Customer Reviews

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living

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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Peter Bowerman is a successful freelance writer in the commercial market who rocketed to success with his first self-published book, "The Well-Fed Writer," followed that up with "The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds," and has now packaged the keys to his success for other writers in "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" (TWFSP). He chose to self-publish for several reasons: greater control of the process was certainly one of them, but he also felt he could do better by overseeing the process himself than by handing it over to a publisher. Why? Because he believes that unless you're selling to a mainstream market, many of the marketing efforts of a publishing company will be ineffective compared to the highly-targeted efforts you can put together yourself. Besides, as he points out, these days publishing companies expect you to do much of the marketing yourself anyway, so why not pocket more of the profits as well?

TWFSP is fairly specifically aimed at authors of niche market books--primarily non-fiction--who have written quality products and seriously wish to market and sell them to make a profit. If you want to self-publish a novel for the mainstream market or a family history just for friends and family you'll still find some handy information in here, but the book isn't really aimed at you and you'll find much of it irrelevant.

For folks who fit the book's intended audience, however, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" is a dragon's hoard of clear, well-presented information. Because of the tight focus, Bowerman is able to present highly targeted and relevant information that walks you through each step of the process. This makes the whole thing feel less overwhelming (although don't make the mistake of thinking it's simple!) and allows him to present a great deal of information on ways to cut your costs without cutting quality. By keeping his focus narrow he gives himself room for depth.

If you're a talented writer in a niche market who wants to write and sell her own book, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" provides an incredible amount of information as well as plenty of pointers to more. It's written in an accessible, friendly style jam-packed full of information to absorb. It's encouraging in tone, yet never tries to soft-sell the amount of work involved in this endeavor. It's difficult to imagine trying to make a serious attempt at self-publishing without this book right next to my computer.

Peter Bowerman has created a wonderfully accessible reference for anyone who has ever thought about self-publishing. He presents all the ins and outs of publishing your own book in a straightforward manner. Even better, he includes his own experiences, both good and bad -- yes, he made mistakes -- making his book both more real and more readable, and ultimately more useful to the potential self-publisher.

A quote from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher sums up what Bowerman explains so well in this book: "Self-publishing is a big job, no question, but technology has made it so much more feasible than it's ever been before in history."

Make no mistake, this is a self-publishing how-to book with solid credentials behind it. The author has earned a full-time living for over five years, from his two previous books, The Well-Fed Writer and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds. Before that, Bowerman spent close to 30 years in sales, marketing, copywriting and publishing. Clearly, he has certain skills from his background that you may not have. By letting you know exactly how he went about self-publishing his own book, he has made it possible for you to decide what will work for you.

The author covers how to approach writing, marketing and selling your book, and discusses publicity avenues including Amazon.com, the mainstream media, your own website, radio and bookstore signings.

Almost 50 pages of useful material can be found in the five Appendices. Not only does the first of these, Resources, include books and websites, but also the specific vendors that helped Bowerman with his own books, from cover design to typesetting to publicity.

Bowerman is very convincing - his personality as it comes through in the book is engaging, self-deprecating, enthusiastic and humorous. In The Well-Fed Self-Publisher he tells you how to make an informed foray into the realm of self-publishing and realize your own dream of seeing your byline on a published book.

By the way, if you do decide to follow this route, Bowerman's surprisingly long list of self-published authors proves you will be in good company, with the originally self-published likes of Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe.

"For me, self-publishing is the first choice." ~ Peter Bowerman

Peter Bowerman's ideas will be most useful to the serious self-publisher. If you are interested in taking care of all the details yourself then this book has a lot to offer. This book will also be useful to anyone who is tired of waiting for publishers to respond to their queries. Peter Bowerman actually shows why it might be more profitable to pay for your book to be printed by a reputable printer. His ideas about POD (Print-on-Demand) publishing are not encouraging although I've tried it twice and have always been happy with the results. It works well enough if you just want to have copies available for anyone who is interested and the cost is less at the start ($500 vs. $15,000). If you are more serious about distribution and marketing then you might find "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" to be worth your time. This book teaches authors to think more like a buisiness owner than a writer. Whether you are a seasoned or aspiring author, this book has a lot to offer.

~The Rebecca Review

There was only one good idea I found in this book: selling your own books through the "Used and New" link on Amazon (since, often, even if you sell them cheaper you are still making the same or more as if you let your distributor handle them.)

Unfortunately, the author of this book based his advice on his own personal experience; this means you can only follow his advice if you are doing something very similar to what he was up to.

