Hi there. Chicago is in the midst of what is possibly the biggest snowstorm in more than a decade.
Fortunately, I’m prepared. Not for the storm, but for the blog today. I spent a lot of last night putting together some sidebar links on Self-Publishing and so I can leave a quick post about it now and get ready to face down Snowmageddon 2011!
To your right you’ll see a sidebar stocked with all kinds of goodies. Archives/Categories/Search for this blog. Links to my book and other projects. Writers. And a column called “Self Publishing.”
As a self-publisher you’re going to have to be the master of many skills, and when you can’t master them, you’ll need to know where to go to help. This list isn’t comprehensive (although it grow moreso over time) but it’s a good place to get started. You’ll find links to help you write and prepare your work, such as Bill Shunn’s excellent Proper Manuscript Blog and the Chicago Manual of Style. You’ll find resources to qualified freelancers who can help you edit, design, and proof your book, such as the folks at ManuscriptEditing.com. I’ve only listed one self-publishers printer, Lulu, which I use myself, but I will add more with time. They aren’t the cheapest, but they are one of the most user-friendly, and they certainly offer a broad array of tools. Review sites and book listing sites, like ForeWord Reviews and Bookwire. And finally, there are a variety of trade and writers associations, like the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Mystery Writers of America. Even a few “grass roots” writers movements, like NaNoWriMo.
This list is incomplete right now and will only get better with time. But… there’s certainly enough there now to get started. Go ahead and poke around the sidebar, and I’ll blizzard-proof my apartment, and listen to the Isley Brothers.
“Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind”
Photo by Reuters / John Gress.