Customer Reviews

Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Volume 2)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I already read two different editions of the Self Publishing Manual and loved every minute of it. When I saw this book for sale, I bought it, no doubt in mind. It was a good read despite being a very quick read, but ultimately I was not thrilled with it. It was filled with good advice and tips, but much of the book overlaps with the regular manual. I don't know why he didn't just tack on the non-similar information into his regualr book - ti wouldn't add that much thickness.

For the most part, online marketing is a very tricky business and is best explained in "Plug your book" by Steve Weber. And I'm not filled with complaints here though; this books had many great things to say about buyer mentality and especially ebooks. I've read countless books on book marketing and am reaching the end of my pile and was very glad to find a section in this book on ebooks, the different formats, and the outlets to reach online stores.

This is a good book and should be read, but it won't fill your head with wisdom.

The top two reviews here are negative. That's too bad, because Poynter doesn't deserve them. While negative reviews are necessary--hopefully, they make you think and consider your options--it's frustrating to read reports that are shortsighted and leave you wondering if they actually have a copy in hand, or not.

Poynter's latest edition of his original industry icon, Self-Publishing Manual, now in Vol. 2, does exactly as promised ... it offers necessary information about how to use the new digital technologies and techniques ... along with the old tried-and-true self-publishing information on which it is based.

He didn't give it a whole new title and promise revolutionary epiphanies ... it's a reference manual BASED ON Vol. I, with fresh insights into what's happening now in the industry that we should be aware of, in order to sell our books effectively.

If you haven't noticed, Poynter is a man of few words--he has a LOT of information to share and perhaps is a little short on some details--but for new authors and especially those confused by today's social networking and online PR, it's a great starting point.

If you actually READ the book, you'll see he has saved us all a LOT of time and effort by including websites, blog sites, networking sites, online review sites, eBook distribution information and SO much more--the book is invaluable for that information alone. And knowing Poynter, the sites he recommends are worth visiting.

Vol. 2 is STILL a must-have for any writer who is dazed and confused about the digital age. Thanks Dan!

With the current economic meltdown deciding on a publishing strategy is more difficult than ever. I have written seven books and have just completed number eight. In my career as an author, I have published with a major NY publisher, a mid-sized NY publishing house; I have worked with a major NY agent, and published several specialty books with specialty publishers. I have also self-published three books.



I want to make the best decision possible in publishing book number eight. At this time, I am still gathering and analyzing information to help me make the best decision possible. Dan Poynter's latest book, The Self-Publishing Manual, Volume II, has provided me, and it will provide you with an extraordinary amount of up-to-date information that will help you make the best decision possible on how to publish your book, no matter what publishing format you choose, pBook (printed), eBook, or aBook (audio), or some combination of all three. This book covers critical information in four crucial areas: book publishing challenges and technological solutions, writing and producing your book, distributing your book and promoting your book.

Dr.Brad McRae, CSP, Author of "The Seven Stategies of Master Negotiators,"
"The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters" and "Become a Master Leader:
Featuring Key Insights from Canada's Top Leaders."

I must say that I was VERY excited to receive this book - looking forward to it immensely. However, in the end I was extremely disappointing, especially a book with a list price of $14.95 with only 144 pages although it feels more like 75 pages with the large font and open spacing. Dan Poynter is someone who I admire and I can only imagine that the person who actually wrote this book was not Dan Poynter. This book lacked substance, while attempting to comment on new technology and social media without providing any substantive information. It goes A.D.D. on you, jumping around from a few pages of getting reviews for your book, setting up your own publishing company, making sure you have a facebook page, and digital printing, ebooks, etc. MANY of the references in the book are bad, expired, and many links don't work...its really not something I would recommend to anyone. If you want to learn about social media, get a book on social media. I would also comment that the quality of printing wasn't the greatest. Sorry for being critical, but respectfully -if you are going to put out a second volume - it should be an enhancement or evolution from the first.

I only write survival books found mostly in Army Navy Stores. Dan helped me get started. Right now, you have to get Poynter's latest editions because the business is changing. I could never stay current, but Dan does that for all of us and updates his editions. People ask me all the time to help them because they are just beginning in writing/publishing. Poynter is like an adjustable wrench for anyone who wants to repair engines. One book fits all. If you even have an inkling of selling words, let Dan talk to you in the various books he has published on all aspects of the business. From how to write, what to write, how to sell, what software to use, Dan will take you from beginner to expert in a few hundred pages. He cost around two cents a page for the most critical advice any writer MUST HAVE. Don't go near your computer without him. Don Paul @ Path Finder.