Here are some types of books that will not benefit much from advice in Well-Fed Self Publisher:

Print-on-Demand books
Fiction books
"Niche books" (basically, any book that's not about making money)
Art books


He also seemed to have a lot of crazy luck with his own books that he admits was just crazy luck, and gives no suggestion on how to wrangle a similar case for yourself -- for example, he brings up from time to time that people tell him "we don't take self-published books" but then, they seem to just shrug their shoulders and accept his stuff anyway.

Apparently the author assumes you have at least several hundred dollars -- if not several thousand -- to spend signing up for programs and ad campaigns. (Basically, he assumes you are already a "well-fed self publisher" even when you're starting out.) He tends to only offhandedly mention free methods, usually in a dismissive way. He says early on, "time is money" as his defense of why you should spend on all these services, but never seems to consider the potential that maybe there just isn't any money to begin with. (Though, granted that he also assumed you sponsored a full print run, I guess that's not so surprising. Like I said -- this book never takes Print on Demand into consideration.)

Frankly, this is barely even a book for writers. This is a book for promoters. You need to generally be a charming, social person for these things to work. If I could do that, I'd take a salaried job.

I have read Dan Poynter's The Self Publishing Manual three times. I have written and published an ebook, just to get my feet wet in the whole, scary, ISBN process. I have planned all along to self-publish my teacher book.

So when Peter Bowerman released his long-awaited The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, I figured it would be a book to fill in the cracks of my knowledge. After all, Dan Poynter is, "THE grandfather of self-publishing." I didn't expect to learn too much more--after all, Dan Poynter's book is comprehensive. However, the book's subtitle, "How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living," is so seductive, I can't imagine a writer who wouldn't be at least intrigued.

There was no question, though, about whether or not I would buy Bowerman's book. Oh, I would buy it, that's for certain. I am one of thousands of loyal followers of his series: The Well-Fed Writer, and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds. Both are available here on Amazon.


So I knew I would buy it, thinking that it would be a good additional reference to have in my self-publishing ventures. It's a tax-deductible expense, after all. I did not think that it would surpass the other self-publishing references that are out there.

I thought wrong.

Bowerman lays out the self-publishing process step-by-step, in a logical, thoughtful manner. I did know all of the good reasons to self-publish, and knew that publishing is not about art or writing, really, or grand higher purpose (psst...it's about business). I didn't know exact marketing strategies that he has used to be successful. I didn't know how little money could actually be spent on fulfillment services, to free up my time. I didn't know that he would be so detailed with his examples, which is most helpful for a new publisher who may be frightened with the entire project.

Mostly, I didn't know how much marketing needs to be done. Oh, I knew in theory, but Bowerman presents the marketing options like a lovely banquet table full of new and exciting treats, begging to be consumed. He makes the marketing efforts seem far less daunting than they did before. Of course, this is easier to see once you go along for the ride with him, and realize that, as a self-publisher, "...you have one job and one job only: Build the Demand for Your Book." Accepting this premise, all of the marketing strategies outlined throughout the book fall into place.

Along the way, Bowerman pays tribute to many other fine authors who can help a publisher become a success. He always lists contact information, or at the very least, a website for these folks. What I found most helpful about the lists of people and information, though, were the personal examples that Bowerman illustrates. He always returns to his example of a successful book campaign, be it how to work with [...], how to give a great radio interview, or how to assemble a press kit using a copier, scissors, and glue stick. No, seriously. It's in there.

Everything in the book is presented from Bowerman's perspective; he presents himself as a "case study" for the rest of us. It's a type of , "This is what I did, now you do it," scenario, and it works. Not only does he let us know what he did, he lets us know who he worked with to get it done. He refers often to particular pages on his website, to illustrate his points. This is another way that he makes the point: his advice is meant to be practical. Use it.

Marketing isn't the only thing a self-publisher has to do, though. Having a good book in hand is always the best start. What about the self-publishing industry itself? What about creating the perfect book cover, editing and typesetting, having an index and appendix? Yes, yes, yes, all of this is discussed at length. No worries.

Possibly the best part of the book is Appendix A, in which he compiles the names and contact information of the actual people who helped him put his book together, all in one place. I wonder, knowing how popular his books are, whether or not these people are absolutely swamped with work. I imagine they are. I know I'm considering calling them.

In addition to the actual book, three bonus ebooks are offered:

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher's Biz-in-a-Box

* contains every bit of marketing "paper" that Bowerman created/filled out/used during the promotion of his books

The Self-Publisher's Time Line - LIVE!

* a time line for the bit-by-bit approach that helps us to conquer the mountain that is publishing, with live links (given the correct .pdf reader)

Self-Publishing Resources - LIVE!

* essentially a repackaging of the indexes of the book, with live links. Very helpful.


