Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Self-Publisher's Guide by Karen Coiffi


Do you have a book in you dying to come out? Do you want to self-publish a book you’ve already written, but you’re not sure what to do? Well, The Self-Publisher’s Guide is for you!

From Writing Your Book, to Self-Publishing Options, to Creating a Website, to Promotion - it's all included in this handy guide.

Topics include: learning to write, critique groups, being ready for publishing, choosing a publishing company, creating visibility through promotional strategies, bringing traffic to your site, resources, tools, and much more.

The Self-Publisher’s Guide offers great self-publishing and promotional tips, advice, information, examples, and resources!


Purchase link: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/the-self-publishers-guide/7747521

Why did you write this book?

There are three reasons I wrote this e-book. The first is that I listen to a number of teleclasses about writing and marketing. Hearing the questions asked from some attendees I realized there are many writers who don’t know the basics. I wanted to address these issues in an affordable manner.

The second reason is because I am a reviewer for BookPleasures.com and I review a number of self-published books. So far, almost every one of these books, it is obvious, has not been professionally edited. If fact, it is apparent that most of them haven’t even been critiqued.

I find this sad because a few of these self-published books had good stories. It is difficult to do a review for a book that is poorly written. One of the books I read didn’t even have dialogue punctuation. I am hoping that through The Self-Publisher’s Guide author’s who are taking this road will be better equipped to produce a quality book. I made the price of this e-book very affordable so those, like most of us today, with little money can still afford this guide.

The third reason I wrote this book is because I self-published a children’s bedtime story, Day’s End Lullaby, and this e-book. I put a lot of effort and time researching self-publishing and looked at a number of Print on Demand companies. I wanted to share this information with others who are venturing onto the self-publishing road.

What was the hardest part?

The hardest part was keeping the guide small. There is so much information on writing, publishing and marketing that it was difficult to narrow down the information I wanted to include in this 22 page e-book. It is intended to be a starting point that touches on everything from writing the story, to publishing it, to promoting it. While there are a number of very informative manuals that go into greater detail in these areas, The Self-Publisher’s Guide is meant to guide the writer so he/she knows in which direction to head, along with providing step-by-step instructions.

What was easiest or most fun?

The entire e-book was easy to write. When you know the topic well and there is so much information available, it’s easy to write about it. It began as a simple and basic 10 page guide, but every time I reread it, I added something else. Finally, I told myself I had to stop at 22 pages – I could have went on and on. And, it was fun trying Lulu.com to publish it.

What do you hope people get from your book?

I hope this e-book guides those who are beginner writers and those who are thinking of self-publishing onto the path that helps them produce a quality book. By taking time, a little effort, joining a critique group with experienced authors, and the extra cost of getting a professional edit, a poorly written or mediocre book can be turned into a great book.

This is especially true of children’s books. There are a number of tricks, strategies, and rules that are unique to this genre. If you’re not aware of them it’s a give-in that your book will reflect it.

How do you want to be remembered as an author?

I guess I want to be remembered as a good writer, one who knows the craft (still learning), and one who ‘pays it forward.’ What I mean by the last part is: recently I read in The Writer that writers are a generous lot. They give of their time and knowledge – they ‘pay it forward.’ I want to be remembered as part of that group.

What's next for you?

I have a number of things brewing. I’m working on a couple of children’s stories, I write articles about writing, marketing and health, and I want to write a guide for beginning writers, specifically children’s writers. As I mentioned above, writing for children involves additional rules and strategies. I know many beginner writers would benefit from a guide to get them started in the right direction.
In addition to this, I have the Karen and Robyn Writing for Children Newsletter that I send out monthly. It includes information, advice, tips, and links relating to writing, marketing, and reviews. In fact, sections of The Self-Publisher’s Guide are included in monthly installments. It also includes news bits from DKV Writing 4 U (http://www.dkvwriting4u.com). To subscribe readers can go to http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com and just sign up!

3 comments:

Karen Cioffi said...

Hi, Karina,

Thanks so much for a wonderful post. I hope this guide finds its way to those who need it.

Karen

Unknown said...

Great interview. Karen, you do "pay it forward." Thanks for sharing your wisdom with others. I read this guide and can say that is fabulous. I learned sooo much.

Karen Cioffi said...

Thanks for visiting, Kathy!
Karen