The Self Publishing Handbook by Brad PauquetteIt’s my pleasure to announce that Columbus Press has released The Self-Publishing Handbook: Five Key Steps to Professionally Publish Your Book.  The book is available from all major retailers in print and e-book formats.

I’ve been working as a publishing consultant since 2008, for lots of different types and sizes of publishers.  Self-publishing is a mixed bag.  It can be done right, but it’s often done very wrong.

I’d like to see more people self-publish right.  The authors who are most successful approach self-publishing as a business, they’re starting a tiny publishing house.  Like any micro-enterprise, success is dependent on research, product quality and contracting the right experts.  This book helps potential self-publishers apply these principles to the world of publishing.

Self-publishing is nothing new.  Classic authors like James Joyce and Beatrix Potter were self-published.  What’s new is that today you can self-publish with virtually no investment.

Even as recently as 10 years ago, self-publishing required the investment of thousands of dollars for professional printer setup, print runs, etc.  Most people do a little research and commit themselves to excellence before they spend that kind of money.  But today, with print-on-demand technology and e-books, self-publishers can now “publish” a book with no investment.  You can literally upload an unpolished Microsoft Word document from your computer, and see your “book” for sale on Amazon a few hours later, at no cost to you and with no quality control.  As a result, lots of people are jumping into self-publishing without taking the time to put together an effective product and an effective business strategy.

I hope that more people will read this book and decide to self-publish right.  Even though they can do it for free, I hope they’ll commit themselves to producing an excellent, professional piece of literature that can stand up in the free market.

You can find The Self-Publishing Handbook on Amazon.com here, or look for it from your favorite retailer.  Columbus Publishing Lab is also offering a free PDF of this book, find that offer here.

If you get a chance to read the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon.com and/or Goodreads.com.  Thanks!