Kenny, be sure to hire an editor to make corrections before you publish it.

No one source covers all the information you will need. Much of which will depend on your intentions and the decisions you make as you learn more. Self-publishing requires focus, determination, humility, and money.

Start with an overview of the industry. Guy Kawasaki's book APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book. (There's a parody of the book on amazon, J'APE – it is a riot) I still like the book for giving one a general peek into the big players in the industry and should stimulate more questions. Joel Friendlander's site is huge, work your way through there and you'll get a pretty good idea of what you need to do. http://www.thebookdesigner.com/

Petrea beat me to it-I also recommend Konrath's site.

This is a good article. http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-4-best-strategies-for-savvy-self-publishers

* Is it appropriate to approach self-published authors with my "how-to" questions?

As you can see authors will volunteer to answer questions. But really, you should at least read up a bit about self-publishing before you start asking specific questions. I agree with Petrea, you just need to plunge in and start learning.

* How does on choose an self-publisher? An editor? All the other little pieces one needs to see the book published?

Again, start reading, you'll find the answers by narrowing down what you need.

* E-books vs hard copy?

I agree with Petrea, paperback and ebook. Unless you have a non-fiction book that is mainly text and not a reference book-then don't bother with print.

* Is there a single resource with a library of this kind of information?

Sadly, no. Joel's site comes close. The breadth of information on his site is staggering.

Know too, that the book is only a part of self-publishing. Do you have a social media following? A platform from which to market your book? A marketing plan? Even if you were publishing traditionally, you would be expected to have these things in play before your book comes out.

Self-publishing is a big responsibility, that can be overwhelming. Take it slow, read, evaluate, then develop a plan of action. Have fun, good luck. Lynne

Hi Kenny,

Good questions all. I recently self-published my book, Camelot & Vine and am doing pretty well with sales and reviews.

SheWrites Press, as I understand it, is a hybrid publisher, and there is a difference. A hybrid publisher will vet your book like any other publisher, but you will pay for services as you wouldn't pay a traditional publisher. However, a higher percentage of the profits (sometimes 100%) will be yours. I haven't read the SheWrites contract so I don't know how theirs works. The hybrid publisher takes care of editing, book cover, etc, and/or you can choose among those services.

When you self-publish, you have to find your own editor, book designer, etc. That's what I did.

* Is it appropriate to approach self-published authors with my "how-to" questions?

I think people like to help, and it's certainly okay with me. Feel free to message me here or email me at [email protected].

* How does on choose an self-publisher? An editor? All the other little pieces one needs to see the book published?

Word of mouth, I'd say. When you say "self-publisher," actually you are the publisher. You might mean a hybrid publisher, or where to publish your self-published book (everywhere you can).

* E-books vs hard copy?

I recommend both. It was easier and faster to get the ebook out there so I did that first, but an awful lot of people held out for the paperback. Hardbacks are too expensive and I wouldn't consider them.

* Is there a single resource with a library of this kind of information?

Not that I know of, although I found a complete education at A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Konrath is admittedly biased toward self-publishing, but if you read his blog from its beginning to its end as I did, you'll see how and why he made the transition from traditionally published author to self-published author. His blog is an education in itself.

And about that "mountain of information"--read as much of it as you can. It's kind of like the wild west out here these days, and things change quickly. But it's a lot of fun.

Hey Kenny. I have a publishing company for indie authors http://www.ckbookspublishing.com. I can answer any questions you might have - no charge! Or email me at christinekeleny(at)yahoo(dot)com

I'm excited for you. It's a wonderful feeling to be in the place you're at!

Christine Keleny