Foreword
Authors, poets, journalists, scientists, academics, writers of fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, romance, mystery, anthologies, business, how-to books, research articles, monographs, textbooks, diaries—any kind of writing: you can publish yourself.
At its heart this book is a self-help tool, written by a real self-publisher who took the road less traveled and climbed all the way up the learning curve from start to finish—is it ever finished?
Marshall Chamberlain distills his knowledge and experience in an informal, down-to-earth manner. He shows committed writers how to clearly navigate the jungles of the publishing industry and take advantage of the New Book Model: Digital printing technology and high-tech communication services make it possible for writers to achieve their publication dreams.
Chamberlain’s case study approach places a grid of self-publishing choices over the publishing field. It provides sources of information, suggestions and recommendations, and real examples of the decision-making process. He empowers writers to plot their own self-publishing courses, based on personal lifestyle preferences and the availability of time, energy, and financial resources. His approach outlines the knowledge and teaches the skills necessary to take control of key publishing functions, and develop and implement the plans and promotional programs necessary for self-publishing success—even with sparse capital.
Throughout his two-and-a-half year case study, Chamberlain confronts key questions, issues, potential problems and risks that face self-publishers, and offers ways and means to help deal with them creatively and effectively, defining the what, why, how, when, and how much in the self publishing process.
Chamberlain instills in writers the confidence to fabricate their own distinctive brands of self-publishing success. He’s right when he says, “Anybody can self-publish if they have determination and fire in the belly.”
By developing a robust index and table of contents, Chamberlain makes this book an invaluable, issues-and-answers resource as well as subject reference. It’s an indispensable companion to The Self-Publishing Manual.
— Dan Poynter
Author, Publisher, Speaker