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Permalink Reply by Linda A Lavid on March 20, 2011 at 12:38pm

LSI is Lightning Source and they are a mostly Print On Demand printing company in Tennessee. To print books through LSI you need to call yourself a publisher and have ISBNs. LSI is actually the printer that many vanity and commercial publishers use to print short run POD books, i.e. Lulu, iUniverse. They are not a publishing company. When a book is printed with LSI it can be, if the publisher wishes, be placed into the distribution chain, i.e. online book stores.

 

Publishing Tips

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Permalink Reply by Zetta Brown on December 17, 2009 at 2:31pm

In a way I'm self published--my husband and I have a small publishing company and we published my novel as well as the work of others. (LL-Publications and Logical-Lust)

When I first started writing my interracial erotic romance novel back in 1994, there was no market for it. Why? Because 1) it was interracial 2) the "romance" wasn't monogamous and 3) it didn't have a happily-ever-after (at least not at that time). I knew if I wanted to publish my story the way I wanted it, I would have to do it myself. "Traditional" publishing wasn't ready.

Fast forward to 2008. By the time my novel, MESSALINA - DEVOURER OF MEN is published, those "barriers" have ceased to exist. The book I published is what I want and has received excellent reviews and steady sales.

There is nothing wrong with self publishing. The drawback is when a person is in too much of a rush to get published that they would rather produce something very unprofessional rather than take the time to do it right. What's the "right" way to self publish? Apart from having an interesting story to tell, you need to have editing, typesetting, cover art--the list goes on. Some things lend to self-publishing better than others (e.g. non-fiction), but fiction writers who have studied and can appreciate the craft of writing can succeed too.

There are many "self-publishing companies" that are more than willing to take the money of an author in a hurry and make their mess look pretty--from the outside--but the quality of the writing between the covers is what you find on used toilet paper.

These days, with "traditional" publishing finally feeling the effects after ignoring the changing face of technology and consumer habits for so long, self publishing is an option for those authors willing to do their homework AND have the desire to make it work.

Frankly, the UK publishing industry is lagging so far behind and it doesn't seem to want to advance. Soon enough, they will feel the pain the mega NYC publishers are feeling.

If self publishing sounds too daunting, try going to a small or independent press. But you still have to do your homework. We're a small press but we don't take everything that comes our way. We are very selective.

In self publishing, the author takes 100% of the risk but also reaps 100% of the awards. Some people aren't comfortable with that. But I am and I'd do it again!

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Permalink Reply by Susan Haller on December 17, 2009 at 3:35pm

I have a self published book, UnspokenLongings.com which I love. No one telling me what I can and can't publish. It also allows me not to use paper, but to offer the book/magazine as an e-product. So many people never get off of the computer at this point that I wanted to experiment with it as a venue for romance. The hard part is marketing... driving people to the sight...and then getting them to push the button for the pay pal. As long as you are prepared to keep going and write other works as "this one" takes off, you will be ok. getting your book published, does not in itself mean that the publishing company is going to make it happen for you... You still need to find your own audience. good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Zetta Brown on December 18, 2009 at 2:18am

Very true.

The hardest thing to get people who think they want to get published is getting them to understand that getting published is not the end result. Getting published means you're just getting started. You need to promote yourself and your book or you will not sell. And no publisher, traditional or other, wants to deal with an author whose books don't sell.

I don't care how you publish your book. You have to get out there and promote. Your publisher may help you with so much, but if they don't get a return, don't expect to get your contract renewed. When you self publish, you put up all the money, and I'm sure self-published authors are not going to throw their own money away. Getting published and staying published is hard (but often fun) work. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme even though there are people who try to say it is.

People are fooling themselves if they think that if they go with a traditional publisher all they have to do is sit and wait for their royalty checks. All you have to do is read the industry news to see that traditional publishers are hurting. If an author isn't pulling their weight and selling books, they get cut.

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Permalink Reply by Linda Lou on December 18, 2009 at 9:08pm

Hello!

(I posted a lot of this as part of another group, but it applies here as well.)

I queried agents for two years before deciding to self-publish. Some gave me a flat-out “no thanks,” some asked for partials or full manuscripts. A few said they thought my manuscript was well written and made them laugh out loud, but felt my story wouldn’t get the attention it deserves in today’s publishing landscape. Whatever. The story was doing nobody any good sitting in my laptop, so I formed my own damn publishing company, Aging Nymphs Media, and slowly but surely, took the steps I needed to take to get my book out.

