self publishing

[sheila2155]

has anyone tried self publishing a book they've written. i want to do this as i can't find a publisher who'll do it for me but it's a lot of money to waste on a scam or a poor result.

Thanks

Skeila

[fairkatrina]

I have been looking into self publishing for a while, and you should be warned that the return is generally very poor, as there is no advertisment or wide-scale distribution for your product. If you want to publish for yourself and family / friends try www.lulu.com, which will publish as many or as few copies as you desire, rather than insisting you pay for several hundred copies at once.

[saxy_jag]

I have recently edited and published my mother-in-law's memoirs via Lulu. They are cheap (under �4 per book for my project and yes, you can order as many or as few as you like), the service is good, the product of good quality. Lulu doesn't claim any more than being a basic p.o.d. printer - they will not promise you fame and fortune.

I was able to do my own cover design, editing and typesetting (which isn't difficult), which helped get a more professional-looking product. Bob Trubshaw's "Writing and Publishing Local and Family History Successfully", I found a mine of information here, not so much for the history aspect as the practical stuff. The link:

http://www.hoap.co.uk/general.htm#HoTo

POD companies such as Lulu won't do any marketing for you (other than their own website) unless you pay them, and even if you do, don't expect fame and fortune. Expect to do a great deal of hard work on this side if you want real commercial and/or financial success. Also remember that Lulu are an American company, so most of the marketing will be USA-based.

I have recently completed a novel. I don't have the time or the inclination to wait for publication via the conventional route, and I don't mind if doesn't make anything, so I'm planning to self-publish later this year. I may use Lulu for this, or I may go with DIggory Press - slightly more expensive but they're British, and I've heard good things about them:

http://www.diggorypress.com/

[sheila2155]

thanks for that. it's made my mind up for me.

Sheila