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Complete Guide to Self-Publishing
by Tom and Marilyn Ross
Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio
ISBN: 1582970912

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@Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"Self-publishing," say authors Tom and Marilyn Ross, "is a perfect example of the American dream." The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, then, is an aspiring self-publisher's dream. "This isn't a book of fancy theory," as the authors put it; "it's a practical handbook of state-of-the-art specifics." In 521 pages, it lays out everything you need to know to publish your own books, from start-up considerations to the possibility of selling to a big publisher: how to choose a name for your press, how to get an ISBN, what cover designs cost, how to find a reliable printer, how to price your book, where to find lighter-weight shipping envelopes, how to generate working capital. The authors' encyclopedic grasp of the ins and outs of self-publishing is matched by their natural good sense about self-promotion. Turn your signings into events, they recommend; get your books into a variety of venues; use the books as fundraisers for organizations; get online and get reviewed online. The price of this book is negligible considering the cost of proper self-publishing (between $12,000 and $25,000), and, oh, the headaches it will spare you! --Jane Steinberg

@Book Review
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This is the Place

Writers alert! A book we all need is here. Anyone tempted to 'pooh pooh' this book may be missing out on a chance at success.

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing is a book for writers who are new to publishing and those who aren't.  It is a book for writers who are already published by big houses or little.  It is a book for writers who are scared, and are trying to decide how to publish and where. It is a book for writers who want to have their books read.

Written by Tom and Marilyn Ross, the gurus of SPAN (Small Publishers of North America), this book is chock-full of 521 pages of up-to-the-times information on the publishing scene, on selling books, and on publicizing books. It has all the how-to nitty-gritty necessary if you decide to publish yourself. 

If you don't decide to self publish, you'll still be glad you have this one under your belt; these days everyone knows that even if you land a big publisher, you'd still better be prepared to do almost all the publicity for it yourself. 

This includes recommended reading, point-of-purchase suppliers, printers, catalogs, review sources, bookstore chains, and on and on.  It also includes information on e-publishing.  As a reviewer, I should be finding some flaw in this book so you can believe the praise.  Sorry, I just can't.  I can only visualize what this might do for any writer's career. 
      
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a columnist for the Pasadena Star-News, author of award-winning This is the Place, and contributor to anthologies like Pass/Fail and Calliope's Mousepad. Find out more at: www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.com

© Copyright Carolyn Howard-Johnson 2002 All Rights Reserved.

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