evergreen wisdom March 30, 2011

By J.F.Penn

Format:Kindle Edition

This is truly a companion for the thinking self-publisher. Joel is a polymath in the publishing world. He muses on the beauty of typography within a Milton text, the "kiss of inked type against the tooth of the paper" and yet his book also documents a transition to digital technology and how best to navigate it. We hear about how Cormac McCarthy still uses a typewriter and that the tools shouldn't get in the way of creation, but then we have hugely actionable chapters on creating tribes online, branding, blogging and twitter. Many will tell you that self-publishing is just loading your Word doc to Createspace but Joel starts with the questions you need to ask yourself upfront - Are you in business? Do you have the personality type to be a self-publisher? What does success look like to you?

This book is evergreen. It will outlive the latest tools and techniques in the online world. It resonates with Joel's many years of experience within the publishing world, his love of content creation and beauty as well as his amazing skills as a popular blogger. Highly recommended for anyone considering the self-publishing route or if you want to know more about aspects of publishing in a digital age. I have self-published four books now and still found myself jotting down notes from the useful information.