According to Bowerman, “This book is for those who realy want to turn their pasionate creative efforts into real ‘pay-the-mortgage’ money.” Acknowledging that “self-publishing” caries an enormous amount of negative baggage (and deservedly so), the author says the focus of the book is to dramatically raise the bar on quality, for starters: I’ll show you how to create a bok indistinguishable in quality from one produced by a reputable publishing company; how to do a far better job of marketing and promoting that book than a publisher ever could; and how to make far more money than you ever would with that publisher. As this is writen, together, the two books – about 50,000 copies in print – had earned him a full time living for over five years. It’s far less about some way you have to be than it is about a bunch of things you have to do.” At that point, the book kicks into gear, offering up discussing indepth discussions of book production, distribution, marketing, promotion, publicity (through one’s own web site, the Internet, radio, article writing, bookstores and far beyond), Amazon, spinof busineses, and an entire chapter on the controversial so-called “revolution” known as “POD publishing” (print on-demand). Landing a publisher has never been harder. And by doing it all yourself, you control the timetable (potentially shaving 12 to 18 months off production). Plus, you retain all the rights, alowing you to leverage the brand you’ve created into a host of profitable “spinoff” busineses – each with its own income stream. As Bowerman is quick to point out, “Succes as a self-publisher is far more a function of a proces than an aptitude. Starting from perhaps not-so-obvious fundamentals (“Write a book people will want to read”), the book progresses through a discussion of the significant limitations of the conventional publishing model (despite the best intentions of most publishers). The books became “standards” in the lucrative field of comercial freelancing: writing for businesses, large and small, and for hourly rates of $60-125+ or more. The book finishes with five appendices offering up resources and a time line for the self-publisher, a primer on foreign rights, and more.. The definition of a ful-time living (straight from the horse’s mouth): Okay, we’re not talking “picking out-chateauxin-the-South-of-France” kind of money, but the book paid al my bills (including a couple of print runs each year), allowed me to stay the course in funding my retirement account, stay completely out of debt, and take a few nice vacations each year. But, what if you are one of the lucky ones to land a publisher? Wel, here’s what you can count on: anemic royalty rates, 18 to 24 months to publication, and giving up the rights to your book. Would that work for you? The Well-Fed Self Publisher is a 300-page, detailed, step-by-step blueprint that explains exactly how the author did what he did. So many want to get published, but few understand the enormous challenges, the feirce competition, and the merciless reality of bookstore shelf. Thanks to the Internet, self-publishing has become easier, more viable, and more potentially lucrative than ever before. In 2000, veteran commercial freelancer Peter Bowerman self-published The Well-Fed Writer (an award winning Bok-of-the-Month Club selection) and in 2005, he did the same with its companion, TWFW: Back For Seconds (triple-award-finalist). And guess what? You’ll stil be expected to do most of the marketing yourself! There’s a beter way. Then, in a nod to the outright panic and terror most “creatives” expereince at the mere mention of the term “sales and marketing,” the book provides an entire early chapter to help demystify these often daunting concepts
EAN: 9780967059860
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Should I buy the The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living?
Perfect for the entrepreneurial freelancer
Peter Bowerman is a successful freelance writer in the commercial market who rocketed to success with his first self-published book, "The Well-Fed Writer," followed that up with "The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds," and has now packaged the keys to his success for other writers in "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" (TWFSP). He chose to self-publish for several reasons: greater control of the process was certainly one of them, but he also felt he could do better by overseeing the process himself than by handing it over to a publisher. Why? Because he believes that unless you're selling to a mainstream market, many of the marketing efforts of a publishing company will be ineffective compared to the highly-targeted efforts you can put together yourself. Besides, as he points out, these days publishing companies expect you to do much of the marketing yourself anyway, so why not pocket more of the profits as well?
TWFSP is fairly specifically aimed at authors of niche market books--primarily non-fiction--who have written quality products and seriously wish to market and sell them to make a profit. If you want to self-publish a novel for the mainstream market or a family history just for friends and family you'll still find some handy information in here, but the book isn't really aimed at you and you'll find much of it irrelevant.
For folks who fit the book's intended audience, however, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" is a dragon's hoard of clear, well-presented information. Because of the tight focus, Bowerman is able to present highly targeted and relevant information that walks you through each step of the process. This makes the whole thing feel less overwhelming (although don't make the mistake of thinking it's simple!) and allows him to present a great deal of information on ways to cut your costs without cutting quality. By keeping his focus narrow he gives himself room for depth.
If you're a talented writer in a niche market who wants to write and sell her own book, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" provides an incredible amount of information as well as plenty of pointers to more. It's written in an accessible, friendly style jam-packed full of information to absorb. It's encouraging in tone, yet never tries to soft-sell the amount of work involved in this endeavor. It's difficult to imagine trying to make a serious attempt at self-publishing without this book right next to my computer.
