Have you written a book and thought about publishing options? Perhaps it's been sent to literary agents and/or publishers but nothing's happened. It's a good book, you know it, and you just want to find a way to get it out there. If this rings true then you might consider self-publishing with Print On Demand technology. POD is hardly new; it's been around for about 15 years. Books are printed up as ordered so there's no need to stock a garage full of books or sell them from your car's trunk. What is new are the options and the lowered cost for some companies. As an independent author frustrated by the agent experience, I had to look into options for publishing my manuscripts as both printed books and ebooks. For making ebooks, I discovered ways to do that myself and now sell from major online retailers like Amazon and from my own websites. But for making physical copies I needed a printing company and preferably one of high quality and low cost. Perhaps the best advantage to self-publishing is bypassing the agents, publishers and the slush pile. Being your own boss and keeping the bulk of profits is great too. It's not easy, of course, but it certainly can be done. There are many stories of best-selling books that were first turned down by dozens of agents/publishers only to be self made with great success. And these days POD publishing is better than ever. One company for making your words into realities is CreateSpace. They're owned by Amazon which means your book also becomes available online at the world's largest bookstore. Plus they create an Amazon webpage to sell your books as well as one on CreateSpace. But the best part is that it's entirely free. Free? You heard me right. You get the book published, the extra perks and it doesn't cost a thing. How can it all possibly be free? What makes it free is the do-it-yourself design. The author needs to format her/his book and either create a cover or use one of the pre-made templates. For first-timers both of these steps can come with some hurdles but if I can do it, anyone can. There's also an excellent support forum at CreateSpace with knowledgeable people that help with questions. How does it work? Once you've uploaded the interior files and the cover, you submit the book for review. If it doesn't pass inspection they'll send you an email explaining why and you can make corrections. If it does pass inspection, you then order a "proof" copy to be made and shipped to you. This does cost money but is typically less than $10. If your proof copy looks great; congratulations, you're done! The book can now go live and be made available for sale. The quality of the product is high, the cost is unbeatable, the timetables are fast and the satisfaction of seeing your book in print is an incredible feeling.
Article Source: http://www.bizymoms.com/expert-advice
Jason Matthews is the author of two novels: The Little Universe and Jim's Life. He also wrote the self-publishing guide: How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - All for FREE. He lives in Truckee, California with his wife and daughters. Jason can be contacted through his websites.