Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don't be a Victim of a Vanity Press. Learn All About Self-Publishing. Publish a Better Book, Publish it Faster, Make More Money, Have More Fun [Paperback]

Michael N. Marcus (Author), Sheila M. Clark (Editor), Carina Ruotolo (Designer)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0981661742 | ISBN-13: 978-0981661742 | Publication Date: October 15, 2009 | Edition: 1st

• IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: a lot has happened since this book was published. Please order my new Independent Self Publishing: The Complete Guide. It's more up-to-date, has 88 more pages, and the price is the same as the older book. It's better-looking, too.

There is lots of confusion about "self-publishing." This book will help you sort out the misstatements and misunderstandings. It will guide you from your first word to your first sale. It can help a frustrated writer make a quick and painless transition to become a less frustrated writer and publisher.

Independence from England in the 18th century led to the establishment of a vibrant and strong democracy in the United States, where "anyone can be president."

In the 21st century, independent self-publishing, made possible by new technology, has led to a democratization of publishing where any writer can be published. Anyone with a few months and about $600 can publish a book that looks just as good as books published by the companies that have published books since the 19th century.

For better and for worse, all creative people can now compete on a level playing field, and the ultimate judges of quality are readers-- not the gatekeepers of traditional media businesses.

Writers are often unable or unwilling to have their books published by "traditional" publishing companies and decide to "self-publish." Many of them use the services of a "self-publishing company" or "print-on-demand company" or "subsidy publisher" with the thought that the writers will become self-published authors.

They're not. They're not self-publishing. They're really just customers (or victims) of "vanity publishers" that make most of their money by selling services to writers, not by selling books to readers, and they give up a lot.

If you're not the publisher, you are not a self-publisher.

While there may be some legitimate reasons to use vanity publishers, the writers who use them will often wait longer for books to be sold, have less control over the appearance and quality of the books, spend more money, make less money, wait longer to get their money, and have a lower quality book than if they became REAL self-publishers.

It's not difficult to become a REAL self-publisher, and the potential rewards, advantages and enjoyment can be enormous.

This informative and complete book, based on extensive first-hand experience, will tell you how to do it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

READER REACTION:

"This is the most up-to-date, definitive book for self-publishers. Every writer who dreams of seeing their book in print needs to read it." -- Dan Brennan, author of Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions

"I am completing my first book and had researched some so-called "self-publishing companies" that are really vanity publishers. I have decided to truly self-publish, and Michael's book will be of tremendous help to me in the process. The book is wonderful. It's amazingly complete and detailed. Especially helpful are the sections on book design using Word and his dollar comparisons of self-publishing with some of the vanity and traditional publishers. This book is a must-read for anyone considering self-publishing a book!" --Arlene Miller, M.A., author of The Best Little Grammar Book Ever!

"Michael's book is REALLY useful. He distilled an over-whelming amount of information and resources into one easy-to-use book that should help any aspiring author to achieve the dream of self-publishing more easily and more quickly. From timetables to pricing to common-sense advice, this book is a tremendous find for anyone considering self-publishing." --Ginger Jenks, MCC, CEO of Magellan Enterprises, author of I Bark Because I Do: Bite-Size Lessons for Happier Living

"...nice conversational style and comprehensive coverage of the major areas involved in self-publishing." --Nick Gretener, publisher of The Vanishing of a Species?

About the Author

Michael N. Marcus either is now or has been a journalist, author, publisher, advertising copywriter, public relations practitioner, photographer, band manager, amateur attorney, golf ball SCUBA diver, recording engineer, and founder and president of AbleComm, Inc. ("the telecom department store").

He provides the words for nearly 40 websites and blogs, has been Audio-Video Editor of Rolling Stone, and has written for many other magazines and newspapers.

Michael specializes in making technology understandable, and often humorous. He has written seven books, and more are planned.

Born in 1946, Michael's a proud member of the first cohort of the Baby Boom, along with Dolly Parton, Candy Bergen, Donny Trump, Billy Clinton and Georgie Bush.

At the urging of a misguided guidance counselor, he went to Lehigh University to become an electrical engineer, and was quickly disappointed to learn that engineering was mostly math-- and slide rules were not as much fun as soldering irons.

Michael was one of the few literate people in his engineer-filled freshman dormitory and made money editing term papers. He got in big trouble when he got caught running intercom wire from his dorm room to a friend two floors below, and when an inspector found a payphone in his suitcase.

