POD Requires Focus and Grit

by Jansen Estrup

War Stories for My Grandchildren

Self publishing is an adventure.

It can be as difficult as writing, and as rewarding. But the two activities are as different as can possibly be.

War Stories for My Grandchildren was not my first self published book. Several years earlier I had published Tales of a Clear, Dark Night with a different POD (Print on Demand) publisher and was reasonably happy with the experience. I chose a different company this time because my original choice had moved its operation off-shore. I wanted to 'invest' my money in an American outfit. One of the big selling points for POD, it seems to me, is the efficiency of effort and materials (books are published only as required, rather than by the unsold thousands).

Another was the relatively minor investment for everyone concerned, and should my work catch on I stood to make the lion's share of profits. I was, after all, doing almost all of the work - author, editor, layout and cover designer, proof reader, promoter, sales rep and legal beagle (check various legal web sites to study a writer's responsibilities regarding slander and libel - and don't forget to read and understand your contract. Failing that can cost you extra dollars!)

Like many 'over-fifty' folk, I had to learn new computer skills, such as sizing and labeling graphics, up- and downloading, graphics design, how to access my galley proofs and especially the patience to work with a computer literate production assistant, who not only knows computer jargon but speaks a different, more "international" style of English. And remember, an assistant is not the advocate for your work - you are.

True, the publisher may do some of the technical hassling for you - registering ISBN and copyright, listing the title in various trade journals when it is published and actually printing and distributing copies to bookstores, individual buyers and libraries in the United States and abroad. You can also expect them to provide software for your posters, business cards and internet advertising to help you generate sales. Especially important is the 'associate' assigned to help you through the actual process of creating a real-life, honest to goodness book!

But the vast majority of work will be yours, and we're not discussing the actual creation of the work, either. I'm talking about proof-reading spelling (and using the proper sound-alike word), punctuation, grammar, editing for continuity and flow, even assuring that nothing you've revealed in your story is classified by a government agency or opens you up to lawsuit by 'injured' parties. All of these matters are your responsibility. I recommend that you work closely with literate and objective friends to ferret out the mistakes you are quite likely to overlook, either through habit or ignorance (nobody knows everything) and accept their input like you would an editor's or any other muse. Take their advice seriously, and be grateful, even if, in the end, you do not adopt their suggestions. Selecting an engaging title, for example, can make all the difference between grabbing the reader's interest and not. The same is true for cover design. Most people are attracted by eye-catching colors and shapes. It, like everything else to do with your book, is important!

If you were working with a standard publisher, editors and lawyers would do this sort of thing for you. And for an extra four or five hundred dollars, some POD firms will 'evaluate' your work. This may well be worth the money, or be little more than a pep talk designed to lock you in to the next expensive offering - promotion. Your book will also receive its own web page on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and others.

Promoting your book is yet another icy pond. Some long established 'vanity press' publishers (not the same as POD) will happily set up your very own book signing tour for as little as, today only, $3500.00 (which does not say anything about the $Ks they have already charged you to print your book. There are always plenty of 'Keep sending me money, I'll keep offering you stuff come-ons' out there to avoid.

Others, for instance book reading clubs, provide addresses and contacts via the internet and allow you to advertise your book to 25 of them each month. You might even offer them a discount to choose your cherished project. You'll be expected to pound the pavement/use your favorite electrical talking device to set up local displays and interviews, unless, of course, you have an agent. Agents might do such things for you. You'll be sending copies of your book (autographed are appreciated) to various reviewers, some of them free, others will expect to be paid for their time, effort and expertise. Many web site links will help your book lite up for search engines. You might also profit from entering your self published book in annual contests, like those run by Writer's Digest. For a $50 or so entry fee, your baby will be probed and analyzed, evaluated against the hundreds of other entries and adjudged in a number of categories. Cash prizes are awarded and the winners are applauded in the press. Those who did not win are given an official entry letter and, in my case, a very warm review of War Stories, which I use in other promotional venues, for example, my personal web page. Other reviewers, such as Midwest Book Review, select and advance self published books of many categories every month without charge.

I encourage anyone with the persistence to write a book to take the additional leap into POD publishing and to embrace the completed challenge as a second grand achievement. Wear it like a badge. You will have earned it.

Visit Estrup Books.