When I was looking out for blogs to feature on my Friday Roundup https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2016/07/08/friday-roundup-8th-july/ I came across this one by Anna Dobritt which had been re-blogged by Don Massenzio, bringing it to my attention.
https://amdobritt.com/2016/07/07/self-publishing-tip-11/
I started out on my author journey by writing a non-fiction book under my real name in 2009, and knew not my arse from my elbow, so to speak. A consultant doctor friend at work suggested using one of the publishers which seems to have appeared on Anna Dobritt’s list above, and so stupidly enough I did. I had to pay over £600 for the privilege of seeing my work in print. This fee did not include editing, formatting, or a cover; the first two were done by myself, and the cover made by my husband.
Since 2009 I have been contacted by this company on an almost weekly basis. The book sells only one or two copies every year, and I am constantly hassled with emails and phone calls to submit more manuscripts, to buy 100 copies of my book at a discounted price, and to pay extra for the services of one of their ‘marketing managers’ who will sell the book into eternity and beyond if only I can come up with the required fee.
When I was a bit more street wise a few years later, I re-published the book on KDP and CreateSpace, and added a sequel to it, making it two books in one. The re-published version is priced at a lower cost than the original one, and it sells better too. It cost me nothing to publish it.
Moral of the story: Do not use vanity publishers! Mark, learn, and inwardly digest the names on Anna Dobritt’s list. Self-publish your hard work instead, and reap the rewards!
A Mythical Menagerie said:
Being of limited financial means, I always put time into researching ways to do things myself.I was never more glad of this trait than when I self-published my own book. What a great learning experience!
Yes; I was pulling my hair out at times, reading and re-reading what I didn’t understand, but, in the end, I did the entire thing myself for absolutely zero financial outlay…
…Except for buying a box of 30 books from CreateSpace that I was sure would fly out of the box they arrived in like they had wings…
Bwahahaaaaaaaaaaa!
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Stevie Turner said:
Still, your ranking must have risen dramatically soon after!
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Seumas Gallacher said:
..I agree with this 1,000,000 % ..if I’m gonna have a Vanity angle to my work, then there’s nobody better than MYSELF to run with that! It IS hard work, undoubtedly, but the pleasure of being in charge of at least a wee bit of yer own destiny is well worth the trade off … great post! 🙂
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Seumas. You live and learn!
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