Consumer's Guide for Self-Publishers

INTRODUCTION

Self-publishing has become a huge industry and thousands of companies have sprung up to serve independent authors in the past decade. This is both good news and bad news.

The good news is that you're really popular and you have a lot of choices. The bad news is that you're really popular and you have a lot of choices.

That's kind of a joke, but I don't mean to diminish the seriousness of your plight. If you're like most authors you are overwhelmed by the number of tools and services available to you. It's difficult to figure out which ones to stay away from and which ones are reputable, much less compare features and pricing.

That's why I created this guide. I've been active in the world of self-publishing for a very long time and my passion is to keep abreast of the changes in technologies and services that help authors succeed.

There are a lot of great options for you

So let's look at the good news. An awful lot of these tools and services were created by people who were trying to solve their own problems. They have been authors and publishers, editors and designers, book PR and marketing pros. When technology founders "scratch their own itch" they solve your problems, too. Companies with founders of this sort tend to be the most passionate and helpful of all.

Now, about editors and designers. Many of these fine people were laid off during the crash of big publishing and, in hope and desperation, hung up their own shingles as freelancers to ply their trade independently. They may have moved away from publishing hubs like New York City or San Francisco to cut costs and offer freelance services using the internet.

All good news for authors who want to self-publish.

Who do you want on your team?

Still, the problem remains. Who do you want on your team? Who is reliable, affordable, conscientious, effective, and passionate about helping you publish well?

That's exactly the problem that this consumer's guide solves for you.

I've been self-publishing since... (drum roll) ... 1995

Trust me. I started self-publishing in 1995 and have followed the industry as an author, independent publisher, blogger, and reviewer as indie authorship blossomed. As a former technical writer and gear geek, I have always been fascinated with the technology behind the products and I'm not afraid to dig in to explore and ask the hard questions. Pricing models, customer service, quality, and authors rights are also always on my mind.

It's a small world and I know many of these peoplepersonally

Moreover, I know many of the founders of these companies personally. They may have participated in one of my Self-Publishing Boot Camps or in the San Francisco Writer's Conference Self-Publishing and Technology Track sessions, or I may have interviewed them for a blog post, article, or podcast episode.

This guide complements other resources

There is a lot of information on the web and in print about self-publishing. My 344-page Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors is now in its 4th edition and guides authors through finishing your book and setting up a publishing business, making your book, distributing your book, selling your book direct to your fans, and book marketing and publicity. It's all about the process of publishing. This guide helps you choose the vendors that will help you accomplish each task in your publishing journey.

So here's your guide... go forth and choose wisely. You can get updates to this book at http://selfpubbootcamp.com/free-consumers-guide-for-self-publishers/