Great Reference on Self-Publishing for Everyone
Peter Bowerman has created a wonderfully accessible reference for anyone who has ever thought about self-publishing. He presents all the ins and outs of publishing your own book in a straightforward manner. Even better, he includes his own experiences, both good and bad -- yes, he made mistakes -- making his book both more real and more readable, and ultimately more useful to the potential self-publisher.
A quote from The Well-Fed Self-Publisher sums up what Bowerman explains so well in this book: "Self-publishing is a big job, no question, but technology has made it so much more feasible than it's ever been before in history."
Make no mistake, this is a self-publishing how-to book with solid credentials behind it. The author has earned a full-time living for over five years, from his two previous books, The Well-Fed Writer and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds. Before that, Bowerman spent close to 30 years in sales, marketing, copywriting and publishing. Clearly, he has certain skills from his background that you may not have. By letting you know exactly how he went about self-publishing his own book, he has made it possible for you to decide what will work for you.
The author covers how to approach writing, marketing and selling your book, and discusses publicity avenues including Amazon.com, the mainstream media, your own website, radio and bookstore signings.
Almost 50 pages of useful material can be found in the five Appendices. Not only does the first of these, Resources, include books and websites, but also the specific vendors that helped Bowerman with his own books, from cover design to typesetting to publicity.
Bowerman is very convincing - his personality as it comes through in the book is engaging, self-deprecating, enthusiastic and humorous. In The Well-Fed Self-Publisher he tells you how to make an informed foray into the realm of self-publishing and realize your own dream of seeing your byline on a published book.
By the way, if you do decide to follow this route, Bowerman's surprisingly long list of self-published authors proves you will be in good company, with the originally self-published likes of Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe.
Self-Publishing Made Possible . . . and Lucrative
The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living by Peter Bowerman is an essential book for anyone interested in taking a well-written book and turning it into a living. It is a comprehensive book covering all the essentials.
Also, it is useful for any writer who wants to know how to create a book that "turns heads and grabs eyeballs." For those blessed people who have found the ideal publishers, this manual serves as a guide to understand what is happening and what individual authors need to do.
Looking through The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, I can see that the process of becoming a successful self-publisher is not a way to get rich without a huge amount of work, determination, and thick skin. It is good to have someone like Peter Bowerman blazing the trail. He is an encourager. His book is one you will want to carry around with you and read in your spare moments.
He covers the basics, but he does not stop with the basics. He moves on to aspects of publishing that relate to the electronic age, such as publishing on demand, websites, and ezines. This book is a necessary tool.
I am using The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living to promote The Collard Patch and Flavored with Love: Mary Lou's Family and Friends Can Cook. His techniques and suggestions will be most helpful.
I hope you found this review helpful.
Buy. It. Now.
I have read Dan Poynter's The Self Publishing Manual three times. I have written and published an ebook, just to get my feet wet in the whole, scary, ISBN process. I have planned all along to self-publish my teacher book.
So when Peter Bowerman released his long-awaited The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, I figured it would be a book to fill in the cracks of my knowledge. After all, Dan Poynter is, "THE grandfather of self-publishing." I didn't expect to learn too much more--after all, Dan Poynter's book is comprehensive. However, the book's subtitle, "How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living," is so seductive, I can't imagine a writer who wouldn't be at least intrigued.
There was no question, though, about whether or not I would buy Bowerman's book. Oh, I would buy it, that's for certain. I am one of thousands of loyal followers of his series: The Well-Fed Writer, and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds. Both are available here on Amazon.
So I knew I would buy it, thinking that it would be a good additional reference to have in my self-publishing ventures. It's a tax-deductible expense, after all. I did not think that it would surpass the other self-publishing references that are out there.
I thought wrong.
Bowerman lays out the self-publishing process step-by-step, in a logical, thoughtful manner. I did know all of the good reasons to self-publish, and knew that publishing is not about art or writing, really, or grand higher purpose (psst...it's about business). I didn't know exact marketing strategies that he has used to be successful. I didn't know how little money could actually be spent on fulfillment services, to free up my time. I didn't know that he would be so detailed with his examples, which is most helpful for a new publisher who may be frightened with the entire project.
Mostly, I didn't know how much marketing needs to be done. Oh, I knew in theory, but Bowerman presents the marketing options like a lovely banquet table full of new and exciting treats, begging to be consumed. He makes the marketing efforts seem far less daunting than they did before. Of course, this is easier to see once you go along for the ride with him, and realize that, as a self-publisher, "...you have one job and one job only: Build the Demand for Your Book." Accepting this premise, all of the marketing strategies outlined throughout the book fall into place.
Along the way, Bowerman pays tribute to many other fine authors who can help a publisher become a success. He always lists contact information, or at the very least, a website for these folks. What I found most helpful about the lists of people and information, though, were the personal examples that Bowerman illustrates. He always returns to his example of a successful book campaign, be it how to work with [...], how to give a great radio interview, or how to assemble a press kit using a copier, scissors, and glue stick. No, seriously. It's in there.