The first one is available for separate purchase, and at a discount if you buy it along with the book. The other two are offered as free bonuses for purchasing the book off his web site (you get your choice, or pay a bit more and get both) and sold as standalones as well. This is an example of creating "spinoff" items for purchase, which is covered in its own chapter. Their value, compared with the enormous expense of printing one's own book, is incredible. They are worth far more than the asking price. Of course, I bought the whole schlamazel.

It's easy to beat the same drum as others when writing a review like this, and should be avoided, but I cannot: his writing style is what sets this book apart from the rest. This has been said about all of his books, and frankly, it's worth noting again and again. Bowerman writes like he talks, which is what he advises.

While it is refreshing to see someone practice what he preaches, I must say there is one aspect of his writing that grates on me: he often uses incomplete sentences. Bowerman has done this since his first book, and it is a remnant of his marketing writing skills. He asserts in his first book that a writer need not always use complete sentences, because sometimes a conversational tone would otherwise be compromised. Every time I read one of the sentence fragments, it raises my hackles. There are enough instances of this for me to take note of it.

Should that discourage someone from purchasing this book? I think that would be foolish--especially if that person wants to be a publishing success. Really, it's my problem, because Bowerman is right: writing like we speak makes a book easy to read. I really should just get over it.

Someone who wants to pursue a conventional publishing route may benefit from this read: knowing all of the different components of a book publishing project may help writers to understand why it is so difficult to have someone else publish them. Those who think that self-publishing is for them will enjoy this book more than the others out there, because of Bowerman's easy-reading style, and personable nature that comes across in his writing.

Yes, I'm a groupie, and yes, I'll buy anything he writes. There's a reason for that. Buy the book and discover what all of the Well-Fed writers know.

Subtitled: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living

Author Peter Bowerman skillfully manages to combine serious business advice with a highly readable and entertaining style. Filled with more information than a reader could possibly digest in a single read, as well as an excellent index and appendixes, this is a superb reference manual and should occupy a revered place in the bookcase of any self-motivated self-publisher.

I use the word self-motivated purposefully. If you're unwilling to do the work to market your product, reading this book may make you feel like a slug, since once you have the source for nearly unlimited ways to sell your book, it becomes very difficult to rationalize not selling it.

Sincere, self-interest prompted me to read this book to find out if I have what it takes to self-publish a book-and having read it, I'm still not sure. Nevertheless, I now know that if I am reluctant to do the work necessary to market a book there is no reason other than ego to publish it.

Most often I am napping by the first chapter of most serious business books, I found Bowerman's style engaging and conversational, and could easily hang. More often than not, I stopped reading because it generated so many ideas for my own book that I had circuit overload.

Written with a generous spirit, the author unselfishly includes many references for other books and websites that could be of additional value to the reader. In today's cynical world, where no one gives anyone else a break without there being something in it for them--this adds significantly to this author's credibility for me because it demonstrates how sure he is of himself and his topic.

Lest you think Bowerman is a bit too Pollyanna, I'd like to point out that he is shamelessly self-promotional, so much so that his continuing plugs for his previous book The Well Fed Writer, Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less had me running to the bookstore. I figure if I can find out if I can become a self-sufficient freelance writer in six months I probably have what it takes to market a book.

Armchair Interviews says: If you are writing a book, you need to know what the future demands of you in marketing, etc.--and this book tells you.

I read this book and liked what it had to offer. I've also read Dan Poynter's "Self-Publishing Manual," which this book is similar to. Peter Bowerman explains the ins and outs of self-publishing and why it's more profitable than traditional publishing.

The reason I give his book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I simply don't agree with some of what the author says in the book. He says not to typeset your book in MS Word because the quality wouldn't be as good. I formatted and typeset my whole book in Word, and nobody suspects that I actually did it myself. Bowerman is also against POD. Again, my books are all POD. I published my first two with a self-publishing company. Then I published my third one myself, which is also POD. Bowerman doesn't seem to be using Amazon to its full potential either.

Having said that, I still recommend this book. It would be a good compliment to "Aiming At Amazon."

Brandon Simpson

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living by Peter Bowerman is an essential book for anyone interested in taking a well-written book and turning it into a living. It is a comprehensive book covering all the essentials.

Also, it is useful for any writer who wants to know how to create a book that "turns heads and grabs eyeballs." For those blessed people who have found the ideal publishers, this manual serves as a guide to understand what is happening and what individual authors need to do.

Looking through The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, I can see that the process of becoming a successful self-publisher is not a way to get rich without a huge amount of work, determination, and thick skin. It is good to have someone like Peter Bowerman blazing the trail. He is an encourager. His book is one you will want to carry around with you and read in your spare moments.

He covers the basics, but he does not stop with the basics. He moves on to aspects of publishing that relate to the electronic age, such as publishing on demand, websites, and ezines. This book is a necessary tool.

I am using The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living to promote The Collard Patch and Flavored with Love: Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook. His techniques and suggestions will be most helpful.