This fall, Bastard Husband: A Love Story became a reality. It’s an autobiographical account of my first year alone in Las Vegas after a midlife divorce and how I transitioned from being sad and miserable to trying stand-up comedy for the first time at age 46. I recently had a book launch party/reading here in Vegas and afterward a local comic offered to produce a one-woman show based on my book. It will be opening in February at the Alexis Park Resort, just off the Strip.

Man, there is so freakin’ much to learn and sometimes it gets overwhelming. There’s so, so much to do. I’m still jumping through the Kindle hoops while trying to maintain my blog, my Facebook and Twitter presence, and writing press/marketing materials. But it’s all worth it.

I used two printers: PrintMedia in California printed an initial run of 400 books @ $3.63 each, which is about $2.00 cheaper than Lightning Source. I use my stash of Print Media books for speaking engagements and other personal sales, and Lightning Source does my Amazon fulfillment. You can reduce your upfront costs by using Lightning Source exclusively and printing short runs for yourself as you need them, and because I formed an LLC, that also hiked up my start-up expenses. Still, within just a couple of months I've already made back everything I put into it.

I still follow agent Nathan Bransford’s blog, and I think it will be a while before self-published authors will stop being regarded as “second class citizens.” On the one hand, I want to say fair enough--most of what is self-published is not well-crafted. But on the other hand, it's awfully hard for new authors to get mainstream attention, and I'm thrilled to have my book out there. I look at it and think, I did everything*--the front and back cover, the interior design... it's all a reflection of my choices and I love it! And I still own the rights.

Keep plugging away, have faith in your project, and maintain the tenacity to overcome the hurdles along the self-publishing path. Good luck and I am happy to share my lessons learned!

* I did, however, work with a team of editors--that's one thing you simply cannot do without. Period.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Galer on December 22, 2009 at 11:16am

I think there's a difference between POD in the UK and POD in the US, first of all. You have to realize how enormous the field is here in the US. Mainline publishers don't want to take a risk on new authors, they only want tried and true blockbusters. If you didn't know which way a book was printed I'm sure you could find poor quality books on both sides of the aisle both in writing and preparation. That's clearly the responsibility of the author. These days, the author is 100% responsible for her own marketing anyway so why not use POD publishing? The book will arrive sooner. The days of "vanity" press meaning you load your car with books and work your way down the dusty road from bookstore to bookstore are over. Look at all of us on She Writes networking and marketing! It's wonderful. Everyone needs to get over the pejorative attitude about POD and look instead to the quality of each individual product. I have an even better idea, let's just bring down those big publishers - media conglomerates - and encourage every possible publishing avenue....as long as we keep writing, and keep trying to do our best, and one person responds, no matter how you found that person, isn't that what counts?

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Permalink Reply by Michael N. Marcus on December 31, 2009 at 12:37am

>>as long as we keep writing, and keep trying to do our best, and one person responds, no matter how you found that person, isn't that what counts?

A smile from one reader is more valid than frowns from a dozen agents.

The frown means that someone thinks that your book won't make a enough money. The smile means that someone thinks you wrote a good book.

Michael N. Marcus (token non-she)

author of "Become a Real Self-Publisher: Don’t be a Victim of a Vanity Press," http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981661742

author of "Stories I'd Tell My Children (but maybe not until they're adults)," coming 4/1/10. http://silversandsbooks.com/storiesbookinf…

http://BookMakingBlog.blogspot.com
http://www.SilverSandsBooks.com

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lauck on December 29, 2009 at 12:34pm

Do you have a link to this BBC program?

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth (B.J.) Ermenc on December 31, 2009 at 11:38am

This is just the type of conversation I was hoping to find, as I'm laying a foundation to start self-publishing children's books in 2010.

My initial research confirmed that much time is invested in pursuing the regular publishing route, and until you have some clout, all control goes with it. Since I plan to produce and market product tie-ins, I need the ownership and control to do so. I'm also a true partner with the illustrators of my choice. I have an e-editorial group that help tremendously from concept to proofing, and a weekly writers' workshop that provides exceptional editorial feedback.

