Comments on: Don’t Kid Yourself–Book Production Takes Time

By: Abigail Clark

Abigail Clark — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:18:21 +0000

i’m quite new to book marketing and i don’t have any experience about it~,`

By: Mackenzie Ward

Mackenzie Ward — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:40:43 +0000

book marketing offline is quite time consuming but if we talk about online book marketing, it is a different story”‘;

By: Ilene Fine

Ilene Fine — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:03:26 +0000

I totally underestimated the amount of time it would take to get the books published. The problem wasn’t with the shipping from Hong Kong and printing it was with the editing of the photos I had. THAT was never considered! Nevertheless, I am glad that I did not do a lot of pre-pub publicity despite encouragement to do so– I did not want to promote a product that was not in-hand and could have been subject to customs delay! Yes, it has set me back some in the timeline, but it would have been worse to offer a product I couldn’t deliver on. Your article was extremely helpful and insightful. Ilene Fine, http://www.BrandyandVal.com

By: admin

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:20:09 +0000

Thank You Felice,
You mentioned separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to author assistance, and I heartily agree. When I wrote a novel a couple of years ago I thought I needed help on the publishing side. Printing–no problem. Publishing–a different matter altogether. What I discovered is there are zillions of so called experts on the internet and most of them are are not safe for self-publishers. I call them the knaves and the wolves. I don’t want my book edited by a high school graduate who answered an ad in a newspaper. Neither do I want to work with some slick talker who will take my money and give nothing in return.

The Red Hen Association of Self-Publishing Authors, Inc. was conceived to give self-publishers a safe harbor. You can read the manifesto, to get an idea. We’ve just begun. I invite you to become a member (it’s free) and help us form an association that provides power to self-publishers.

By: Felice Gerwitz

Felice Gerwitz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:52:34 +0000

High five, Bill. Great tips for an aspiring author. There are so many resources for authors now that it is hard to separate the chaff from the wheat.

I agree with you that book production takes time. I am not a fan in speed writing. I have penned books in as little as one month only to revise for up to a year. Currently, I am publishing a mother-daughter book on relationships. The authors approached me two years ago and because of delays, revisions, re-edits, changes and more changes we have missed the deadline. But, I would rather delay a book promotion than put out a shoddy product. If more self-publishers hired professionals to help them with their work, the industry as a whole would not get such a bad rap.

I have self-published nineteen books, eight of which have received distinctions, and one book was selected as Book-of-the-Month by an organization in my niche market. I have hired good graphic artist, editors, and now PR agents. It is money well spent, we can’t do it all.

By: Michele DeFilippo

Michele DeFilippo — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:29:57 +0000

Excellent advice, Bill. Especially about the design and typesetting time, and the absolute necessity for proofreading after typesetting is complete. Now that everyone has the tools to publish on their desktop, there’s a common misconception that the task is fast or easy. Often overlooked or skipped entirely are the tried-and-true steps that have always been followed by publishers to producing an excellent book. I’m glad you offered this review.

By: Debbie Unterman

Debbie Unterman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:09:20 +0000

I have used the metaphor of my book being my baby many times, but I never thought, until now, that I must have had a five year pregnancy. I hope, just like with births, the second and subsequent books must be easier to deliver.

By: Elisabeth Davies

Elisabeth Davies — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:48:37 +0000

Dear Bill,
Thank you so much for this article! I found it extremely informative and helpful:)
I am currently in the process of having my first book, Good Things Addiction, Emotional Healing Journal illustrated. I had no idea that it would take this long. I estimated my book would be published by late 2009. As it turns out my time line is months off!
So, Thank you for this article, I really needed to read this as a reminder of how long it actually takes to publish a book:)

By: Kathleen Gage

Kathleen Gage — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:26:12 +0000

Excellent article Bill. A time line is an essential part of the foundation for a book. And yes, things often take more time than we originally estimated.

Kathleen Gage