Are you Indie...? Are you make your own paper Indie?

So, I will admit to having some early reticence about publishing through createspace, because it is owned by Amazon. I did a lot of research and found about half a dozen indie-publishers. aka 'vanity publishers'. Every company I found came with a fee or a contract that included fronting the cost of additional editing, formatting costs etc... The low end for these types of publishing services is $1000. You can also pay them to design a cover or convert to ebook. You can probably pay them to write your next book.

Createspace was the only publisher I found who would let me do everything by myself. By myself, was a lot of work. By myself was also the support of a lot of readers, friends, encouragement and support. Nothing is free. I did purchase Indesign and a few other tools necessary to do it myself.

Now, I am in the same place as any other independent author, paying printing costs and trying to find ways to get my book out there, trying to figure out consignment, trying to figure out who will give me the time of day.

Much to my surprise, support  may not come from booksellers who support independent authors. I choose sweat equity and Amazon and the result is that I am alienated from some of the only resources I have to get my book out into the world. I've yet to send my book to reviewers yet, mostly because I have no idea who they are, but I have to wonder how many people will refuse to ever open the cover of my book because at the end of the day, my independent writing project is too corporate.

They funny thing is I still pay for each printed copy. I pay printing and mailing costs. If an independent bookseller sells my book at a 50% split, they make $6. I make $6 - printing and mailing cost, so I make about $2. And Amazon makes $3.

Obviously, I am not going to get rich. I am not even going to break even. It would be nice to get it out there however. Again, thank you Brooklyn. Spoonbill and Sugartown in Williamsburg is the only response from the indie publishing front. Very grateful for that.

Okay, back to my mortar and deckle.

Thom

I, Frankenbook

This project feels pretty dead. I have pretty much exhausted my local resources. I have inquired on several occasions to local book reviewers and new reading venues, but I seem to have run out of cred. Also, between the holiday extravaganza and a major work transition (and 14,000 other projects) there has not been a lot of left over time for follow-ups and blogging and general go-getting.

So, I have constructed an old stone tower, with a very long wrought-iron lightening rod and my book is laying on a clinical table with a clean cotton sheet over it. Hopefully with a nice ZAP!!! she will be back on her feet:)

I've attached a photo of an incredible resource for indie authors that was assembled by a pair of Brooklyn authors: M. Craig and Rami Shamir. The map is a comprehensive list of books sellers who stock titles by indie authors. It is a big list and I am sure each has its own consignment process, but I just sent an distribution inquiry email to each store listed, so hopefully I get some responses.  It may be a good idea to follow up with a snail mail letter with a copy of your book. Or at least that is what I am going to do if I don't hear back from everyone of them:)

Still working on some regional readings and need to crack the professional review acorn. Hopefully I will have something to report on in the next blog. An earnest effort to get a review, do a modest book tour, and procure some national distribution and I think I will have done everything in my power to give this project a fighting chance. I think I will be able to look myself in the mirror at least. And then I can write the next damn book.


Let me know if you want a link to this google map. These guys are rockstars in my book. The generation of this map is probably the content of its own novel. Check it out!