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Summary: Make Money Self Publishing
Review: An excellent book for the person that is considering self publishing. This book covers the success stories of 14 seperate self publishers who have started from scratch and have shared their methods with Suzanne Thomas. Much valuable information can be gleaned by reading what others have done to achieve success. This book is a great confidence builder if you are doubtful that you have what it takes to self publish. By learning what techniques have worked well for others, you will definately shorten your learning curve and quite possibly fatten your bank account in the process.
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Summary: Outstanding Case Studies of Small Publishing Businesses
Review: Anyone considering self-publishing should read this book before reading any other! Other, well intentioned books on self-publishing do a good job describing technical and marking issues, but don't describe how to plan and run a publishing business. As with any business, you can benefit from reading case studies and this is the only book I know of that provides case studies of small publishing businesses.This book profiles, in explicate detail, fourteen successful small publishing ventures that started from scratch. It answers all the questions that other books don't. Want to know how the publisher got an idea for a book? Want to know how many copies they printed in their first run? Which distributors worked and which didn't? Want to know how the publishers decided when it was time to hire additional help? This book answers all these and many more questions. All the profiled publishers are average people. Most of them did not have any previous publishing experience and many had never written a book before. Ms. Thomas was smart enough to "get out of the way of her subjects" and let them tell their story their own way. This creates a reading experience that comes as close as possible to sitting down and having a one-on-one, conversation with fourteen publishing mentors. Ms. Thomas has done authors and small publishers a great service by writing this book.
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Summary: Fourteen Real-world Examples.
Review: Despite the somewhat pedestrian title Make Money Self-Publishing has significant impact on the reader. Foutreen successful self-publishers tell us their stories--their failures as well as their successes--what worked and what didn't. For those interested in the self-publishing field this is fascinating reading. The stories are varied. One author updates and reissues a single title year after year; others have extensive backlists. Some publish only their own work, others have parlayed their success into publishing the work of others. The abiding lessons are: there is no single formula for success, rules are made to be broken, and often the key element for success is discovered by accident. Prefacing the fourteen tales is a chapter called "Self-Publishing 101" which outlines succinctly much of the material told in greater detail in the other books reviewed in this collection. Ironically it is the tale written by an E-book publsher that highlights the continuing need for paper books. Through that story we found an Ebook publisher well-suited to our needs. Internet searches had not come up with this information. We are very high on this book. Libraries should order one.
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Summary: Make Money Self-Publishing
Review: Find out "what works" and "what doesn't". Make Money Self-Publishing takes a look at all the function of publishing through the eyes of 14 successful self-publishers. This honest and insightful look covers an insider's view so that the reader can evaluate and realistically understand what's required to make a book successful. A recommended read.
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Summary: Don't read this book if you don't want to be discouraged!
Review: I thought this book was going to be inspirational with tips and Do's and Don't from other self-publishers. This book made me rethink me self-employment and self-publishing dreams.
Almost every one didn't make any money for years and the book was depressing and boring.
It show the reality of working for yourself, which will cause some people not to take risk.
Read it and refund it.
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Summary: Where Major Publishers Fear to Tread
Review: If you're an author who is tired of rejection letters, deadlines, and being at the mercy of editors who seem to fail to appreciate your creative genius, this book offers an alternative by inviting you to explore the trials and rewards of self-publishing. The first chapter of Thomas's book offers sage advice on entering self-publishing territory: "Anyone who plans to quit a job to start a publishing company should already have a completed manuscript as well as enough funds to print the book and cover living expenses for at least one year." Each subsequent chapter offers an in-depth profile of a successful self-publisher and provides informed opinions on the economics and logistics of self-publishing, as well as insight into what works and what doesn't. In a nutshell: Self-published books typically cost a lot of money to produce. Fiction usually takes longer than nonfiction to turn a profit, and producing multiple titles tends to increase the likelihood of making your self-publishing enterprise viable. When it comes to the bottom line, booksellers will want to pocket 40% of a book's retail price while wholesalers demand 50-55%, and self-publishers are not immune to the nemesis of traditional publishers - returns. Bookstores often return unsold books to the publisher for full credit, mostly in the form of scuffed or damaged books that are unfit for resale. You'll sell your books by direct mail, you say? Be prepared to launch a large campaign - response rates are generally in the 2% range. So you see, it can be a hard row to hoe, but the self-publisher testimonials in the book would seem to back up Thomas's assertion that, "although this business comes with its challenges, it can also provide an intensely satisfying way to make a living." Take, for example, self-publisher Gordon Miller (Quit Your Job Often and Get Big Raises). Although Doubleday paid six figures for his book after it did well in his hometown of Denver, Miller says he'd go it alone again: "I absolutely loved it. I would self-publish again purely for the experience." Each self-publisher's profile is unique and extensive, providing details on what led them to self-publishing (a need to organize information on a topic; discovering a market niche that hadn't been exploited; gaining complete control over the writing, publishing and promotion of one's work), how they produced their book(s), what their sales and profits have been each year, and the tactics they employed to achieve book sales. Cheri Thurston (Writing Your Life: An Easy-to-Follow Guide to Writing an Autobiography) has found shipping wholesalers only half the quantity of books they order has been an effective way of reducing returns. Rich & Sue Freeman (Take a Hike! Family Walks in the Rochester Area) capitalized on cooperative advertising and made their own display cases for bookstores to ensure their books were showcased. And Diane Pfeifer (For Popcorn Lovers Only) recommends you study the viability of self-publishing a book by asking yourself three questions: "Who is going to buy it? Where are they going to buy it? And can you get books to those places?" (Many of the self-publishers profiled have found bookstores are the least likely place to sell books.) The individuals and couples profiled in Thomas's book make self-publishing look good.
