The Self-Publishing Venture

by Eva Bogaardt
(Moorpark, California)

"Books don't make money." So said my teachers at UCLA, but I didn't believe them until I invested in the monetary sinkhole called self-publishing.

Why did I decide to become an independent publisher???

I couldn't wait for a mainstream publisher anymore, because the subject of my book was turning 90.

Romance vs. Reality/Actuality

Everybody will love my book VS. "The audience is too small"
Self publishing is easy...If you have lots of time and money
I'll make lots of friends VS. What friends? I'm a writer!
I'll start my own venture VS. Don't forget...
ISBN
LCCN
BA
DBA, (MBA)
Tax Certificate
Letter heads
Business cards
Accounting programs
1099's
Promotional materials
Posters

Mistakes:
I should have read Tom & Marilyn Ross's The Complete Guide to Self-publishing (first!)

Hence, the format is off (narrow margins); my dust jacket scuffs (not laminated); my first book run was too short (100 instead of the 1,000 I needed); news releases came too late (after publication date rather than before); forgot to mention the publisher website during the radio interview (oh well, it was a first); I don't blog enough (what's a blog?)

Successes:
I produced a library quality product (major expense for designer René Mayfield, editor Sue Newton, Unique Bindery); landed a radio interview with KCSN (sheer continual nagging to get it); enlisted UCLA Professor Emeritus of Musicology, Dr. Malcolm Cole (for credibility and cover blurb); got independent bookstores to carry my book (lots of phone calls and personal deliveries): planned book signings (more phone calls); joined author events (won a high speed flash drive); partnered with reputable distributor Baker & Taylor (for a price); established my own publishing firm (Shareage Press); and filed taxes (to recoup losses).

It's true, "Books don't make money." They are a labor of love.