Books on self-publishing

Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, 16th edition

Dan Poynter’s basic self-publishing manual has been around since 1979. The 16th edition was published in 2007, and the publishing model he focuses on involves printing books in quantity, and warehousing them and fulfilling orders yourself. Nevertheless, read this book! All of it!

The subjects covered in this book include why you should consider self-publishing, writing a salable book, starting a publishing company, producing the book, marketing and promoting your book, and selling books yourself. It’s important to learn as much as you can about the publishing industry, and this book is the place to start.

Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual Vol. 2

Vol. 2 was published in March of 2009 and updates the 2007 book. It includes information on publishing your book using print on demand and as an e-book.

Aiming at Amazon by Aaron Shepard

This book is also a must-read. Aaron Shepard is constantly updating his book, so be sure to get the latest edition. His focus, as you can guess from the title, is on publishing through Amazon.com.

Perfect Pages by Aaron Shepard

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on having your book designed using InDesign or another typesetting program, you can do an adequate job using Microsoft Word.

Aaron Shepard's website is also an excellent source of information.