TheBlackBookMark

Self Publishing: Scam or the Secret to Writing Success?

Writers know that getting published by a major book publishing firm is about as likely to happen as a sequel to Lady Sings the Blues. So what do you do with your finished manuscript? Increasingly, writers are turning to self-publishing companies to get their books in print.

But are there risks with sending your manuscript that you toiled over for months to a stranger?Naturally, yes. But the main risk appears to getting a sloppy product. These pitfalls can be avoided by simply doing your homework.

Many internet sites advertise easy self-publishing. Carefully consider what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want to distribute your book to a large or small group? Do you want the company to edit, add illustrations, etc.? Identifying your specific needs will help you narrow down all the choices.

Our Local Author of the Month, Vjange Hazle self-published after several unsuccessful attempts at conventional publishing and reports good book sales.

Self-publishing can be quite beneficial to writers. You can control how your book looks and is distributed and keep more profit. It may not appear to have all the glamour of being the flavor of the month by a major publisher, but you save yourself a lot of anxiety and the disappointment of rejection and your book stays just that way-your book.

OPINION:

Chaos in the Bookstore: Why It's Impossible To Find Anything To Read

The megabookstore promised to be everything the independent bookseller wasn't. Bigger, better, more efficient. The promise is officially broken.

Recently, I visited one a few major booksellers. I should have known something was wrong when I saw Shrek Monopoly staring at me from the window. I went in to buy Alek Wek's book and came out dizzy, confused and uncertain as to why I was dizzy and confused.

It's not that it lacks space. It's that their books, tables, board games and other reading paraphernalia take up every inch of space. I assumed that I would find an autobiography in a section entitled "Autobiographies"-after all, there is a section labled "Biographies." But after criss-crossing the store several times, I still couldn't find the book which was only released a short time ago.

I'm uncertain who is in charge of store design for megabooksellers and to be fair, I once visited a very spacious and organized store in the D.C. area. But wouldn't it make sense to put a new release in a section entitled "New Releases" or at least on one of the crowded tables in front of the store?

My experience at another bookstore fared a little better. The store was larger than the first and the various genre signs are easier to spot. However, Ms. Wek's book was not at all where I thought it ought to have been. Looking it up on the store computer, it announced that her autobiography was in Social Sciences/Men/Women/Women's Studies-huh? An African supermodel's first autobiography, not featured in the storefront, but in Social Sciences? By the way, it wasn't there.

I eventually found 2 copies hidden on a lower shelf in African-American studies, which is sandwiched between Gay and Lesbian erotica. Very practical. Again, I can only wonder at the logic behind the organization of this store. I can imagine some mad scientist wildly throwing out suggestions of where things should be and then changing his mind a few seconds later.

When booksellers cross the line from selling books to toys and games and at the same time pretend to be cafe's and video stores on the side- chaos is sure to follow.

I hope the next big trend in bookstores will be to actually carry books.