It's critical to appear professional from the beginning, so I formed an LLC company, have a web designer with a degree in fine arts building my website, fine-tuning my logo, designing business cards, etc.

As soon as one of my books is available, I will be interviewed on one of Milwaukee's public radio stations. That's what advance networking and marketing can do for you.

I'll communicate my website information when it's operational, and let you know what I learn about self-publishing.

Michael, thanks so much for your information! I look forward to reading your article and your blog, and possibly contacting you directly with questions.

This is a great discussion!

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Permalink Reply by Paula Chaffee Scardamalia on January 1, 2010 at 11:08am

I have to put in my two cents worth here since I self-published, as Michael defines it, back in the spring of 2006. The manuscript had been with a New York agent and we had done three rounds of submissions and three times had editors who wanted it but couldn't sell it to the marketing team and publisher, including an editor at Simon & Schuster. The agent finally gave me back the manuscript and suggested I self-publish.

I didn't do so lightly as I knew it was risky, and would require A LOT of work. I hired a friend to edit, and a professional book designer, recommeded by the editor of Foreword Magazine, to do the inside layout and cover design, and then had it printed at a printing company recommended by the designer.

Then I hired a NYC publicist to get the word out. An expensive mistake. I'm still paying for it as I took out a loan to pay her.

Anyway, I submitted the book to several well-known and reputable book contests and won honorable mentions as well as a bronze in Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Awards. I attended several book fairs and conferences for women and other audiences appropriate for the book. However, all this happened before social networking was big and we were still learning how to maximize on-line exposure. I did have reviews and excerpts on sites like Beliefnet.com, which produced some of the best sales results, and others. I was interviewed on radio and local TV. I placed the book on Amazon.com and on B&N.

I by no means made a profit. And I worked hard to figure out how to get the book out and to promote it. Am I glad I did it? Yes. Would I do it again? Possibly...for a non-fiction, which this was.

But here is what I've learned. As Michael says, pay for an editor. Pay for a professional book designer. If you can afford it, pay for printing instead of POD as it significantly lowers the cost per book. But don't order so many that you have to pay for storage (which I still am). Build interest and platform and website beforehand. Connect, connect, connect. Don't hire an expensive PR person unless you have money to throw away, or your book has a timely, strong, broad-audienced hook. They can only do so much and generally it isn't enough to make a sizeable dent in your inventory. Make sure you are clear about who your market is and how to get to them.

And finally, don't give up on promoting your book. Just today, I received an email from a woman who read a review of my book on a weaving website. I assumed it was an older review. It wasn't, it was posted yesterday! And it was one of the best reviews my book, Weaving a Woman's Life, has received. That review may bring new readers and new sales.

One other really big benefit of self-publishing...you don't wait months and years to see your book out in the world as you can often do with traditional publishing. So if you have something pressing to say, a book that is demanding to be born, then, hey, life is an adventure, give self-publishing a try.

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Permalink Reply by Susan G. Bell on October 17, 2010 at 4:17am

Paula,
Thanks for your very helpful info. I recently published my first novel, When the Getting Was Good, which I'm now marketing (www.whenthegettingwasgood.com) Using social networking can be a challenge, but I know I'm lucky it's available. I don't have the budget for a publicist, so it was comforting to hear that you don't advise it. I will definitely check out your book!
Susan Bell

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Permalink Reply by LaTonya on January 1, 2010 at 11:45am

I'm keeping this short. Zetta Elliott self-published A Wish After Midnight in 2009. She published then worked like a mule promoting it in online, workshops, appearances, blogging and networking. Friends like me and other online bloggers promoted, read and reviewed this book creating an awareness and appreciation for a book that readers didn't know existed.

Amazon Encore has picked up the book for 2010 publication. And there are publishers who will asked if an author has self-published and will consider self-publishing success as a factor in taking on the author.

Traditional publishing houses kept passing over a book that is clearly not the product of someone who wants to be a writer but is an educated, talented and skilled writer. Ms. Elliott is a published academic. Repeatedly, respected writers and editors after reading the book kept asking the same question: "Why was this book passed over?"

The reasons are a whole other discussion for another time. I'll close by saying that in a market where publishing houses are scrambling to stay open and profitable which includes taking on fewer new authors and in a world of new publishing platforms and formats, everyone needs to rethink how we look at publishing.

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