U-Publish.com: A 'Living Book' To Help You Compete With The Giants Of Publishing [Paperback]

Dan Poynter (Author), Danny O. Snow (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1588321754 | ISBN-13: 978-1588321756 | Publication Date: January 1, 2007 | Edition: Rev Upd

"...A superb manual, which makes the case for self-publishing and demonstrates that it is possible to go head to head against the Big Boys and come out a winner... Easy to read and wonderfully complete in its concepts and introductory information, this book is encouraging and truthful. We rated it five hearts." - Bob Spear, Publisher and Chief Reviewer, "Heartland Reviews" This is a concise, regularly updated guide that shows how to self-publish and promote a book at a fraction of the cost of vanity publishing. A single good tip could save you MANY times the cost of obtaining a copy. EXPANDED AND UPDATED AUGUST 2008!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

"Poynter and Snow: a tremendous team. Both are great writers and they know the publishing business, both electronic and print." - Randy 'Dr. Proactive' Gilbert, Author of "Success Bound" Dan Poynter is an author of more than 100 books, a publisher since 1969 and 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 appeared in U.S. News & World Report. The media come to Poynter because he is the leading authority on independent book publishing. He travels more than 4,000 miles each week to inspire and empower writers, publishers and professional speakers. Harvard graduate Danny O. Snow has been widely quoted about new publishing technologies by major broadcast and print media, including AP, UPI, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and many others. In the past. he has also served as a contributing editor to 'BookTech: The Magazine for Publishers,' and as a panelist and moderator at national publishing events such as the North American Publishing Company's PrintMedia Expos and PMA's Publishing University. In 2008, he was named a senior fellow of the Society for New Communications Research (Palo Alto, CA, USA), "a global think tank dedicated to the advanced study of new and emerging media."

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Unlimited Publishing LLC; Rev Upd edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588321754
• ISBN-13: 978-1588321756
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,946,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save Your Money, January 24, 2007

By 

J. Ball (Hilton Head) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: U-Publish.com: A 'Living Book' To Help You Compete With The Giants Of Publishing (Paperback)

The information contained in this "book" is equivalent to that found in a so-so magazine article. Not only is it short (63 pgs) it is fluffed up by using large font and huge spaces between lines. The back cover touts it as a "concise guide to self-publishing. It gives new meaning to the word "concise." It is little more than an advertisement for a website. I was somewhat surprised to see Dan Poynter had lent his name to this publication. Someone new to self-publishing would be better off buying Dan Poynter's "The Self-Publishing Manual" to get some real information.

4.0 out of 5 stars Beginners start here, February 13, 2007

By 

M. Allen "Grumpy Old Bookman" (Dorset, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: U-Publish.com: A 'Living Book' To Help You Compete With The Giants Of Publishing (Paperback)

Some reviewers on Amazon have complained that this book offers little value for your money. Furthermore, they have complained that it's SHORT.

Well, let's be clear about the short bit, first. The publisher's blurb (see above) describes it as a `concise guide to self-publishing, briefly summarizing key steps in preparing books for independent publication.'

That is surely plain enough. And since when has being short been a disadvantage?

One of the reasons why U-Publish.com 4.0 doesn't run to 200 pages is that the authors do not include extensive lists giving the names and addresses of editors, printers, book designers, library suppliers, and so forth. Instead, they direct you to a web site, where the information can be updated on a day-to-day basis. In the digital age, that makes perfect sense.

One other useful aspect of modern printing technology is that relatively short runs of a book can be printed off, as and when needed. This means that the text of a printed book can now be amended, augmented, and generally improved, with far less trouble and expense than was possible only a few years ago. That's why U-Publish.com 4.0 is described as a `living book'. A copy bought six months from now will embody information which is not available today.

In terms of content, this book delivers what it offers: a summary of the key steps. It does not offer any dramatic secrets. Almost everything in it is well known to those who have been in the self-publishing business for, say, five or ten years. But such people have learnt the facts of life the hard way - often by spending, and wasting, lots of money.

This particular book is aimed at first-time authors - particularly authors of non-fiction books - and in my opinion it forms a good starting point for them. Sure, they will need to read other books, and do some more research, but U-Publish.com 4.0 gives them the basic facts and also provides guidance on where to go for more.

U-Publish.com 4.0 is not perfect. I would have liked some checklists - for example, what to do nine months before publication, then six months, and so forth. But you can work these things out for yourself, after reading the text, and it will do you no harm to do so.

In the last few years, tens of thousands of people have realised that the new technology means that they can at least publish their own book if mainstream publishers reject it (which they almost certainly will). Properly handled, such a project can benefit your career, and may even generate some income. But you must do your research, and the purchase price of this book is modest when compared with the sums of money that you can waste if you go wrong.

3.0 out of 5 stars Living Book needs transfusion, January 23, 2007

By 

J. Large (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: U-Publish.com: A 'Living Book' To Help You Compete With The Giants Of Publishing (Paperback)

While information in book is topical and informative."Living Book" means you write 63 pages.? Then when I go to updates, the web site is just publishing company's advertising. Mr. Poynter is a wonderful author and authority, but this seems close to a rip off.
It would be better just to give us a list of web sites and let us do for ourselves instead of charging $11 for 63 pages.