Posts that contain books by author ‘ Self-publishing ’

Book Disclaimers Don’t Have to be Boring!

Many authors assume the legal disclaimers at the front of their books are supposed to be boring. They presume some pricey lawyers devised standard legalese, and they dare not depart from the norm. Not so. The law does not require… Read the rest

The Problem of Orphan Works

Last week, I had lunch with a writer who is deep into revising her memoir. She showed me a stack of photos from her years in summer stock theater and Off-Off-Broadway plays. She told me how important they were to… Read the rest

Think Like a Publisher (and Release Your Inner Badass)

I see this all too often. A writer wants to self-publish without being a publisher. She hands off her manuscript to a company like AuthorHouse, IUniverse or WestBow Press without doing any homework. She doesn’t even research the company’s… Read the rest

Don’t Let Your Hollywood Dream Turn into a Nightmare

With the successful adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s WILD, many authors are imaging their books on the big screen. What writer hasn’t cast a movie star into their leading role or heard the perfect song for their opening credits? I… Read the rest

How to Tell Which Self-Publishing Company is Right for You

The following is an update of a post I wrote for Joel Friedlander’s ever-helpful blog at TheBookDesigner.com. On the path to self-publishing, your first decision will be whether to: Engage a self-publishing service company (SPSC) to do everything from… Read the rest

Welcome to the Hotel Author Solutions

UPDATE, OCTOBER 18, 2015:  Today, I checked the websites for IUniverse and AuthorHouse to see whether they had made any changes to their form of publishing agreement. Yes, they have. While their old form gave them the right to continue … Read the rest

Joining THE BOOK DESIGNER as a Contributing Writer

Like many writers considering the plunge into self-publishing, I started my research on the internet. Without exaggeration, the best resource I found was, and still is, Joel Friedlandler’s THE BOOK DESIGNER. THE BOOK DESIGNER website covers everything from structuring… Read the rest

What’s the Worst Mistake an Author Can Make?

What is the worst mistake a self-publishing author could make? A bad book cover? No. A poorly edited manuscript? No. A hokey website? No. It’s losing his or her copyright. Your copyrighted work is valuable property, just like your car… Read the rest

How Many ISBNs Does One Writer Need?

More than you realize. An ISBN, short for International Standard Book Number, is a unique identifier for a particular version of a book in a specific format. You will need one for each edition of your book, each format, and… Read the rest

Can Your Million-Dollar Idea be Protected?

Here’s a scary thought–ideas are not protected by copyright law, no matter how unique and valuable.  If you give your elevator pitch in an elevator, anyone who overhears you may snitch it. Copyright law applies only when a work is… Read the rest
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