| The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living | 
 enlarge | Author: Peter Bowerman
Publisher: Fanove Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $13.57
You Save: $6.38 (32%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  70 reviews
Sales Rank: 42519
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 294
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 0967059860
Dewey Decimal Number: 070
EAN: 9780967059860
ASIN: 0967059860
Publication Date: August 1, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Product Description
Landing a publisher has never been harder. So many want to get published, but few understand the enormous challenges, the fierce competition, and the merciless reality of bookstore shelf. But, what if you are one of the lucky ones to land a publisher? Well, heres what you can count on: anemic royalty rates, 18 to 24 months to publication, and giving up the rights to your book. And guess what? Youll still be expected to do most of the marketing yourself! Theres a better way. Thanks to the Internet, self-publishing has become easier, more viable, and more potentially lucrative than ever before. In 2000, veteran commercial freelancer Peter Bowerman self-published The Well-Fed Writer (an award winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection) and in 2005, he did the same with its companion, TWFW: Back For Seconds (triple-award-finalist). The books became standards in the lucrative field of commercial freelancing: writing for businesses, large and small, and for hourly rates of $60-125+ or more. As this is written, together, the two books about 50,000 copies in print had earned him a full-time living for over five years. The definition of a full-time living (straight from the horses mouth): Okay, were not talking picking-out-chateaux-in-the-South-of-France kind of money, but the book paid all my bills (including a couple of print runs each year), allowed me to stay the course in funding my retirement account, stay completely out of debt, and take a few nice vacations each year. Would that work for you? The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a 300-page, detailed, step-by-step blueprint that explains exactly how the author did what he did. According to Bowerman, This book is for those who really want to turn their passionate creative efforts into real pay-the-mortgage money. Acknowledging that self-publishing carries an enormous amount of negative baggage (and deservedly so), the author says the focus of the book is to dramatically raise the bar on quality, for starters: Ill show you how to create a book indistinguishable in quality from one produced by a reputable publishing company; how to do a far better job of marketing and promoting that book than a publisher ever could; and how to make far more money than you ever would with that publisher. And by doing it all yourself, you control the timetable (potentially shaving 12 to 18 months off production). Plus, you retain all the rights, allowing you to leverage the brand youve created into a host of profitable spinoff businesses each with its own income stream. Starting from perhaps not-so-obvious fundamentals (Write a book people will want to read), the book progresses through a discussion of the significant limitations of the conventional publishing model (despite the best intentions of most publishers). Then, in a nod to the outright panic and terror most creatives experience at the mere mention of the term sales and marketing, the book provides an entire early chapter to help demystify these often daunting concepts. As Bowerman is quick to point out, Success as a self-publisher is far more a function of a process than an aptitude. Its far less about some way you have to be than it is about a bunch of things you have to do. At that point, the book kicks into gear, offering up discussing in-depth discussions of book production, distribution, marketing, promotion, publicity (through ones own web site, the Internet, radio, article writing, bookstores and far beyond), Amazon, spinoff businesses, and an entire chapter on the controversial so-called revolution known as POD publishing (print-on-demand). The book finishes with five appendices offering up resources and a time line for the self-publisher, a primer on foreign rights, and more.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...
Very Helpful December 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mr. Bowerman has written a very helpful, informative book for those of us just entering the book-writing business. There are lots of links to useful sites, angles on marketing, and lots of other things aimed at enabling a newbie author to actually make a living. The tone is humorous without being overwhelming or obnoxious, and the knowledge given is from successful experience, making it worth even more. While my other half writes his book, I'll be working with The Well-Fed Self-Publisher right at my elbow in order to sell the results!
Funny and irreverent, and what you really need to know! December 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love the writing style in this book: funny and irreverent, but with lots of useful information.
Right from the start, Peter tells it how it really is. As someone who has published via traditional publishers, I can relate to scenario painted on Page 1. Even with the 'support' of a mainstream publisher, it's really up to the author to promote his (or her) own book! So you might as well do the whole thing yourself. Which is what I do now.
Although Peter seems to have mixed feelings about Print on Demand (POD), I think that the POD route -- using one of the low-cost self-publishing websites like Lulu or CreateSpace -- is perhaps the best route for your first foray into self-publishing.
Tony Loton, author --
Book Publishing DIY: The Do It Yourself Guide to Self-Publishing using Lulu and CreateSpace
The book on Self-Publishing December 3, 2008
If you plan on self-publishing you absolutely must get this book. No doubt about it. Appendix C alone is worth 100x times the price of the book!
I bought at least a dozen books on this topic to really get a good handle on how to publish my own book Blog Blazers. But none of them came close to the value Peter's book had to offer. Like I said before, Appendix C is gold - it's almost a summarized self-publishing plan taken from the rest of his book (it even refers to the pages in the book where you can get the full details).
I got so much from the book that I ended up contacting Peter and used his consulting services for my own book. And it was worth it! I can't even begin to express how much he helped me.
If you are serious about publishing your own book, you have to buy this book. It will save you an incredible amount of money, time, and headaches.
You need this book! November 26, 2008
This book is, in a word, awesome. It has literally been our bible through the whole process of publishing our book, start to finish. I've worn out my first copy and am now actually going to pay to buy a second one. Yup, folks, it's THAT good.
My Favorite Book on Self Publishing November 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read a lot of the books on self publishing, but I have to say this one is my favorite. The reason is that Peter Bowerman answered many of the questions about self publishing that I had, and he also includes some good marketing information.
One of the biggest questions I had was where to go and publish my book once I finished it. Peter tackles this question quite nicely, and although he suggests taking a look at Lulu, I chose someone else. However, he helped me make a decision that was better for me and my business.
What makes this book stand head and shoulders above other books on self publishing is that it isn't as long. That doesn't mean he shortchanges you on information. Everything you need to know about self publishing your book is clearly explained. Sales and marketing, a crucial element to making real money from your book is thoroughly covered, and he even includes a chapter on Amazon.
If you are a beginner, this is definitely where you need to start. Even if you aren't, you still want to read this book because it covers all of the things a lot of self publishing books don't.
For those of you who don't consider yourself writers (I am both a writer and internet marketer), you still want to read this book. It will teach you what you need to know to self publish a book. Publishing your own book will help you build more credibility into your business, and you will definitely make more money.
This book is a must have for those who self publish, and it contains all of the resources you need to know about.
Jinger Jarrett, Author, Internet Marketing for Free: The GUIDE: Internet Marketing to GO!
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