JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

HughAshton's past comments

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  HughAshtonFeb. 09, 2010 - 10:24AM JST

  A little more about the self-publishing route:

  Lulu is not the cheapest option around - there are other companies which will reduce the cost per copy. However, Lulu does provide a number of services which some don't (for example, an ISBN, which you need for commercial distribution, costs $135, but Lulu can provide one for free). They also allow you to list the book in the Ingram's database, etc. for free, and will arrange distribution services outside the Amazon US universe for a relatively small fee.

  You do indeed only pay for the copies that get printed (+ shipping, of course, and to Japan, that's not very cheap). As an author, you pay less than retail, of course, and accordingly, I've been able to get copies sent to reviewers in the US and UK for less than it would have cost for me to order them and send them from my home.

  And gogogo - you are absolutely right - without promotion, no-one knows anything about what you've done. You have to work hard to get the name out there and make sure people know about the book. Then you have to persuade them that they want to buy it. It's hard work. Satisfying when you sell a copy to someone you don't know personally, and they say that they enjoyed it, but it's backbreaking labor most of the time.

  Posted in: Indie publishing: Releasing your own book is getting (a tiny bit) easier

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