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|  tsc0809 | Jan 11, 3:59pm | Have any of you ever self-published, and, if so, what was your experience? Could you give some tips and/or pitfalls to avoid? Is there a particular self-publishing firm you can recommend and/or any you advise to stay away from?
I've written a novel, and naturally, I have tried the commercial publishing route, but it's tough to get a foot in the door without an agent (heck, it's tough getting a reputable agent)...unsolicted manuscripts aren't popular in the big business of books. Any tidbits you can pass along would be greatly appreciated. |
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| | | Liquifaxion | Jan 11, 6:29pm | | Have you heard of lulu.com? My sister has mentioned that one to me before. Unfortunately, I do not know if she ever used it or what happened. I could ask her if you're interested. |
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| | tsc0809 | Jan 11, 8:26pm | Hey, a friend of mine mentioned that one to me as well, but I don't think she had actually used them, but maybe knew someone who had.
And, yes, please ask your sister if she has had any experience with them.
Thanks. |
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|  |  2785660 | Jan 14, 8:52am | I have published on Lulu.com. It's easy, it's reliable, it's fair; BUT you have to promote your own stuff if you want sales. Lulu won't move a finger for you.
Here's my store, by the way... just kidding XD |
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| | mollybrogan | Jan 14, 8:59am | I published four books on Lulu. There are no upfront costs unless you buy a publishing package that includes ownership of an ISBN number. This is recommended so that you can list your books with online booksellers. Lulu does get you started with this by submitting your info to google, Barnes and Noble and Amazon. This is actually a very good start because most of the online book resources will pick this info up without any effort from you.
You do have to do all of your own formatting, designing etc., and there is a real learning curve for this. However, Lulu has a list of folks that can help with this for a fee.
Good luck. |
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| | tsc0809 | Jan 14, 9:35am | | Thanks, guys, for the tips and feedback. This helps me in my decision-making. |
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Sponsor |  dogearpublishing | Jan 14, 1:51pm | Have you considered using company to produce your book (in fair disclosure, I own Dog Ear Publishing, a publishing services company)? Some folks finding going it alone makes the best sense (vis-a-vis Lulu.com), others find using a company to perform many of the tasks make sense - sort of like building a house: some hire a general contractor to make sure it all gets done correctly, some folks go it alone.
Dan Poynter is one of the smartest guys in self-publishing and advocates doing it on your own. "The Fine Print of Self Publishing" by Mark Levine ranks / reviews many of the self publishers in the market. The Dog Ear Publishing site has comparisons and thoughts on which ways make sense for different types of authors on our Why Dog Ear page dogearpublishing.net [dogearpublishing.net]
Even with a vested interest, I'm more than happy to answer any questions. |
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| | tsc0809 | Jan 14, 5:52pm | Thanks again, guys, I've decided, for now, to go with Lulu, and, as you said, it was fairly easy to get started. I've already sold a few copies.
And thanks for the dogearpublishing info, I'll keep the service in mind for future projects. |
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| | | 2785660 | Jan 15, 7:17am | You already sold? :0 how? I haven't sold but one copy! ='(
Did you spam everybody or what? |
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| | tsc0809 | Jan 15, 11:30am | | No, I didn't spam everybody, only friends and family--lol. |
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Writing/Writers → Discussion