Product Description: Landing a publisher has never been harder. So many want to get published, but few understand the enormous challenges, the fierce competition, and the merciless reality of bookstore shelf. But, what if you are one of the lucky ones to land a publisher? Well, heres what you can count on: anemic royalty rates, 18 to 24 months to publication, and giving up the rights to your book. And guess what? Youll still be expected to do most of the marketing yourself! Theres a better way. Thanks to the Internet, self-publishing has become easier, more viable, and more potentially lucrative than ever before. In 2000, veteran commercial freelancer Peter Bowerman self-published The Well-Fed Writer (an award winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection) and in 2005, he did the same with its companion, TWFW: Back For Seconds (triple-award-finalist). The books became standards in the lucrative field of commercial freelancing: writing for businesses, large and small, and for hourly rates of $60-125+ or more. As this is written, together, the two books about 50,000 copies in print had earned him a full-time living for over five years. The definition of a full-time living (straight from the horses mouth): Okay, were not talking picking-out-chateaux-in-the-South-of-France kind of money, but the book paid all my bills (including a couple of print runs each year), allowed me to stay the course in funding my retirement account, stay completely out of debt, and take a few nice vacations each year. Would that work for you? The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is a 300-page, detailed, step-by-step blueprint that explains exactly how the author did what he did. According to Bowerman, This book is for those who really want to turn their passionate creative efforts into real pay-the-mortgage money. Acknowledging that self-publishing carries an enormous amount of negative baggage (and deservedly so), the author says the focus of the book is to dramatically raise the bar on quality, for starters: Ill show you how to create a book indistinguishable in quality from one produced by a reputable publishing company; how to do a far better job of marketing and promoting that book than a publisher ever could; and how to make far more money than you ever would with that publisher. And by doing it all yourself, you control the timetable (potentially shaving 12 to 18 months off production). Plus, you retain all the rights, allowing you to leverage the brand youve created into a host of profitable spinoff businesses each with its own income stream. Starting from perhaps not-so-obvious fundamentals (Write a book people will want to read), the book progresses through a discussion of the significant limitations of the conventional publishing model (despite the best intentions of most publishers). Then, in a nod to the outright panic and terror most creatives experience at the mere mention of the term sales and marketing, the book provides an entire early chapter to help demystify these often daunting concepts. As Bowerman is quick to point out, Success as a self-publisher is far more a function of a process than an aptitude. Its far less about some way you have to be than it is about a bunch of things you have to do. At that point, the book kicks into gear, offering up discussing in-depth discussions of book production, distribution, marketing, promotion, publicity (through ones own web site, the Internet, radio, article writing, bookstores and far beyond), Amazon, spinoff businesses, and an entire chapter on the controversial so-called revolution known as POD publishing (print-on-demand). The book finishes with five appendices offering up resources and a time line for the self-publisher, a primer on foreign rights, and more.
Ravished Again I was so thrilled to see that Peter Bowerman had done it again, and was so close to publishing my second book that I bought the e-book, downloaded it, printed it out and spent several evenings happily employed with a hole-punch.
I couldn't wait for the print version, so now I've got a pretty bulky, but useful, product. I love it! I use it! It's great!
Thanks, Peter Mary Lynn Archibald
This is the best "Road map" to get it done I already wrote a book and after a never ending correction process, finally got it ready to print. BUT, at that point,got so many questions that I was paralyzed. After researching decided to go self-published. Here is when "The well fed...self publisher" rescue me from the jungle of choices, teaching me ALL I need to know to succeed. I appreciate very much your help Peter!!!!. A wrong decision means not only wasted time but a lot of wasted money too!!, from this point of view this book pays itself many times. I recommend this excellent book to everyone looking for a COMPLETE GUIDE to be a self publisher. It is full of real world tips & tricks that helps you to find always the right path in each topic covered. I feel that the author teaches ALL he knows with the authority of his vast experience.
Thanks again !!
Anibal anibal2100@hotmail.com
PS: just in case, no, I'm NOT a friend or relative of the author. Just a reader. I wrote this positive review because he deserves it
Do you want to do more than just PUBLISH your book? Peter Bowerman goes far beyond your typical how-to book on self publishing with the The Well-Fed Self-Publisher (TWFSP). Packed inside this info-packed gem is example after example of what to do AFTER the book is printed. Most of us self-publishers are looking for more than just seeing our names in print. We want to sell books, establish our expertise, or carve a niche for ourselves in our fields (or all of the above!) The Well-Fed Self-Publisher offers the specifics of self publishing as Bowerman shares every secret he's learned along the way as a self-publisher. He also shares a college course worth of knowledge in marketing this book. It's not enough to write your book, you've got to market it!
For all of the valuable information TWFSP provides, it reads like a chat with your favorite mentor. Bowerman's down-to-Earth style and his engaging wit make this an enjoyable excursion into self-publishing. I have kept this book by my side for the past few months as I complete my own self-published book. It's become my "go-to" reference as I navigate the printing and marketing of my upcoming title. There is no way I could have succeeded without it.
The New Testament If Dan Poytner's "The Self Publishing Manual" is the bible of self-publishing, then Peter Bowerman's "The Well-Fed Self Publisher" is the new testament. Written in an engaging and likable tone, Bowerman lays the SP process out in a thorough and logical manner providing rationale and explanations based on first-hand experience. I've already successfully published one book, called 60 Minute Strategic Plan, using his book and am in the middle of publishing a second book. Bravo, Peter, and thank you.
Very Helpful Book on Publishing with a Sense of Humor I read this book and liked what it had to offer. I've also read Dan Poynter's "Self-Publishing Manual," which this book is similar to. Peter Bowerman explains the ins and outs of self-publishing and why it's more profitable than traditional publishing.
The reason I give his book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I simply don't agree with some of what the author says in the book. He says not to typeset your book in MS Word because the quality wouldn't be as good. I formatted and typeset my whole book in Word, and nobody suspects that I actually did it myself. Bowerman is also against POD. Again, my books are all POD. I published my first two with a self-publishing company. Then I published my third one myself, which is also POD. Bowerman doesn't seem to be using Amazon to its full potential either.
Having said that, I still recommend this book. It would be a good compliment to "Aiming At Amazon."
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