Have you self-published through Lulu.com?

alias

I am working on a book project (non-JW) that will have both illustrations and text and I am interested in self-publishing.

I checked out Lulu.com and it looks extremely easy to do it once the manuscript is ready to go.

Are you self-published? Have you used a POD like Lulu? Pros/cons? Any tips or good resources for a publishing newbie?

Will this thread become a page-turner?

alias

OnTheWayOut

I have read books from lulu.com. I have downloaded and purchased some. I am considering publishing
there, but my project is far off yet. I am starting to shake the bitterness from my exit from JW's and
the bitterness was driving the bookwriting. So now, I don't know if I will get the passion to finish the book
and ever publish.

misanthropic

Rebel8 publishes through there she would know all about it.

alias

OnTheWayOut,

When I began my fade 11 years ago I discovered an amazingly, deep, creative part of me longing to be expressed. I've been working with that part of me ever since, giving voice to it, expressing it, playing with it -- and with delightful results -- which is how I arrived here.

"I am starting to shake the bitterness from my exit from JW's and the bitterness was driving the bookwriting. So now, I don't know if I will get the passion to finish the book and ever publish."

It sounds like you already have the passion. You simply need to choose to channel that energy into your creative outlet of writing. Why not just write a page a day or a week or a month and see where it goes. Do it for you. At the very least it may be therapeutic.

Good luck!

alias

still_in74

I discovered an amazingly, deep, creative part of me longing to be expressed

how true, after years of not writing any new lyrics the words are flowing now. I cant wait to start writing tunes again. funny how that works eh?

OnTheWayOut

Writing the book was very therapuetic for me. I have a few chapters finished (except for the adds I
keep putting in to them). There's a rough road ahead with some family members and I will get the
passion back one day.

That's not the only way to write- as a self-medicated answer to bitterness or depression, but it's
my way right now. I think I will be able to channel my energy one day if the bitterness disappears.
But I am so enjoying the fade from JW's and the fade from bitterness. I still write regular posts to
deal with the daily minor bitternesses, but that's starting to fade, also. I am really enjoying the
freedom.

Nathan Natas

Visit Lulu.com and do a search for "watchtower" and then do a search for "jehovah."

I think you'll agree that many of the titles you see came out of the XJW community.

You can repeat that process at cafepress.com to find other tchotchkes.

monophonic

personally, i would consider self publishing as a last resort. while a book can be produced and look good, there's nothing like getting a publishing company behind your book which will tackle one of the main problems of self publishing, publicity, getting blurbs, shelf space at bookstores, etc..

or, if you have the money, hire a publicist, though they can get up to $15k to represent a book.

unfortunately, many journalists won't give a second look to review a lulu.com book b/c of the stigma of 'vanity' publishing...i'm not saying i agree with it, but i have yet to find a self published book reviewed in publishers weekly, etc. And getting reviews means getting into libraries, libraries for the most part won't bother with a lulu.com book either.

a non-fiction book also doesn't need to be completed in order to get bought, think about submitting proposals to agents and trying to find someone who wants to rep you. look at who repped joy castro's book or other memoirs that have been published re: the jws through large and small publishing houses.

it could take 18+ months after the book is purchased and complete for it to hit market, but there's behind the scenes hype happening during that time to book sellers, journalists, etc.

i guess i would love to see more books on jws on the market and getting the attention they deserve, that's why i hope you give other options a try.

any sales figures for those who have published through lulu.com or a similar site on jws?

another idea is lightningsource.com. i've seen small presses use them with decent results, they're transparent as the printer, but promise a quick POD turn around for amazon, etc. the set up fees might be higher than lulu, but setting up a small press dedicated to jw books, or doing an anthology of jw writing as the first release, then following that up with you book will really up credibility....but credibility w/o publicity....there's lots to think about.

i'd love to be able to read any excerpts from your book if you chose to post them here.

best of luck!

Hortensia

I have both self-published and have been published by a huge international textbook publisher. I made more money self-publishing. There are many steps, but they aren't hard. The hard part is writing the book. Here are some things I learned:

find a book proposal guideline online. Many publishing companies have them online. Use the book proposal guidelines to write your book, even if you don't intend to submit it to a publisher. It will make your writing easier and will make your book much better.
You can also find professional editors online. Do a google search for editors, check out their prices, email them and find out how they like to receive the book - as a word doc, or hard copy. However you send the manuscript to the editor, be sure to use no formatting other than paragraphs and headings, but don't format the headings. Double-space the manuscript. If you are going to self-publish, it is worth the money to pay a professional editor to edit your work.
unless you are a graphic artist, you will need someone to professionally typeset your book - they use special programs for that, and can insert your artwork and produce a final disk to give to your printer.
you have to order a barcode. You can do that online, too.
You will need a cover design. Take a lot a hundreds of books at Borders or somewhere similar and see what covers attract your attention, no matter what the subject is. That will give you ideas for your own cover.
You will need a printer who does small runs - there are loads of them. Printing in Asia is cheaper if you plan to print hundreds of thousands, so pick a printer in your own country for smaller runs of 1000 to 10,000 copies. My advice is, only print 1000. You can always print more when you sell those.
List your book on amazon.com and sell it on ebay too.
oh yes, you'll need to get it copyrighted and you'll have to send a couple of copies with the paperwork to the Library of Congress, so you do that after the book is printed.
you also need to get an ISBN number, which you can do through Books in Print online. Hope that helps. buy a copy of Writer's Markets and read it. Full of very useful information.

Flowerpetal

Oh I just LOVE this forum!!! I like to write prose and poetry and one of my friends has been encouraging me to publish but I knew the hard way was to find a publisher who thought I was good enough and I knew the only way for me to go was self-publishing. Thanks for info on Lulu. I'll go check it out as soon as I can.

Have you self-published through Lulu.com?

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