Category Archives: Self-Publishing

The pressure is on. I have to get this book printed.

There are close to 5000 people reading downloaded copies of Danger Quicksand – Have A Nice Day and some of them have asked, "Is it is available on Amazon yet?"

Gretchen’s friend in the self-publishing business was incredulous when she found out I was giving away free downloads. Her voice practically squeaked when she said, "You’re not billing them for the downloads?"

There are few role models to follow in this  rapidly changing self-publishing landscape, so I have to make it up as I go along. Since I am blogging as I go, you are getting a first-hand view of what it is like to break new ground as a self-publisher.

I am trying to apply good business practices to a situation that has never existed before, so I may make mistakes, but you should be the first to hear about them.

Meanwhile, you can read this with your morning coffee and be thankful that I’m doing this first. When you publish your book, you’ll know exactly what to avoid.

First of all, let’s deal with the matter of allowing free downloads.

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Thanks for all of the advice on viruses and alternative computer systems. I took your advice on the viruses and dodged your good advice on computers. I bought a HP Athlon 3300+ at my nearest Staples, and my sick computers … Continue reading →

Life is good! I am very busy and it feels like Christmas.

Sample books are arriving in large padded bags. Email traffic is rising, I have a major woodworking project to get out the door, and I am furiously editing the book to catch all of the formatting details I have left for last. Somewhere in there I took an hour and cleaned up my site design. I hope you noticed the more spacious layout. It should be easier to read.

The new CafePress mugs are really striking. I have some waiting for those who are writing succcess stories about how Danger Quicksand – Have A Nice Day has changed their outlook for the better and given them a new lease on life. On the other hand, perhaps most of you downloaders have not had time to finish the book yet. So, get busy and read!

I am still waiting for exciting things to happen out there. When you write those stories, I will award cups to the five most inspiring or poignant tales. They don’t have to be published, because I fully understand that many of you are not at liberty to discuss your plans openly.

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Once I started searching for a printer, the first thing I did was make up a Request for Quote which I planned to send to every digital printer on the Aeonix Publishing Group’s list of book printers.  The Aeonix website is a treasure trove of information. I am sure that you could spend hours exploring it.            

To keep things sane under control, I first checked whether the listed printer had a working web site. If there was one, I located the most up-to-date email address and sent off the RFQ. If the web site was missing or uninformative, I discarded that printer as a supplier.

Some of the sites had an auto-quote feature which would give you an instant quote based on the data you provided. These were quite efficient, but they didn’t provide what I needed.  I wanted to deal with real people who would get me the book I wanted.

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