His college apartment had an elaborate and illegal multi-line phone system, a phone booth with a toilet in it, and an invisible phone activated by two hand claps.

Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife Marilyn, Hunter the Golden Retriever, and a lot of stuff -- including both indoor and outdoor telephone booths, a "Lily Tomlin" switchboard, lots of books, CDs and DVDs, and many black boxes with flashing lights. Marilyn is very tolerant.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Silver Sands Books; 1st edition (October 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981661742
• ISBN-13: 978-0981661742
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Personal website:
www.MichaelMarc.us

Publishing website:
www.SilverSandsBooks.com

Blog about books and other things:
www.BookMakingBlog.blogspot.com

Info, help & book reviews for authors:
www.BookFur.com

Pre-publication book assessments
www.RentABookReviewer.com

Hilarious (and sometimes poignant) book:
"Stories I'd Tell My Children (but maybe not until they're adults)"
Available in hardcover, paperback and e-book editions.

----------New books about publishing----------
"STINKERS! America's Worst Self-Published Books"
"Brainy Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing"
"Self-Publish Your Book Without Losing Your Shirt."
"Get the Most out of a Self-Publishing Company: Make a Better Deal. Make a Better Book."
"Independent Self-Publishing: The Complete Guide"


----------Coming soon----------
"The 100 Worst Self-Publishing Misteaks"
"A Self-Published Book Doesn't Have to be Ugly."
"555 Ways to Self-Publish Better Books"
"Easy E-books"


Michael N. Marcus either is now or has been a journalist, author, publisher, advertising copywriter, public relations practitioner, photographer, band manager, amateur attorney, golf ball SCUBA diver, recording engineer and founder and president of AbleComm, Inc. ("the telecom department store").

He provided the words for over 100 websites and blogs, has been an editor at Rolling Stone, and has written for many other magazines and newspapers. Michael specializes in making technology understandable, and often humorous. He has written over 20 books, and more are planned.

Born in 1946, Michael's a proud member of the first cohort of the Baby Boom, along with Dolly Parton, Candy Bergen, Donny Trump, Billy Clinton and Georgie Bush.

At the urging of a misguided guidance counselor, he went to Lehigh University to become an electrical engineer, and was quickly disappointed to learn that engineering was mostly math -- and slide rules were not as much fun as soldering irons.

Michael was one of the few literate people in his engineer-filled freshman dormitory and made money editing term papers. He got in big trouble when he got caught running intercom wire from his dorm room to a friend's room two floors below, and when an inspector found a payphone in his suitcase.

Later, his college apartment had an elaborate and illegal multi-line phone system, a phone booth with a toilet in it, and an invisible phone activated by two hand claps.

Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife Marilyn, Hunter the Golden Retriever, and a lot of stuff -- including both indoor and outdoor telephone booths, a "Lily Tomlin" switchboard, lots of books, CDs and DVDs, and many black boxes with flashing lights. Marilyn is very tolerant.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivers, but could be improved, June 30, 2010

By 

just_another_reader (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don't be a Victim of a Vanity Press. Learn All About Self-Publishing. Publish a Better Book, Publish it Faster, Make More Money, Have More Fun (Paperback)

First, the good news. The book delivers and meets expectations regarding the subject matter -- this really is a book for SELF publishers, people who decide to form a publishing business and publish their books through their own business, fully mindful of the risks and extra work and pressure and worries and money involved. Most self-publishing books don't cover this ground at all, and are basically worthless. So it is a delight to find a book that actually does what it says it's gonna do.

At the end of the day, I found the book to be worth its price. Learning about Lightning Source alone was worth it.

Now, some complaints. Each one is relatively minor, mere annoyances really, but in aggregate they're enough to cost one star out of a five-star rating.

1. The author proudly explains how he used Microsoft Word to create the book. Well, it shows. The book design comes across as very "self-publisher" like. The fonts are HUGE, my goodness, I haven't seen fonts this big since elementary school!

2. The embedded images all over the book have very little -- far too little -- whitespace around them. I mean, it's incredible how tight the author has put the text right up against the images. Worst are the images with rough edges where the text wraps around the edges of the image. Sure, Microsoft Word offers this capability but it looks so cheesy and amateur not to mention claustrophobic! A well-designed page has lots of whitespace -- the text and images have room to BREATHE. For $20 I would have liked to have gotten a professionally designed book. All due respect to the author, but this is not professionally designed.

