You've seen those ads, either on the Internet or possibly even sent to your email inbox. They sing their siren song, "Come publish with us. We'll make your book real. You don't even have to submit it to a traditional publisher. Just pay us a lot of money, and we'll make sure your book is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in no time!"
Please, for the love of whatever you hold dear, stop up your ears. Do not heed that alluring come-on. Run fast and far away. That is not the way to self-publish!
These days, the old self-publishing is called by a different name: Indie Publishing. That is where you call the shots, by independently publishing your book yourself, through the miracle of digital and online resources and companies, and with the help of freelance editors, book cover designers, e-book and print book formatters, and other helpful people. It's not easy, but it is a ton of fun, and well worth the effort.
If you want to keep control of your work, and possibly make a little money instead of tossing it down a rat hole, you'll want to take this new direction. If you're willing to learn the ropes, you can go on a real "Indie Publishing" adventure. Most likely, you will be able to save a great deal of the money the vampires of publishing would like to move from your pocket to theirs.
You will need to educate yourself; that's a given. You will need to decide the best path for you to take, and whether to learn vital skills, or to pay experts for the skills they already have. In any case, if you choose to educate yourself, you're not going to jump at a rotten deal that will cause you to be out thousands of dollars and left with a bitter taste in your mouth in twelve-months' time.
Indie Author Hub has plans for Resource pages that will assist you in your journey toward indie publishing your book manuscript. While you wait for their appearance, go get a college education by reading posts over the last five years on author Joseph Konrath's blog here (frank language alert) or this brutally honest post about Indie Publishing by author Dean Wesley Smith here (don't get discouraged--read it to the end). Smith's tab for "Think Like a Publisher" is no longer found on his website, except for information on his book of the same name on this page, but the book is available at all booksellers. He also wrote Killing the Top 10 Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing (green cover), and the information on that book is also on that page.
Two more things: never let go of your dreams, and hold on, the light will come.
KILLING
THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING - See more at:
http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/killing-the-sacred-cows-of-publishing/#sthash.LxQ6cD19.dpuf
KILLING
THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING - See more at:
http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/killing-the-sacred-cows-of-publishing/#sthash.LxQ6cD19.dpuf
KILLING
THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING - See more at:
http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/killing-the-sacred-cows-of-publishing/#sthash.LxQ6cD19.dpuf
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