Self-publishing Workshop
Jon Sievert
Sat, Mar 28, 10am–2pm
Reserve: 154-5058, limited to 12
US$50 or 700 pesos

A viable alternative accessible to anyone By Jon Sievert

Got a book you’re ready to publish but can’t find a publisher? No wonder. The once-vital and varied New York publishing industry has been reduced to just six large corporations after many rounds of mergers and acquisitions. Even many small and medium-size publishers have been absorbed.

Nevertheless, nearly 300,000 new English-language titles and editions were published in 2008, thanks largely to revolutionary technological advances that have made self-publishing a viable alternative for almost anyone. My workshop examines the options and procedures for successfully publishing your own book.

The mid-eighties, with the advent of graphic-based computers and desktop publishing, created the first boom. By the late nineties, the emergence of print-on-demand and online bookselling had made self-publishing accessible to almost anyone who can type. Unfortunately, the ease of self-publishing has also brought a plethora of badly written, edited, designed and marketed books that probably shouldn’t even have been written in the first place.

Until print-on-demand emerged, publishers were obliged to work with a traditional offset printer to produce 2,000–5,000 books to make it cost effective and pay thousands of dollars upfront. Then the books had to be stored, shipped to distributors and customers, and invoiced. In other words, you had to run a business.

I emphasize print-on-demand and online selling through Amazon that removes many of those barriers. Almost 25 percent of all books are sold today through Amazon.

Bookstores, in many ways, are the worst places to sell books. With your listing on Amazon, a customer orders a book, Amazon contacts your printer who drop-ships the book directly to the customer and then deposits the money into your account.

I will help determine if you should work with a so-called self-publishing firm, such as iUniverse, Authorhouse, Xlibros and Lulu, or why you should start your own publishing company and make profits instead of royalties.

In four hours, I will address editing, designing and marketing your book; how to get reviews; how to produce an e-book; and other issues you will face. In addition, handouts will be generous.

Call 154-5058 or email jon@humblepress.com  for more information or to reserve a place.

Jon Sievert was a photographer, writer and editor for the music press for 25 years before founding humble press to publish his book, Concert Photography: How to Shoot and Sell Music-Business Photographs, which has sold 6,000 copies. From the mid-nineties through 2003, he was active in the independent publishing community, serving for three years as President of the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Publishers Association and working as a book coach, editor and designer.