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Presentation by Six Authors — July 7, 2011

A panel of six authors shared their experiences in independently publishing their books at our July program at the Cambridge Public Library. The event drew an audience of forty.

"Ah, I'm free, no longer a prisoner of unsympathetic agents," John L. Hodge thought when, after repeatedly pitching to agents and publishers, he decided to self-publish How We Are Our Enemy, a book about recovering our democratic values. He used the well-respected Lightning Source to handle printing and distribution through Ingram. His set up costs were $75 for Lightning Source set-up, plus $120 for revisions and proofs, $60 for Ingram distribution, $40 for research on grammarly.com, and $190 for a post office box for two years. He has since uploaded his book on Kindle, with many hours revising the format (his index proved the biggest hassle). His Kindle edition cost him nothing.

Artemis March, author of Dying Into Grace, chose to self-publish her non-fiction book about her mother's end-of-life journey with herself as caregiver, because it allowed her to control the rights to her work. Self-publishing let her create different versions, make deals with non-bookstore channels, choose her own cover design, and insure excellent production values (going offset, for instance) that she felt her subject matter warranted.

Neil Savage used CreateSpace for printing Jonathan Baker's House on Lime Street, a Boston-based novel. CreateSpace charged him just $70 for set up. He hired an NWU member for copyediting. He's proven himself a master at "handselling." His technique: he always carries copies of his book, wherever he goes. Any time he meets a friend or acquaintance, he asks "Do you like to read?" If the answer is "no" he goes on to "does your wife read? your kids? your friends?). He then tells them about his book and if they ask how much it costs, he "closes the deal" with this response: "$14.95 -- how do you want me to autograph it?" If the potential buyer doesn't have cash on hand, Neil gives them his book along with a pre-addressed envelope (he sometimes adds the stamp) and tells the person to mail him a check. He's made 25 sales this way: everyone mails him the money. He tries to "think outside the box," for instance by selling 25 books to his dentist to put out in the waiting room.

Ady Vaal, author of two novels, Complete Surrender and Meeting Jacob, thought "out of the box" as well. She sold 40 copies of her book to a Florida school after her cousin read one of her books and thought that students would get a lot out of it because it dealt with mental illness. She produced her book through CreateSpace, paying it at various stages to edit, create a cover, etc. "They did a great job of walking me through each step. Their editing service used track changes that I could accept or reject, and once I gave them a summary of the book, and suggested colors, they created a cover." [Note: In the Q&A, Jean Alonso, author of The Patriots: An Inside Look at Life in a Defense Plant, reported that self-publishing cost her almost nothing. Her son had the technical expertise to do most of the set up: it cost $39 to prepare the book via CreateSpace.

Grammar check: John Hodge ran his manuscript through www.grammarly.com . Even though he didn't take 80% of the advice that came up, the process did show him patterns in his writing (too-long sentences) that he could then change. He also suggests that an author can catch infelicities by reading aloud, or into a tape recorder, every word of the manuscript.

Endorsements and Feedback: Artemis March sought book blurbs that would build credibility from and to her target audiences, by getting a broad range of people to respond to different aspects of her book and collectively paint a rich portrait of its values and how it stands out from other books. So for Dying Into Grace, she sought book blurbs from physicians, nurses, hospice people, healthcare reformers, educators and leaders re: aging, dying, relational psychology, healers, etc. as well as people coming from their own caregiving experiences. Feedback: If, when you ask for feedback, you get advice that you consider off-base, consider that it can still be valuable: by "stirring the pot" it can help you improve your book.

Hiring Professionals: Grace Ross, author of Main St. Smarts, a book about "the truth about our economy and what needs to be done for the people of our state," recommends finding out as much as possible about self-publishing, even if you hire people to help you out. She read two books on the subject but found that when she hired people to do various tasks, what she didn't know still caused glitches. Artemis March advises that if you hire a copyeditor, cover designer, or other professional, you shouldbe clear about what you want and make sure the professional has the expertise to provide it. Agree on a cap: the amount you commit to should have clear limits. Make sure you get every aspect of your agreement in writing. [Note: when hiring a professional, check out www.nwuboston.org/services and if possible hire a union member. John Amiard Oberteuffer, host of the self-publishing event, and author of the self-published mystery, Swedish Blood, does technical set-up work for writers going the self-publishing route.]

Reviews: Newspaper space for book reviews is shrinking; larger papers like the Boston Globe don't review self-published books. Neil Savage instead got his local paper to feature him as a writer writing a book. Judah Leblang, author of the essays-as-memoir, Finding My Place, got a "no" from a newspaper that then touted his book as "one of the top 10 things to do." He also knew that Amazon reader reviews are important. He checked out www.internetreviewofbooks.blogspot.com and contacted some of the reviewers, offering a free copy if the review would consider reviewing it. His effort garnered him two good reviews. He got other ideas from Dan Poynter's Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (2007). [Also check out Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers, by NWU member Shel Horowitz, (2009)]

Bookstores: Artemis March said that bookstores may take your book on consignment, but the tracking system is sometimes separate, so that the store may not easily locate your book when a potential buyer asks for it. Judah Leblang said that one bookstore said no to carrying his book, but the next year said yes. Go figure.

Host John Amiard Oberteuffer reminded the assembled writers that Steve Almond, whose books are published by mainstream publishers and by the Harvard Bookstore's book machine, recently opined that print on demand is more than just the latest new technology. It is groundbreaking technology that has the potential to create "the democratization of the publishing industry."