I was looking through the reviews on this one, and I just wanted to let everyone know that the new version is incredible. I have posted my review on that one below. Please don't write the author off because of these reviews, just buy the newest version and you will be incredibly happy that you did. Enjoy!



I have written over 30 books that have been self-published, and I wish I read this book a long time ago. This is a fantastic resource for anyone who is about to write a new book. There are a lot of great books out there for people who have already written and published their book, but if you are an aspiring author, this is a must-read for you! Buy this book, write your book, decide how to publish it, and then go out and sell some copies!

Enjoy!

Todd Hagopian
President/CEO
Hagopian Institute
Author of the brand new book - Self Publisher Coach: "Sell More Books In 30 Days" Edition

I was disappointed with this book which is by the supposed reigning expert on self publishing. I would skip this book and go directly to Aaron Shepard's books, which are incredibly detailed, precise and thoughtful. Just for the record, I have no connection with Aaron Shepard, I have no idea who he is, I am just very grateful to him for the time he spent putting his books together and all the information that he shares.
Self-publishing is such a huge topic that it probably just isn't possible to cover the whole thing in one book as Dan Poynter does.
I also think that POD has evolved a lot and Dan Poynter has not had to keep up with the times, precisely because he is so well known.
Just to give one example:
Dan Poynter says to spend money on a professionally-designed cover, because your cover is what sells your book.
That may have been true in the days of bookstores, but no longer true in the days of thumbnail-sized covers on Amazon.
Aaron Shepard not only recommends designing simple covers with large type that will show up well in thumbnail size,
he gives very specific instructions first for all the InDesign specs for creating such a cover, then for the somewhat byzantine route to upload the cover to Amazon.

This book was a disappointment. I felt like Dan took six minutes to compile his thirty something years of experience into 134 pages. While it is apparent that Dan is very knowledgable about publishing, the book is too disorganized to follow and reap any benefit from. It would have been better if the subtext within the chapters flowed in a more logical order instead of thrown together for us to figure out. Would not recommend.

Aleshia Robinson, Author of Alcatraz: The Lost Pearl
[...]

Disclaimer - I know Dan personally and professionally, and I used an early version of this book in 1984 to publish my own first book.

So I have good grounding to say that he did it again! Kudos!

The world of publishing is changing as fast as any other part of the human experience... maybe as fast as it did at the time of Gutenberg. And, while no one can legitimately claim to have a crystal ball, Dan's identification of the major trends in publishing comes as close as any analysis I've seen to helping prepare for that future. If you're self-publishing a book today, both this analysis and and the detailed self-publishing instructions that accompany it are vital. Publishing in 10 years time may hardly resemble its present form, in the same way cell phones have obsoleted pay phones. Reading Dan's book is the best way I know to prepare for a sea change like that and publish TODAY while staying relevant.

Two items of note: The first is that social media are changing so fast, that any attempt to corral their status on a physically printed page is futile. Thus, the discussion of social media is out of date, but to be fair, Dan points this and other obsolescence issues out very clearly at the start of his book. Paper simply cannot stay up-to-date very long.

The second is that his discussion of eBooks is heavy on how-tos, but light on "what-it-is". This is important, because hackers break security all the time, and knowing what the security and vulnerabilities of each format are - as well as knowing what each format looks like - are important in making decisions about the rollout format. For example, reading his book, I did not know that most eBooks were on optical media. I thought they were all downloads. I only learned they were physical media when speaking to him on the phone about an unrelated subject.

But those are pretty minor. Dan's biggest gift is his organization and experience, to help you do the best you can while avoiding pitfalls. I recommend this book highly.

I was in a mastermind group with Dan for 10 years and he preached this every month for 10 years. He was a huge help to Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen when they started the Chicken Soup books, which the last time I heard has sold over 100 million copies. These 2 books are a must have for everybody who is writing a book, rookie or veteran. It is a step by step guide from start to finish of your writing project and every year or so he updates it. So if you have the 13th edition you want to get this one. In my mind this would be a great buy if it was $60. If you have written you know how big the project is. This is a definitive research guide for writing. Get volume one and two. If you are in the Los Angeles area check his web site for the workshops he gives to supplement these guides. [...]