Smart Self-Publishing: An Author's Guide to Producing a Marketable Book (Paperback)

by Linda G. Salisbury (Author), Jim Salisbury (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A fresh approach and design [that] is appealing inside and out....This volume will be a big help to many authors who are interested in publishing their own books." -- Nigel Maxey, Small Publisher Magazine

"A lot of books come out on this topic, and yours seems to have joined the select few that are widely considered to be musts for the professional libraries of new publishers." -- Steve Carlson, Big Books from Small Presses

"The best-packaged book of all books on self-publishing. Nice looking. Easy to read." -- John Kremer

listed Smart Self-Publishing as one of "the best books on self publishing." -- BottomLine/Personal

Product Description
"Smart Self-Publishing: An Author's Guide To Producing A Marketable Book" is a user-friendly, straight-talking guide. Filled with useful tips, publishing experiences and a resource list, this second edition provides even more practical information to give confidence and direction to authors and publishers. The Salisburys's message is that self-publishing authors should do their book properly, from professional cover design to typesetting, if they want to be successful.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Tabby House; 2nd edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881539148
• ISBN-13: 978-1881539148
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,215,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for the beginning self publisher., October 25, 2000

By	John "John" (PHOENIX, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

There are dozens of books written on self-publishing and this is one of the better ones. The author covers the basics in reasonably good detail. The writing style is light and easy-to-read. The book is also full of examples of books that were self-published and what these authors did to ensure their book's success.

The authors advocates the use of "Book Packagers," and in many respects the book assumes that you will be working with a Packager. Passages like "be sure to ask your Book Packager about this. . . " are found throughout the book. A Book Packager is someone that is hired to actually produce the book. They act somewhat like a building contractor. You make basic decisions regarding the book, and the copyright is in your name, but the Packager does all (or most) of the work. Packagers are a good alternative for someone that has neither the time nor inclination to take the "do it yourself" route. A good Packager can also ensure that book is produced in a professional manner. The major disadvantage is that it will add to your costs. Given the razor thin profit margins on books these days, you need to determine if you can really afford this option.

I haven't found one book on self-publishing that covers everything well. If you really want to learn how to produce and sell your own book I'd recommend purchasing a couple of titles. Other books to consider those by Poynter, Cardoza, Ross & Ross, or Brownstone.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It contains great references and marketing tips., February 19, 1999

By A Customer

I was referred to the Salibury's book by a client who used this book and and the author's services. "Smart Self-Publishing" is easy to read, honest, informative and has many tips on converting your manuscript to a book. It does not sugar-coat the eventual need for the author to "actively market" the final product. You may or may not get a return on your investment, they note. It supports the idea that "book packagers" are the way to go, and perhaps so...their tasks are best left to the pros. The Appendix is excellent and connects you with all the people/ services you might need for your project. I would welcome more "cost information" on how to achieve one's goal of publishing a book i.e. the rough budget needed to perform each phase of the production. Perhaps that will be in the next edition. It does give you reason to call them and ask about costs. Perhaps it was planned that way... if so, nice marketing strategy! A strength of this book is the forthright honesty and the author's sales and marketing tips. Very helpful! Amazingly in this day and age, the authors are also accessible by phone and by email...They are very pleasant to talk to..It makes you want to use their consultant services. They are "modest" in hyping their services, but the book exudes their confidence and experience. I read their book in two days...and sent them a portion of my manuscript, as well..Excellent information and reading for the first time novelist like myself... Jack Polidoro, Ph.D., Brookline, NH

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So you want to self-publish?, December 3, 2002

By	Noreen O'Brien (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Smart Self-Publishing: An Author's Guide to Producing a Marketable Book, 3rd ed. (Paperback)

Don't even think about until you read this book...

"Smart Self-Publishing" (Tabby House) is the winner of the National Association of Independent Publishers Special Publishing Award, and with good reason. Linda and Jim Salisbury have created a phenomenal reference for any writer who opts to produce and publish their own book, but all writers heading into the realm of publishing would benefit by the reading of this book.

The chapters include topics such as Ways to Get Published, Working with Professionals, and Creating a Professional Product. These three chapters alone make the book worthwhile.

There is a wealth of information on the process and options open to the self-publisher; the hardcore information supplied within these pages, based on first-hand experience, is well researched and clearly written by professionals within the publishing industry.

There is specific instruction offered on how to make your book have an appearance that will fit into the mainstream and not look like a self-published book, a serious downfall of most self-published books and one that prevents wholesalers, distributors, and even individual local bookstores from stocking these titles.

There is solid advice on how to package your books professionally and the differences between doing this yourself or hiring someone to perform the various steps for you, including the pitfalls of self-designing the book and cover, and professional editing (or lack thereof) of the manuscript before it goes to press.

In Do Your Marketing Homework, some of the best information is the emphasis placed on marketing and book promotion, something so many writers ignore even if they have a publisher for their manuscript. Marketing is the key to the success of any product, yet, so many, and writers in particular, often neglect this important link. Writing is the easy part, getting the book published is the next easy part (even when done by a publisher), selling your book in todays market is the hardest part of all, and selling requires marketing.

Riding the Distribution Roller Coaster aptly describes the distribution experience of all publishers. Once a manuscript is written, and even before it is published in book format, the next link in the chain of publishing needs to be worked into the program. Distribution is the second most important link, following a marketing plan; yet, distribution is often what many self-publishers think they can do without. Because distributors demand such a high discount, small presses and publishers do not like to sign with them and this is a major mistake. Today, most bookstores, and even libraries, prefer to place their orders through one or two major distributors. The Salisburys make this clear in their book.

Business Details includes practical advice on the importance of record keeping, taxes, shipping and storage of books. There is also a chapter covering the pros and cons of the newest technologies in publishing, which should prove useful to anyone considering avenues like POD or E-books for their works.

"Smart Self-Publishing" has an impressive appendix of references for everything from must-have reference titles to marketing news and tips. There is also an appendix on Useful stuff for self-publishers which includes book manufacturers, stores, designers, and specific contact information for the necessities such as copyright and ISBN details, distributors and editorial services, and useful Web sites. Finally, there is a glossary of terms used in the book production/publishing industry, and the almighty index is a part of this book; an index being almost a requirement of any nonfiction book, yet something often ignored by self-publishers.

In summary, "Smart Self-Publishing" is a one-stop source for answers to all the questions beginning, How do I ____? One of the best books of its kind on the market, it is well designed, neatly packaged, clear and concise in ideas and presentation, and should be the first book anyone considering entering the world of publishing should read from cover to cover  and reference continually along the path.