There are a lot of books available about self-publishing today. What there is not a lot of are books written by people who have actually done it more than once with good success. Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier write about the whole self-publishing industry from their vast experience.

It is one thing to study and research a topic and then write about it. It is entirely different with this topic. You can't simply study the subject and then write about it. In order to really understand it, as well as give genuine guidance you must self-publish your own books. This is one area where experience and practice outweigh research and study.

What I love about this book is it's breadth of detail in all the areas you need to know about in order to self-publish successfully today. The publishing industry is changing by the day. How do you, a writer, stay up on the changes? Not to mention learn how to discern what areas you can do it yourself, while outsourcing the things you can't personally handle.

This book starts out with an overview of today's publishing scene. In this first section, you will find information on the rewards and pitfalls to avoid. You will find many success stories to learn from, and detailed information on Print on Demand (POD) and Subsidy publishing and some opportunities in between them.

Part two talks about the actual start up process to become successful. It covers finding profitable markets, how to capitalize on new trends, and different nonfiction topics that sell very well. It ends with details for fiction books, editing and tax considerations.

Part Three address how to write a quality book that attracts customers. This is essential if your goal is to write multiple books and build loyal buying fans. Included is how to get your books printed in an affordable way. They also tackle copyright registration, and book binding options.

Part four talks about killer PR, what our experienced authors call “The Great Equalizer.” They begin teaching you how to launch a great nationwide marketing plan, how to get reviewed. They include a special section for Fiction writers, and they also cover Internet PR and advertising, newspapers, Radio, TV, and book signings.

You will find out how to sell books the usual way, through book wholesalers, in part five. In part six, they tackle nontraditional ways to sell your books for even more profit potential. Here you will learn about selling at seminars, trade shows, classes and online social networking.

The finale of this fine book is part seven. Inside this last section you will find out how to position your book and how many books you have to sell to attract a big publishing company to pick up your book and publish it. The traditional publishing industry is leaning more and more on waiting until an author has some sales and a small following before they agree to publish it. This works well for everyone, and should be a part of your long term goals.

To help you put this huge volume of information together you will find a self-publishing timetable, a sample marketing plan, Canadian resources and much more in the appendix.

Although I love this book, and it has been a great resource to me personally, I think the authors could have gone a little farther in producing a website or newsletter that will keep us all up to date. There is nothing mentioned about ePublishing on Kindle and the other eBook eReaders that are all the rage today, and they left out Create Space where you can publish your own paperback free and have it distributed to all bookstores at a wholesale price they can afford for under $40 the first year.

I do feel this is a must read and study for anyone thinking about self-publishing today. However, I urge you to supplement this book with some others that are up to date on ePublishing, and low cost and free POD options now available.

To Your Success...Happy Publishing!

Note: I purchased this book to review and read with my own funds.





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