Publishing a book

V-S-210

Has anyone self-published their own book? I would like to "boost my income" and am considering publishing some of my pieces. I have come across Lulu.com - anyone experienced them?

What other GOOD avenues are their to self publishing other than amazon and apple?

Has anyone submitted pieces to a publishing agent and got a deal that way?

TIA

BritishBibliophile

I've got one published on Amazon and I'm working on the second. It's not going to make a fortune, but I have plans for a whole series and then other stuff to follow after so it should keep me amused for a while.

Smashwords is the place I've heard a lot of people mention, if you go with them they'll make your ebook accessible on all the popular formats, Kindle, Apple, Kobo and Nook are the main ones off the top of my head. But their "Meatgrinder" can be a bit of a PITA from what I hear so I haven't gone through that process yet.

Google "Smashwords" and download their PDF guide, it's 150 pages but there's a lot of stuff about formatting and the like that you won't have thought about and which are pretty essential.

V_For_Verminator

I have nothing to add here other than "good luck."

I am just at the end of the second draft of my first novel. In the coming weeks I am going to be seeking a publisher. I will self publish if I have to but that isn't what I'm aiming for.

That is what I want to be and what I want to do with my life so it isn't really a boosting income thing - you have some exciting times ahead and I wish you all the best.

tiger_eyes

I turn over a few hundred a month self-publishing via Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Draft2Digital and All Romance Ebooks. Some points to consider:

While there are some prodigies, in general, performing any skill to a professional level takes a considerable amount of practice. Stephen King will tell you that the first million words you write are useless, while Malcolm Gladwell would suggest that it takes ten thousand hours of practice to become professional-quality at writing.

Publishing is a business. You'll need to understand your legal and tax obligations, including how to stop the US IRS taxing your royalties before you get paid, and do a lot of research. For example, Smashwords and Draft2Digital both distribute to the Barnes & Noble ebook store, but I go via Smashwords because it allows me to set my ebooks to free, which is a big part of my visibility strategy, even though Draft2Digital would report sales in real time and pay me monthly.

There are millions upon millions of ebooks available to buy. Have a solid plan for why readers will buy yours - and not one that depends on stumbling over it at random in a vast sea of millions of other books.

Just a few thoughts.

pennyshahin_2

Hi I am self publishing a book on art fiction on bookemon.
My plan is to order about 6 copies and send them to publishing houses that I think are suitable, is this ok or am I breaking copyright laws, I far as I am concerned I own the copyright but would another publishing house want to publish a book that has already been created by someone else, or would I be better of sending the books to an agent.

lincroft1710

I have known authors who have self published and then had their book republished by a mainstream publisher.