The Book Doctor

Self-Publishing

WHO CAN PUBLISH? The first hurdle to get over is the idea that a traditional or university publisher somehow validates your work and your ideas. Of course it's prestigious to be published by, say, Johns Hopkins or Simon & Schuster — and I recommend that you try the most likely publishers first. But don't spend your life waiting for their approval.

THE FIRST AMENDMENT in the U.S.A., freedom of expression, means that there is no license required in the United States to publish or sell books and magazines. Anyone can be a publisher, including you. The only significant action a publisher takes is the publishing decision -- that a book ought to be published. The rest is just details, figuring out what needs to be done, and then making sure that it all gets done.

SURPRISINGLY, THE MONEY REQUIRED is often just another detail. To self-publish, all you really need to do is to organize the project. If you're a professor, chances are good that you can find funding for academic projects. If you're a poet or author, perhaps you can find family or fans to help finance it (Alexander Pope once sold subscriptions to a translation of Homer before he'd even written the book). An expert may be able to find sources within his or her industry willing to contribute. Or, just cough it up yourself. Will you recoup the costs? That's where the other half of publishing comes in — marketing.

WHAT ABOUT MARKETING? I'm only going to say a few words about marketing, and then give you some useful links for resources.

DESPITE APPEARANCES, you have an enormous advantage over New York publishers when it comes to marketing your book. 1) You care. 2) You know what it's about and you know who should buy and read this book.3) You will continue to value this book beyond the usual two-to-six-weeks publishing campaign (if there is a campaign at all).That's your edge.

HERE ARE A FEW MARKETING and publishing resources I have found of enduring value to the small or single-title publisher.

Dustbooks puts out the International Directory of Small Publishers and Little Magazines, as well as the Small Press Review/Small Magazine Review.
Publishers Marketing Association has lively newsletter and sponsors coop mailings, as well as the "Publishing University" around the time of the single biggest get-together of publishers, formerly called the ABA, now called Book Expo.
Dan Poynter puts out a series of books on self-publishing, with addresses of all the major trade review journals.
Bandanna Books, my publishing firm, does "back-end publishing" or "book packaging," which is the production of (usually) paperbound books, from computer file to delivered boxes of books. BBooks does not do marketing.