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by: Linda and Jim Salisbury
Publisher: Tabby House, 2002
Reviewed by: Noreen O´Brien "Smart Self-Publishing: An author´s guide to producing a marketable book" (3rd edition) is the winner of the National Association of Independent Publishers Special Publishing Award, and with good reason. Linda and Jim Salisbury have created a phenomenal reference for any writer who opts to produce and publish their own book, but all writers heading into the realm of publishing would benefit by the reading of this book. The chapters include topics such as “Ways to Get Published,” “Working with Professionals,” and “Creating a Professional Product.” These three chapters alone make the book worthwhile. There is a wealth of information on the process and options open to the self-publisher; the hardcore information supplied within these pages, based on first-hand experience, is well researched and clearly written by professionals within the publishing industry. There is specific instruction offered on how to make your book have an appearance that will fit into the mainstream and not look like a self-published book, a serious downfall of most self-published books and one that prevents wholesalers, distributors, and even individual local bookstores from stocking these titles. There is solid advice on how to package your books professionally and the differences between doing this yourself or hiring someone to perform the various steps for you, including the pitfalls of self-designing the book and cover, and professional editing (or lack thereof) of the manuscript before it goes to press. In “Do Your Marketing Homework,” some of the best information is the emphasis placed on marketing and book promotion, something so many writers ignore even if they have a publisher for their manuscript. Marketing is the key to the success of any product, yet, so many, and writers in particular, often neglect this important link. Writing is the easy part, getting the book published is the next easy part (even when done by a publisher), selling your book in today’s market is the hardest part of all, and selling requires marketing. “Riding the Distribution Roller Coaster” aptly describes the distribution experience of all publishers. Once a manuscript is written, and even before it is published in book format, the next link in the chain of publishing needs to be worked into the program. Distribution is the second most important link, following a marketing plan; yet, distribution is often what many self-publishers think they can do without. Because distributors demand such a high discount, small presses and publishers do not like to sign with them and this is a major mistake. Today, most bookstores, and even libraries, prefer to place their orders through one or two major distributors. The Salisbury’s make this clear in their book. “Business Details” includes practical advice on the importance of record keeping, taxes, shipping and storage of books. There is also a chapter covering the pros and cons of the newest technologies in publishing, which should prove useful to anyone considering avenues like POD (Print on Demand) or E-books (Electronic books) for their works. "Smart-Self-Publishing" has an impressive appendix of references for everything from “must-have reference” titles to “marketing news and tips.” There is also an appendix on “Useful stuff for self-publishers” which includes book manufacturers, stores, designers, and specific contact information for the necessities such as copyright and ISBN details, distributors and editorial services, and useful Web sites. Finally, there is a glossary of terms used in the book production/publishing industry, and the almighty index is a part of this book; an index being almost a requirement of any nonfiction book, yet something often ignored by self publishers. In summary, "Smart-Self-Publishing" is a one-stop source for answers to all the questions beginning, “How do I ____?” One of the best books of its kind on the market, it is well designed, neatly packaged, clear and concise in ideas and presentation, and should be the first book anyone considering entering the world of publishing should read from cover to cover – and reference continually along the path. |
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