I hope you found this review helpful.

I am really impressed with "The Well-Fed Self Publisher." Peter Bowerman has provided a common sense step by step guide to not only writing and publishing a book, but to promoting it as well. I have written seven books, two have been published by a royalty publisher, the other five have been self published. I have had to work just as hard at promoting the royalty publisher books, as those I self published.
Promotion is the key to a successful book. In "The Well-Fed Self Publisher," Peter provides great promotion ideas. His Reviewer's Dream Checklist is worth several times the price of the book. I began creating my own Reviewer's Dream package even before I finished the book.
Like much common sense, some of Peter's ideas are a "Duh - why didn't I think of that?" For example, his "One-a-Day Plan for sending out review copies is brilliant, and something that never occurred to me. I had always thought of reviews as something one does before and just after the book is released. Peter suggests, "Shoot for sending out one review copy a day. Just one. Over the course of a year, that's 365." This approach to keeping your book out there is just common sense. I'm glad I read the book because I didn't think of it.
"The Well-Fed Self Publisher" came alone at exactly the right time for me. Its subtitle is "How to Turn One book Into a Full Time Living." That's exactly what I am attempting to do with my new book "Straight Talk for Success." Peter's subtitle lives up to its promise. I like this book so much, that I have signed up for Peter's mentoring program.
If you've written a book, or want to write a book, you have to read "The Well-Fed Self Publisher" and put its ideas to work for you.

Self-publishing: a phrase with a boatload of baggage, evoking stereotypes of vain, amateur, would-be authors, desperate to see their work in print at the cost of shoddy production value. Not to mention nearly losing their shirts as they purchase a garage-full of books they'll never be able to sell. Stories carried recently in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other national publications, have related such tales of woe as if they were the only side to the self-publishing story.

Certainly, self-publishing has meant all of this to many people, but Peter Bowerman, author of the award-winning The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book Into a Full-Time Living (Fanove Publishing, 2007, $[...]; [...]), as well as two other highly successful volumes for freelance writers, is living proof that a self-published work of non-fiction can not only garner respect and critical acclaim, but can also be a financial success.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher contains advice on producing a book indistinguishable in quality from those produced by major publishing companies, in addition to packaging Bowerman's knowledge on product and brand promotion gathered from nearly 30 years of personal and professional experience. Exhorting his readers to shed their "starving artist" self-image - the "fundamental belief that you don't really belong" in the big leagues - Bowerman stresses that the key to sales and marketing success is a sharply focused, targeted marketing plan, and work, work, and more work to implement it.

"If you want to see a roomful of right-brained author-types sweat," quips Bowerman, "just say the words `sales' or `marketing'." But "S&M," he contends, is not an elusive or overly complicated beast. Success depends largely on employing the same proven strategies over and over again.

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher reveals how little most traditional publishing houses do to promote individual titles. "By doing a better job of marketing and promoting your title than a publisher ever could or would, you can make far more money from your book than you ever would with that publisher." Bowerman even backs up his strategies with a 100-page ebook "toolbox" (the Well-Fed SP Biz-in-a-Box): templates and ideas for producing marketing documents such as letters, press releases, websites, samples--an arsenal of concrete, useable tools authors can personalize when going public with their books.

Bowerman is his own best test-case for the success of his methods: with over 50,000 copies of his books in print, he has built a franchise that has made him self-supporting for the last five years - no small success by anyone's standards. Having learned from his first two books, the award-wining Well-Fed Writer titles, that readers want information spelled out in detail, he doesn't just tell them that they need a good press release or an ezine; he provides step-by-step information on how to produce them. And, in The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, he outlines tools and strategies so that virtually anyone willing to put in the time and elbow grease can duplicate his success. As advertising icon David Ogilvy explained, "It is useless to be creative unless you can also sell what you create."

Bowerman's conversational, approachable style, a quality much praised by his readers, arises from his perception of himself as a fellow traveler. "I'm just like you," he says. "I don't like to work any harder than I have to, and I certainly don't have it all figured out. But The Well-Fed Self-Publisher provides all the how-to stuff delivered through the filter of someone who's made a healthy living with his books. That has to count for something."

Stressing that self-publishing success is far more a function of process than aptitude, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher turns stereotypes on their ears. Because self-publishing authors retain complete control over their product and the outcome of their sales and marketing activities, Bowerman suggests that self-publishing, not a traditional publishing house, should be an author's first choice.

Writers who enter the process armed with the information provided in this volume do so with the knowledge that self-publishing is an eminently viable option, albeit one requiring a tremendous amount of effort (and a fair amount of working capital) at the outset. Done properly, though, it is, indeed, possible for an author to transform a non-fiction book into a full-time living.