3. From the author's blog it is clear that he loves attacking the vanity publishing companies, and calling out some of the major names who market to would-be self-publishers as actual vanity presses. This is all well and good, but I noticed numerous repetitious passages in the book where the same argument is made multiple times about Lulu or Amazon or this or that. Seems to me that it was unnecessary to repeat material twice or even three times. I got the point the first time, thanks.

So, the bottom line is, if you are thinking of setting up an actual company to publish one or more books, and want to get some good advice on ways to save money doing so, avoid getting burned, and maybe be successful, this book is worth it. I just wish that it was more professionally put together, in terms of editing and internal design. If you can tolerate those shortcomings, the content is worth it.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST book on self-publishing, October 24, 2009

By 

Wordsmith "wordsmith" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don't be a Victim of a Vanity Press. Learn All About Self-Publishing. Publish a Better Book, Publish it Faster, Make More Money, Have More Fun (Paperback)

This amazing book -- both informative and entertaining -- covers EVERYTHING you need to know to self-publish your writing, starting with the very basics (including the history of writing, from cave walls to eBooks). The author goes into great (but hilariously funny) detail on how to do it RIGHT by avoiding the pitfalls of vanity presses and, instead, establishing your OWN self-publishing business.
This encyclopedic book is vital for anyone with aspirations of becoming a published author! It has detailed analyses of many companies that masquerade as self-publishing companies, and valuable tips for every writer, even those who use a traditional publisher.
In addition, the author provides precise details on how to use MS Word and Adobe Acrobat to write and lay out your book, where to obtain high-quality/low-priced photographs, recommendations about which printer to use and which vanity presses to avoid), and how to publish without having to go through overpriced middlemen who add cost but don't provide any useful services.
Marcus does an excellent job of revealing the dishonesty that's common in publishing today, like "free publishing" and "free books" that cost the aspiring author hundreds or thousands of dollars, and he explains that the "bestseller" claim may mean absolutely nothing. The author tells about one publishing company that charges its authors $2 for each promotional postcard -- something that's readily available for a dime. Another company charges $249 for a copyright registration that's available for $35. Others actually charge a fee for registration with the Library of Congress -- which is available for FREE.)
There are extensive sections on selecting a topic, fiction vs. nonfiction; marketing; publicity; pricing; copyrights; proofreading; forming a business; getting advice; Library of Congress registration; title selection; cover design; reviews and blurbs; hiring and paying editors, photographers and artists; developing and using a website, and more.
The glossary and spelling tip sections are both instructive and funny. There are even grammar tips scattered through the book to avoid wasting the space that was not needed for the main text. Because the author is well aware of other books in the field, his book includes reviews of about a dozen books that he "likes, loves, and loves to hate."
I've read many books on "getting published" but THIS one is¯bar none¯the DEFINITIVE work on the subject. Other people have written books about self-publishing, but the errors in some of them make it obvious that the authors have never actually done what they've written about. This author has done it, and readers will learn from his experience and expertise -- and they'll even get to chuckle at the revelations about his home life. (He doesn't want his wife to read what he writes.)
It's a big and comprehensive book, with 432 pages and many detailed screenshots and examples of the types of text he describes. There are even photos and visual humor to liven up the instruction. It's easy to read, packed with valuable information, and an excellent value at $19.95. No writer should be without it!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Information in this Book Could Save you Thousands!, December 13, 2009

By 

Tax Accountant "Tax Accountant" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don't be a Victim of a Vanity Press. Learn All About Self-Publishing. Publish a Better Book, Publish it Faster, Make More Money, Have More Fun (Paperback)

This book is full of practical information for any other who is looking to self-publish. Even if you are trying to publish with a traditional publisher, the advice in this book is very important. The author, Michael Marcus, doesn't pull any punches and reveals the nasty side of the publishing industry.

This book will help you avoid the worst abusers out there-- the vanity publishers, bogus literary agents, unethical book promoters, you name it! Michael exposes them all, and yes... he names NAMES! He's not afraid to say WHO is swindling naive authors out of their hard-earned dollars.

This book will tell you which companies to avoid, and which ones aren't out to rip you off. The author also suggests other good books for authors who are looking to self-publish.

In addition to all of this, the author goes over the best genres to publish, how to market your book using internet resources, and how find a good editor. I could go on and on. This is a great book for newbie authors and established self-published authors who want to know more about the business.

I read it in three days-- I thought it was very useful.