Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book [Paperback]

Dan Poynter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1568601425 | ISBN-13: 978-1568601427 | Edition: 16th

The Self-Publishing Manual, more effectively and successfully than any other book, has turned writers with an idea into successful authors with books by providing solid, usable information in clear, concise, readable lanugage. This is not the stuff of theory, it is the product of hard-earned experience.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The bible on self-publishing. Highly recommended by virtually everyone in the industry -- even other authors of books on the subject (many of whom probably followed the advice in Poynter's previous 11 editions). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Publishers Weekly Poynter is at his best when discussing such specifics as starting one's own publishing house; dealing with printers; establishing discount, credit and return policies; promoting, advertising and selling a book; and order fulfillment. The College Store Journal A deeply researched how-to book on writing, printing, publishing, promotion, marketing and distribution of books. Booklist Poynter covers the production basics but his emphasis is on the business of books. Choice The strength of this book is the detailed discussion of various marketing methods. Small Press Review The book is a must for those considering publishing as a business, for writers who want to investigate self-publishing, and is eminently useful for its new and old ideas to those who have already begun to do it. A fine and handy guide by a fine and successful publisher. The Southeastern Librarian A handy, concise and informative sourcebook.... Expertly organized and chock full of hard facts, helpful hints and pertinent illustrations.... Recommended for all libraries. The Independent Publisher All the information is here, and various aspects of small publishing are discussed in a complete and comprehensive manner. A publisher who follows Poynter's advice can hardly go wrong. Writing Publishing This is by far the best book of its kind. Judith Appelbaum,How to Get Happily Published This is the best self-publishing manual on the market. The Writer With this book, you will learn how to speed write your book; copyright it yourself; bypass publishers; set up your own book publishing company; promote your books with book reviews, book signings, feature articles and radio/TV interviews; get your book into bookstores, specialty stores, catalogs and on the Web; and make spin-offs of your book. Teacher-Writer Self-publishers: Th --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 463 pages
• Publisher: Para Publishing; 16th edition (March 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568601425
• ISBN-13: 978-1568601427
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (304 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Authorship

More About the Author

Book Writing and Publishing. (Aviation bio, below).

Dan Poynter is an author of more than 120 books, has been a publisher since 1969 and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).

He is an evangelist for books, an ombudsman for authors, an advocate for publishers and the godfather to thousands of successfully-published books.

His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal and his story has been told in The New York Times. The media come to Dan because he is the leading authority on book publishing.

Dan travels more than 6,000 miles each week to share, inspire and empower writers, publishers and professional speakers through keynotes and seminars.

Some of his books are Writing Nonfiction, The Self-Publishing Manual, The Skydiver's Handbook, The Expert Witness Handbook and The Older Cat.

(AVIATION BIO, BELOW)

Dan shows people how to make a difference while making a living by coaching them on the writing, publishing and promoting of their books.

He has turned thousands of people into successful authors. His mission is to see that people do not die with a book still inside them.

See
http://ParaPublishing.com
http://GlobalEbookAwards.com
http://ParaPromotion.com
Follow me: http://www.Twitter.com/DanPoynter
See me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWl0fnBu7bs


Parachutes, Skydiving, and Aviation.

Dan Poynter is a skydiver, parachute rigger and pilot.
He worked as a parachute designer for years and has all the licenses and rating in skydiving.
He was recently nominated to the Skydiving Hall of Fame.
Dan has written a dozen books on parachutes, hang gliding, and other aviation activities.

See
http://parapub.com/sites/parachute/
http://airtravelhandbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/S-29_NSM_HoF_Induction.pdf
http://AirTravelHandbook.com
http://RTW2D.com



Para Publishing LLC, PO Box 8206, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206, USA.
Bus: [phone]; Mob: [phone] [e-mail]

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 171 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't jump into self-publishing without this manual! January 23, 2001

By Rebecca of Amazon HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

If you have ever felt that self-publishing is similar to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, have no fear! "The Self-Publishing Manual" is your parachute! On your way to "landing" your first published book, you will learn everything you need to know.

I think of Dan Poynter as the ultimate "how-to self-publish" expert! He will teach you all the tricks of the publishing trade. As an author of more than 80 books, he also has a proven track record of success. He will convince you that you too can succeed.

The strength of this encyclopedic reference is the author's experience in publishing. Dan Poynter is also on the leading edge of technology. He welcomes the new era of book publishing and prepares writers by giving a "New Book Publishing Model."

If you are looking for a complete reference on writing, printing, publishing, promoting, marketing and distributing your new book, look no further. Whether you just have the concept for your new book or have already advanced to the promotion stage, the information you will need to make your efforts more successful is here!

The "Your Book's Calendar" section is like a true gift for the busy author. This section is vital to keeping your goals and progress in check. It will allow you to digest volumes of information in small sections. You can start with what you have started to accomplish, check the suggested readings and then check off your goals as you reach them.

I especially enjoyed reading the section on professional reviewers. The glossary of publishing terms was so revealing. The "resources for publishers" section was detailed and informative.

This source book also has a companion web site.... You can find information kits, great book promotion mailing lists, links to useful Web sites and hundreds of downloadable documents.

If you are still searching for an agent, sending out manuscripts to publishers, or writing those endless query letters, it may be time to take off that seat belt which is trapping you in that airplane seat! Then, read this book and jump! There are people who want your book. There are people who need your book. Believe it! Then, free fall to success!

~The Rebecca Review Read more ›

112 of 124 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Publish Profitably July 31, 2002

By Cathy Stucker VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Publishing can be a tough business, but with the advice of Dan Poynter you can make your book a profitable reality. 'The Self-Publishing Manual' includes great nuts-and-bolts advice and lots of helpful resources for getting your book written, produced and distributed.

