Self-Publishing question by JeanCat

[Fleataxi]

I realize that self publishing is considered to be primarily a vanity press option. That said I have a project that I plan to self publish.

I've been working with an 88 year old man on an oral history. The fellow has lived a most interesting life. His family moved to this area in 1836 and he continues to live and manage the original family farm. He has a wealth of stories from his parents and grandparents. His personal stories range from growing up in rural Mississippi during the depresstion to his years as a harness racer. He is a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame and well known in racing circles.

University Press did not feel there would be enough sales for them to publish the work (at least that was the turn-down I received), but had the gall to request that I place a copy of the final work in the state archives and two of the state university collections.

My questions are these:

Has anyone used a self publishing house or can you recommend one?

Is it worth listing the book with Amazon? I know they charge a premium if they sell a book.

Has anyone marketed a self published book? I have already been getting calls from individuals wanting to buy copies. The local library has asked to host a "Meet the Author" event and the local paper has run a preliminary story and will run another when the book is published. In addition I plan to contact Hoof Beats Magazine to see if they will run a story.

I would appreciate any insights or comments.

JeanCat

 

[fruit loop]

Self-publishing is a waste of money

Your friend's work, while interesting, will have low marketability. The best place for such memoirs IS the state archives, and remember that they are non-profit.

Few brick-and-mortar stores will even speak to the writer of a self-published work. They know that they will likely be out money for carrying the book and their shelf space is reserved for books that they know will show a profit.

The problem is that anybody can self-publish, and the industry is aware that most self-published books are, frankly, crap.

If you know how many copies you need, then simply self-publish yourself just by going to Kinko's! They can print and bind the book for you. This will save you money because the vanity press publishers have a minimum print run, usually 2,000 copies, and you don't want to end up with a garage full of stuff you can't sell.

If you do go this route - it IS a nice gesture to donate one to the archives. This will preserve it for future generations.

 

[jlee]

You might want to speak to the local historical society.

 

[JeanCat]

Thanks for the suggestion jlee. I have talked with them and they are very interested in seeing this project in print but do not have resources to assist in the effort. Local history does cater to a very limited readership, I realize that. I just wanted to talk with someone else that might have gone this route.

By the way, many of the vanity press companies print on demand one copy or several hundred. The cost is as good as Kinko's, better if the nearest Kinkos is a 2 hour drive away.

Again, if anyone has self-published I'd be interested in your comments and suggestions.

 

[fruit loop]

Try PublishAmerica

They're one of the better companies. They will get you an ISBN number (making the book available for order through any bookstore) and their marketing department does beautiful covers.