Bridges the gap between Publishing and Business. Designed as a guide for both traditional and self-publishers, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro takes you step by step through the creation of a publishing business, from choosing a name and getting a resale license, to paying royalties and collecting sales tax. It also shows the process of creating a book, from applying for an ISBN and working with an author, to editing and design. With helpful advice from industry experts and an extensive resource list, What You Need to Know to Be a Pro will help you become a professional and successful publisher.
I am the owner/publisher of Medusa's Muse press, a small, indy press located in Northern California. My book, "What you need to know to be a pro: the start-up business guide for publishers" shows authors how to start their own presses and become indy gurus.
Three years ago I was working on a book project with a friend and it got me thinking about self-publishing. What would it take to start my own press? My friend had to drop out of the project, but the idea stayed with me. I bought books about self-publishing, but realized I didn't want to just publish my own work; I wanted to work with authors. Then, my daughter's teacher of the visually impaired, Laura Fogg, handed me a chapter from the memoir she was writing, which happened to be about my daughter. Of course I loved it, but I also saw that Laura could write. I asked if I could publish her book and she just as impulsively said yes. Thus, Medusa's Muse was born with the launch of Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers. Next from my press is an anthology of punk rock true stories called Punk Rock Saved My A** (Amazon won't let me write the title in this bio), which launches Winter, 2010.
I love working with authors and publishing books, so I decided to write a handbook for other people interested in publishing. There were lots of how-to guides out there, but no books that explained what you needed to do to start a BUSINESS. A book publishing company is a business, something authors tend to forget. I saw many people running into trouble with their local government and the IRS because they neglected to learn the requirements of starting a small business. I hope my handbook will help others avoid some of those pitfalls.
Currently, I am writing plays and finishing a memoir while still managing my press, being a mom, and going to graduate school (yeah, I'm a little busy). You can read more about me and my struggles with my sadistic muse while managing a small press at the Medusa's Muse blog www.medusasmuse.blogspot.com