Everything in the book is presented from Bowerman's perspective; he presents himself as a "case study" for the rest of us. It's a type of , "This is what I did, now you do it," scenario, and it works. Not only does he let us know what he did, he lets us know who he worked with to get it done. He refers often to particular pages on his website, to illustrate his points. This is another way that he makes the point: his advice is meant to be practical. Use it.
Marketing isn't the only thing a self-publisher has to do, though. Having a good book in hand is always the best start. What about the self-publishing industry itself? What about creating the perfect book cover, editing and typesetting, having an index and appendix? Yes, yes, yes, all of this is discussed at length. No worries.
Possibly the best part of the book is Appendix A, in which he compiles the names and contact information of the actual people who helped him put his book together, all in one place. I wonder, knowing how popular his books are, whether or not these people are absolutely swamped with work. I imagine they are. I know I'm considering calling them.
In addition to the actual book, three bonus ebooks are offered:
The Well-Fed Self-Publisher's Biz-in-a-Box
* contains every bit of marketing "paper" that Bowerman created/filled out/used during the promotion of his books
The Self-Publisher's Time Line - LIVE!
* a time line for the bit-by-bit approach that helps us to conquer the mountain that is publishing, with live links (given the correct .pdf reader)
Self-Publishing Resources - LIVE!
* essentially a repackaging of the indexes of the book, with live links. Very helpful.
The first one is available for separate purchase, and at a discount if you buy it along with the book. The other two are offered as free bonuses for purchasing the book off his web site (you get your choice, or pay a bit more and get both) and sold as standalones as well. This is an example of creating "spinoff" items for purchase, which is covered in its own chapter. Their value, compared with the enormous expense of printing one's own book, is incredible. They are worth far more than the asking price. Of course, I bought the whole schlamazel.
It's easy to beat the same drum as others when writing a review like this, and should be avoided, but I cannot: his writing style is what sets this book apart from the rest. This has been said about all of his books, and frankly, it's worth noting again and again. Bowerman writes like he talks, which is what he advises.
While it is refreshing to see someone practice what he preaches, I must say there is one aspect of his writing that grates on me: he often uses incomplete sentences. Bowerman has done this since his first book, and it is a remnant of his marketing writing skills. He asserts in his first book that a writer need not always use complete sentences, because sometimes a conversational tone would otherwise be compromised. Every time I read one of the sentence fragments, it raises my hackles. There are enough instances of this for me to take note of it.
Should that discourage someone from purchasing this book? I think that would be foolish--especially if that person wants to be a publishing success. Really, it's my problem, because Bowerman is right: writing like we speak makes a book easy to read. I really should just get over it.
Someone who wants to pursue a conventional publishing route may benefit from this read: knowing all of the different components of a book publishing project may help writers to understand why it is so difficult to have someone else publish them. Those who think that self-publishing is for them will enjoy this book more than the others out there, because of Bowerman's easy-reading style, and personable nature that comes across in his writing.
Yes, I'm a groupie, and yes, I'll buy anything he writes. There's a reason for that. Buy the book and discover what all of the Well-Fed writers know.
Tired of missing meals
If you are or aspire to be a successful writer, then this is a must read. This is a how to manual and an excellent reference source for anything you can possibly want/need to know connected with writing, editing, book covers, marketing and building a spinoff business.
The book is well written, logically organized and most importantly comes from first hand experience. Bowerman tells what he did right and also the mistakes he made. It is an excellent blueprint for any aspiring writer to follow.
It is also a great reality check. He dispels any myth that your book will simply take off just because you get it in print. Bowerman has done a real service by telling the "facts of life" about selling books. That you must start with a good title, cover and content and then market like your income depends on it. It does. You cannot depend on anyone else, publisher, PR or publicist to do your marketing for you.
Bowerman spends a lot of time and energy on how to develop and carry out a marketing campaign. This is the one area where most writers fall down. Most writers are a bit introverted - and therefore shy away from marketing. It is not going to happen unless you, the writer, do it. If you are not willing to spend the time and effort marketing your book, save yourself the effort in writing it. It will not market itself.
He gives great tips on how to write press releases, get reviews and generate buzz. His advise is not to talk so much about the book as what it does for the target market. This is a common marketing mistake - talking about the features rather than the benefits. The benefits are all that the target market cares about.
There has been a lot of hype lately about POD. Bowerman does an excellent job of taking an honest look at the pluses and minuses of POD. And there are a lot more minuses than pluses. This section alone is worth the price of the book a few times over if you were considering POD.
The book is basically written for the non-fiction writer. But the basic principles apply to all writing.
If you are serious about self-publishing, read this book before you waste a lot of money. If you really are going to self-publish and build a spinoff business from your book, this book is an extremely valuable guide and reference resource. There are literally hundreds of web address for additional resources.
A must for anyone considering self-publishing.
