I have put together a book using some old notes that a relative left for me over the years that I scanned as jpegs. In some of them the handwriting is bad so I need to put a translation, and some of them need an explanation to set the scene. I've decided to self-publish them. Blurb is very intuitive but lacks the sales options that Lulu offers. Whereas, Lulu makes it very difficult for what I'm looking to do because it's sort of a hybrid book. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.
posted by adfeb on Jun 9, 2009 - 3 answers

I have a web site. I want to write a book based on the topic. I have publishers/agents asking to talk to me, but I don't know if I'm ready. For one thing, I'm not convinced traditional publication is best — I'm intrigued by self-publishing and e-books. I'm looking for general advice: What are the pros and cons of each method? It seems that unless I'm lucky, traditional publishing offers the lowest dollar return. But are there other, intangible benefits I'm missing? Exposure? Having somebody who knows what they're doing guide me along? And how do I approach a discussion with agents/publishers so as to get the best deal? [more inside]
posted by jdroth on Jan 7, 2008 - 13 answers

Has anyone used blurb.com? More to the point, what are my options for self-publishing? [more inside]
posted by docgonzo on Dec 11, 2006 - 6 answers

I want to use cafepress to publish a small book of black and white illustrations, maybe about 100 pages. I'm concerned that their 100mb pdf limit will result in poor image quality. This is a personal project. Has anyone made an artbook through cafepress? Were you happy with the result?
posted by quibx on Dec 7, 2004 - 15 answers

Does anyone have any suggestions about self-publishing comics, or possibly publishers who might be interested in submissions? [more inside...] [more inside]
posted by jpburns on Apr 27, 2004 - 8 answers

I have a game that I am interesting in self-publishing. I don't have a lot of capital to put into it myself, so I'm thinking about using pre-orders to generate the bulk of the necessary revenue. What is the etiquette, if you will, of pre-ordering? What's "too long" between the submission of a pre-order and the availability of the product? I don't want people to actually give me money unless I can guarantee eventual shipment of the product; how is this handled? I'm thinking of how Amazon doesn't charge your card until an item ships; is that how pre-orders are typically handled? Do business that operate on pre-orders borrow against those pre-orders to pay for manufacturing, and then cash in on those pre-orders to pay back the bank? Any wisdom in this area is appreciated.
posted by blueshammer on Apr 20, 2004 - 13 answers