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You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup

Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup

by Joel Friedlander on November 30, 2009 9 Comments

I’ve received a number of books about self-publishing recently, and from all reports there are more on the way. All of these books have something to offer the author who wants to get involved in publishing their own work. And each has a unique perspective, often based on the author’s experience before they became self-publishers.

Of course, all books in this niche are inevitably compared to the “bible” of the industry, Dan Poynter’s The Self-Publishing Manual, now in its 16th edition. While none can compare for its sheer scope, some of these books may be more relevant to your specific situation, or they may be the perfect complement to Poynter’s book.

The Books in Brief


3687549The Step-By-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit! by Christy Pinheiro and Nick Russell. Pineapple Publications, 7″ x 10″ softcover, 190 pages

Christy Pinheiro, the main author, has a track record as a self-publisher of books for the accounting industry and relies on her publishing ventures as her business, so she has a lot of credibility in this field. Nick Russell is the author of four books on the RV life.

Befitting someone with her strong business background, this book is particularly good on organizing your publishing business, bookkeeping and tax implications. The subtitle of the books is “Start a Home-Based Publishing Company and Publish your Nonfiction Book with CreateSpace and Amazon,” and this is a good summary of the book’s focus. (Note: See the interview of Christy on TheBookDesigner.com.)

Highlights:

  • Well-organized introduction to planning, laying out, publishing and promoting your book.
  • Solid advice about organizing your publishing business
  • Specifically focused on using CreateSpace print-on-demand services and selling on Amazon.

BowermanThe Well-Fed Self-Publisher; How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living by Peter Bowerman. 6″ x 9″ softcover, 294 pages. Fanove Publishing.

Peter Bowerman, author of the popular The Well-Fed Writer (over 50,000 copies sold) starts the book with 4 pages of “praise” blurbs from a variety of authorities, starting with Dan Poynter himself.

Bowerman has a casual style, and breaks up his copy into digestible pieces. His book covers a wide array of subjects from how to position your book to hiring professional help, to the many online ways to market your book, and spinoffs you can create from the book. Highlights:

  • Offers many tips and suggestions for marketing your book and ways to think of new marketing venues.
  • Heavy emphasis on publicity, both online and offline, the “marketing mindset” and ways to publicize your book for free.
  • Various “Case studies,” sections on distribution, and lots of resource links add value.

1-real-cover-underline-130wBecome a Real Self-Publisher by Michael N. Marcus. 6″ x 9″ softbound, 431 pages. Silver Sands Books.

Marcus, the author of six other books and six ongoing blogs, also has a great deal of experience with self-publishing. A subtitle reads, “Valuable advice for every writer,” and that is carried through by the book.

Marcus’ style is the most personal and idiosyncratic of the three books considered here, and he includes a wild variety of topics, tips, hints and helpful asides about the business of self-publishing. Highlights:

  • The author gives detailed information including screen shots for instruction in some basic publishing tasks.
  • The very heavily illustrated text gives guidance from book creation to sales and distribution.
  • Marcus includes detailed and emphatic explanations of the difference between vanity (or subsidy) publishing and true self-publishing, including point-by-point rebuttals of well-known publisher service companies “misleading” statements.

Any of these books will help educate the new self-publisher, and each has unique strengths that may be useful to you. When you get into self-publishing, you will quickly build a bookshelf of reference books to help you with the myriad details of this process, and these three books should find a home there.

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Tagged With: Christy Pinheiro, Michael N. Marcus, Nick Russell, Peter Bowerman

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. admin says

    December 2, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    Jennifer, thanks for stopping by. I know you will enjoy them.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Flynn says

    December 1, 2009 at 5:27 am

    Thanks. I will check out these books!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Review: Publishize! by Susan Daffron — The Book Designer says:
    September 9, 2010 at 12:29 am

    […] I’ve looked at recently, you can see this trend at work. I thought Christy Pinheiro’s Step-by-Step Publishing for Profit was very strong on organizing your publishing business and understanding business structures. […]

    Reply
  2. When Is a Book Review Not a Book Review? — The Book Designer says:
    July 30, 2010 at 12:37 am

    […] pleased me, and I’ve enjoyed reviewing books regularly, from Christy Pinheiro’s Step by Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit to Tuesday’s review of Sue Collier and Marilyn Ross’ The Complete Guide to […]

    Reply
  3. Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer says:
    December 1, 2009 at 1:21 am

    […] Read the original here:  Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer […]

    Reply
  4. Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer : Online Publishing Blog says:
    November 30, 2009 at 7:28 pm

    […] Originally posted here: Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer […]

    Reply
  5. Tweets that mention Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer -- Topsy.com says:
    November 30, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Joel Friedlander, Freelancing Job. Freelancing Job said: Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer http://bit.ly/7NjVvV […]

    Reply
  6. Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer « Internet Cafe Solution says:
    November 30, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    […] View original here:  Self-Publishing Books: A Roundup — The Book Designer […]

    Reply
  7. Self-Publishing Book Review: Become a Real Self-Publisher by Michael N. Marcus — The Book Designer says:
    November 30, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    […] This article has been replaced by the book roundup of November 30, […]

    Reply

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