The templates and forms Dan includes are useful, for everything from permissions requests to requests for print bids to discount schedules. Even if all you use are the lists of publishing web sites, printers, distributors, reviewers, etc., you will more than get your money's worth from this book.

Dan's information helped me produce a quality book on a tight timeframe. Not only did I get the book done quickly, it was profitable within one month after release.

I teach a course on publishing, and 'The Self-Publishing Manual' is the text I use. If you want to learn about publishing, this is the place to start.

191 of 215 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars How to be rich and famous. Or at least rich. Maybe. June 7, 2004

By Michael K. Smith TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Poynter is the guru of a certain type of self-publishing author: The writer/hustler who is interested, first and foremost, in making money -- lots and lots of money -- not merely in making information available and earning enough back to make the effort worthwhile. I've done a certain amount of self-publishing over the past couple of decades (mostly genealogical research materials and local history), and while I'm always interested in what he has to say, I've frankly never found a lot of useful material here. All the way through, especially in the early chapters where he's trying to hook you (and remember that his background is in marketing), he insists this writing-publishing thing is easy. All you do is get an idea, read everything about it, put it all in a notebook (rather quirkily for a technophile, he seems to believe in first-draft writing on paper), edit it into a new shape, and Presto! You have a new book, and it's gonna make you rich! Or something. Among other problems, he seems to have only a hazy idea of how the acquisitions process generally works in a large library system. Not to mention comments like "library loans may hurt sales of fiction," and "libraries tend to do most of their ordering around the beginning or end of their fiscal year." Puh-leez. Then there's this, regarding the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998: "Now, anything printed prior to 1922 is safe." Say what? (Even Cotton Mather?) He also seems to think book-indexing need involve only the "indexing" feature in Microsoft Word. Finally, on the very last page (before the omnipresent order form, that is), he says it doesn't matter who the publisher is: "Who is the author? Is she a credible person? No one ever asks, 'Who is the publisher'?..." Au contraire, Dan, the credibility of the *publisher* can be *very* important, especially in technical books. Would you rather buy, unseen, a computer book from O'Reilly & Associates, or from Joe Blow Kitchen Table Press? However, even very narrowly market-specific titles (like genealogy) require some advertising and notification of potential purchasers, so his chapters on publicity and marketing are worth reading, as is the material on cutting-edge electronic publishing, both via CD and online. Read more ›

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent guide for authors and publishers June 14, 2000

By Joseph H Pierre

Format:Paperback

In a previous review of the former edition this book, Isaid:

This is a very good guide, especially for the author (orwannabe author) who is thinking about writing and publishing their own work.

These days, the writing of the book, contrary to the belief of many, is not the end of the work. Perhaps the largest hurdle remains: getting the book published and out on the market where people may buy it.

This book looks at those problems, and contains a great deal of very good advice.

Even the biggest publishers take a loss, or just break even, on most of the titles they publish. They are supported by the handful that achieve the most attention, and become big sellers. Like the movie industry, only a few become stars. And, of course, the giant's share of their promotion budget goes to the books which show the most promise, leaving the ones who really need it out in the cold.

It is a humbling experience for a would-be author to go into a large bookstore, see all of the shelves full of books, and realize that his book will just be one more of the hundreds of thousands of new titles that show up each year.

So, this book fills a need. How about publishing? The primary functions of the traditional publisher are selecting books that will sell in the first place, editing, proofreading, design, production and--most important--marketing. In most cases, the new author is the primary marketing agent for his book, anyway. Why should he give up 90% of the sales price when he must shoulder the main responsibility of the publisher?

The author, who created the book, must usually be satisfied with 10% royalties, with the publisher retaining 90% for their production and marketing efforts....

So, more and more writers, faced with aloof publishers who will not even read their book, let alone buy it, are taking the self-publishing route. They need Dan Poynter's book. It tells them what they need to know.

First, this manual contains some basic rules on how to write a marketable book. Then, the problems they will face in producing it, and finally--certainly not least--promoting it in a crowded marketplace.

He does a very good job. I only noted one neglected area, and, unfortunately it was the very area in which I was most interested: Print-on-demand.

Well, I must tell you that Dan Poynter has corrected that deficiency. In this, the latest edition of the Self-Publishing Manual, released in April of 2000, the entire area of Print-on-Demand (POD), as well as Print-Quantity-Needed (PQN)is amply covered with the latest available information. I have certainly learned things of which I was not formerly aware from the book.

There is a new force in the marketplace, called print-on-demand. Some of the publishers who are utilizing it are simply vanity houses, but many others are not. The era of one-off book publishing is here (POD), along with printing only the quantity actually required (PQN). No more need to warehouse long press runs until they sell, or necessity to pay inventory taxes on warehoused books waiting to be sold. The POD printer will print a single volume, as needed, and mail it to the customer for you, and send the publisher a monthly check, less the cost of printing. It is a force that is changing the face of the publishing industry.

The new technology is particularly good news for those books that sell only a few copies a month, or a year. No longer must they be dropped from the publisher's catalog and go out-of-print. They can simply be digitally archived and printed as needed for the occasional sale.

There are problems unique to the "New Book Model," which Dan Poynter addresses in detail. For the new author contemplating self-publishing, or the author whose work has gone out-of-print, but for which there is still a residual market, this book is one which you should read. There is information here that you are not likely to find addressed anywhere else.

I cannot recommend it too highly.

Joseph Pierre.
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

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