What is it really?

Do you need help in the physical printing of your prepared manuscript? Do you need help in formatting your manuscript so that you can then have it printed? Or are you looking for someone to promote and help you with getting your book in the hands of a company that will take care of all that for you including pay for it?

Usually self-published authors are looking for the latter – someone to cover all the costs and risks of physically producing a book and that sure would be nice.

The reality though is much like the music industry – you have to prove you have a large enough following for them to invest in you. So like most musicians you may have to do all the work yourself to get it to the physically printed stage. They put out a CD and you put out a book.

There’s a lot that goes into the material though – the actual content is edited, verified, and formatted. The graphic of the cover and any logos that you might be wanting. And then finally the final gathering of all the different material into a format that can go to a printer.

So wherever you are in this process – if you would like a complimentary assessment of what needs to be done and how I might be able to help you with the editorial or publishing aspect of your manuscript – find book publishing help here.

The music industry has been doing this for a while – independent musicians and bands self-releasing their own CDs. They don’t have world-wide distribution but they do have a CD that they can sell at their shows. And the interesting point about this is that most of the public can’t tell the difference. Especially if the band makes up a record label name to print on the CD.

Book publishing is really no different. So the question “can I publish my own book?” is a resounding yes.

Let me know if you would like to know more. I’d be happy to discuss your particular interest and question. Leave your question here Editorial Services

From my vantage point in the publishing industry, I have personally witnessed the destruction of the standard publishing model. Much like the record business, today’s publishers are only interested in authors who already have a wide base. Translation – if you have 10,000 or more names and emails on your contact list – they might want to look at your book. Because they know the primary costs in publishing are the cost of marketing and promotion.

So if you’re talking to a publisher these days you’re more than likely paying for the costs to produce, market and promote upfront. Yes, even though they are the publisher, you are subsidizing their development costs. Plus you’ll be paying for your own book tours and anything that costs money. Most likely they aren’t going to take a chance on an unproven author. Those that have in the past have modified their business model or gone out of business or been sold to larger publishing houses.

OK, all is not lost. Have you considered self-publishing?

You’ll be able to have a handle on your costs and only have those things you want to have done on your manuscript done. Plus, with the advances of technology you’ll be able to produce a couple of 1000 books or less. There are lots of advantages to releasing your own book much like the musicians who bypass giving over their recordings to record labels and handle their sales and promotions themselves.

If being the captain of your own destiny and working with a team of experienced publishing professionals is interesting to you, I’d like to talk with you about what we could do together. You’re going to be spending your own money anyway whether you “sign with a publisher” or you self-publish. Why not explore your options and come up with a plan all the while being guided through the process so you have what you want – your own book?

So if you’re asking the question “How do I publish my book?”, I’d like to help you explore how you might do it in the new business model of publishing.

To learn more, contact me How do I publish my book?

Readers often come to a book or article because they want to learn more or be entertained. How the information is presented will either help or hinder them in their pursuits. And if what you are writing doesn’t help them, they don’t think its the copy editing, they think that its you and your style of writing that isn’t working for them.

A good copy editor who comes to a manuscript with a fair amount of general knowledge and deep working knowledge of style and usage, can guide an author where the information they wrote may go off track or confuse a reader.

If you’d like to see if your publication(s) could benefit from a round of copy editing services, I’d be happy to review a small portion of your upcoming project and get back with you. You can contact me here to let me know you’re interested and we can schedule a 15 minute call after I’ve reviewed your sample.