Four regional writers discuss publication of their book(s)

Imagine holding your very own book in your hands

Here is my column published in CALLIOPE in 2011. It is still appropriate for today although at least two of us have additional books published since then.

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     Here is the survey of writers in my area who've recently self published books. Brent Davis, As I See It: Memories and Musings of a Middle-Aged Southern Man; Pat Laster, A Journey of Choice; Dot Hatfield, Every Day a New Day (short stories), The Last to Know, and To Find a Home; Roland Mann, Buying Time.

         1.     Who was your publisher?

                BD: CreateSpace.com. PL: iUniverse.com. DH: Alderson Press via Lulu.com. RM: The Southern Cross.

         2.     How did you decide on this publisher?

BD: I didn’t know how to get a book published, but I knew that if I wanted it to happen fast, self publishing would do that.

PL: I looked at and through several books published by them and liked what I saw.

DH: My son (owner of Alderson Press) has used Lulu for his own books.  

                RM: I’d just acquired an agent; we discussed branding/ platform. This book did not fit into her plan and she did not want to represent it. I wanted to learn and go through the process, so I took that opportunity.

3. How did your editor "edit"?

BD: My sister edited my book. I sent it to her; she returned it with suggested corrections.

                PL: My contract called for an evaluation by a critiquer. She/he used a standard form checking either OK or Needs Attention. My OKs were 75%, with the remaining needing work.

               DH: The short story collection I edited myself. The Last to Know I contracted with a member of my critique group to edit. For To Find a Home, my daughter (who proofs in her job) proofed it for typos. After that, I read it several times to make sure it was clean.  

RM: Because of the nature of self-publishing, I asked several people if they would read, comment and mark-up my mss. The English professors I asked to pay particular attention to grammar and spelling.

4. Did you pay your editor or was that included in the price?

   BD: She didn’t want pay. PL: Included in the price. DH: Yes for The Last and no for Home. RM: No.

5.     Did the publisher edit further?

BD:  No.  All edits were up to me. They formatted the interior and designed the cover. Everything had to be approved by me.

PL: After I reworked and submitted the entire mss, the company formatted it into a 6X9 book size and sent it back for me to mark corrections.

DH: After I submitted the entire mss, Steve formatted it into book size in pdf file and sent it back for corrections. It was also my responsibility to see if there were glitches in the formatting (a blank page) and another chance to look for typos, tweak writing, etc. After these corrections were made, he sent it again to make sure I liked the font, the way the pages fell, etc.

RM: No.

6.     Where did you get your ISBN?

BD: Publisher provided.

PL: Publisher provided, though I own several ISBNs.

DH: Publisher (i.e. Lulu.com) Steve also has ISBNs but Lulu insisted.

RM: I don’t have an ISBN…but in hindsight, I probably should have.

7.     Do you think you will get your money back?

BD: Yes. I have broken even thus far. Everything else is gravy. But I wouldn’t have cared if it hadn’t. I enjoyed putting it together too much!

PL: No

DH: I hope at least to break even. If I never gave one away, I’d probably make a little.

RM: Yes––at my last signing.

8.     Check the approximate cost: A. up to $1,000; B. closer to $2,000; C. closer to $3,000. BD: B. PL: C. DH: Much less than $1,000 because Steve does the formatting and designs the covers.RM: B.

9.      Will you use the same publisher again?

BD: Yes, unless some big publishing house wants to pick me up.

PL: I’m not sure.[Changed to 'no']

DH: Lulu is less user-friendly these days. We are considering CreateSpace.

RM: I am not unhappy with my publisher…but I don’t know.

10.  Discuss the easiest part of the publication process. 

BD: It all felt easy to me but since this was my first book, I had no frame of reference.

                PL: I’m not sure—perhaps the ordering afterwards (LOL). At each step, I talked with a different “personal consultant”––at least 6 folks before the book was “live.”

  DH: I know the hardest part – the wait between each process. Probably the first correction of the first novel mss. There seemed to be a million errors––mostly mine––and I was nervous about missing any.  At the second review, I caught a few more. With the third, I pronounced it ‘perfect.’ While it was tedious, Steve was determined to get it just how I wanted it and kept sending it back for me to check. Would a national publisher do that? RM: The writing.

11.  What was least satisfactory in the process? 

BD: Nothing comes to mind. PL: The extra charges. Even with the author’s discount, 75 books (25 hardbacks, 50 softbacks) cost nearly a thousand bucks. DH: The wait for the finished product to finally arrive, the exorbitant shipping and handling charges each time I reorder. RM: It being a one-man show. Selling/marketing has proven VERY taxing and time-consuming.

12.  Advice for other potential self-publishing writers?

BD:  Have patience. There is nothing like holding your book in your hands. PL: In the end, weigh the pros and cons of different publishers and go with your “gut.” Or your pocketbook. DH: Make sure the manuscript is as free of errors as possible. While waiting for the next step, reread the mss. Be willing to hire an editor/proof reader, then read behind them. Be sure to read the final draft. Editors are human and miss things. Many self-published books with beautiful covers are marred with typos and grammatical errors. RM: Keep writing.

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