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Summary: Great resource for insider information!
Review: If you're looking to build a lucrative home-based business, this book offers tons of immediately useable advice. A compilation of wisdom from 14 successful small publishers, it is chock-full of strategies about what works -- and what doesn't -- in self-publishing.
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Summary: A compendium of invaluable advice and "how to" tips
Review: Make Money Self-Publishing is a compendium of invaluable advice and "how to" tips, tricks and techniques drawn from fourteen successful self-published authors who have written and published their own works in the genres of cookbooks, mysteries, travel guides, business, education, and women's fiction. Aspiring self-publishers will learn how to evaluate the potential of their book concepts; avoid making costly "beginner" mistakes; learn effective and essential marketing ideas; discover profitable places to sell books outside of traditional bookstores; publicize and promote their book on the Internet and the world wide web; calculate how many books need to be published in order to earn a living; balance the hours of work against a potential income figure; decide when and why to publish other authors; even how to sell publishing rights to a major New York house for additional profits. Make Money Self-Publishing is a valued and much appreciated addition to any personal, professional, school or community writing/publishing reference book collection.
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Summary: Covers a wide spectrum
Review: Okay, I'm actually one of the 14 author/publishers profiled in "Make Money Self-Publishing", but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in anyway. Suzanne's book covers a wide spectrum of the self-publishing world. I myself was amazed at all the variety of my fellow self-publishers and their roads to success. Many other S/P books just concentrate on the single way that the particular author used (which may not be the correct path for someone else.)And let's face it, a few self-publishing gurus use their books simply as an expensive business card to sell their seminars and consulting services. Suzanne's book is about writers who happened to self-publish and were able to make money at it. Lots of nuts and bolts lessons here.
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Summary: An Inspirational look at Publishing, how refreshing!
Review: Suzanne has penned one of the most inspirational books on publishing to hit the market. While the first chapter gives an overview of publishing 101, the rest of the book is filled with real-life stories, which reveal the secrets of how fourteen successful small publishers learned to capitalize on their manuscripts and avoid costly mistakes. "Make Money Self-Publishing" will show you how to evaluate your book ideas, learn effective marketing techniques, discover sales outlets, publicize your book online, determine your printing volume, balance your income and work load, put together press kits and find on-line book promotion lists. After studying what makes a self-publishing author successful and becoming a successful author herself, Suzanne gives us a "Top Ten Tips List" which is a enlightening! The authors who were interviewed come from a variety of backgrounds. These authors wrote their own cookbooks, mysteries, business and educational titles, travel guides and women's fiction. Most had no prior publishing experience. What they did have was a dream and the willingness to promote their books. They now have great incomes as a reward for all their work. So, if you are tired of trying to publish your manuscript the traditional way. If you are waiting for a "YES," (after sending out endless query letters and proposals) or maybe you are tired of being at the mercy of editors who don't seem to be responding to your ideas......"Say Yes to Yourself! Follow Your Dream!" With the explosion of self-publishing, everyone has the chance to follow their dream. The idea of making a living doing what you love is indescribably tempting. I know you will love this book and enjoy finding out the "Four Secrets that Sell Books." This book beautifully shows the human side of publishing. I recommend this book to every publisher and author in America. Everyone loves to find out the secret to success and I truthfully think Suzanne has discovered some of the best secrets. I love that she is willing to share them with us all.
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