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hammerintheorient 9:44 Thu Mar 26
Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Obviously Amazon has a program, but I am trying to minimize the amount I would have to share, so I wondered if any WHOers have had any experiences with this? I don't want to give too much away and will probably need to 'don a tin hat,' but the proposed title is related to the education sector. I have a fair amount of experience in this area and believe some of the content would be quite 'enlightening' and possibly a bit 'controversial' in some respects. I have quite low expectations, but I'm quite keen to 'give it a go,' assuming the organizations that partner with would-be authors find the topic sufficiently interesting / marketable, of course. Any ideas / pointers would be most welcome ...
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Coffee
3:03 Mon Mar 30
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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FEH - ha ha!
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Far East Hammer
3:00 Mon Mar 30
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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I remember when my late mother volunteered to proof read my MSc thesis (years and years ago).
The second chapter discussed at great length and in great detail issues with measuring & describing the average speed of vehicles in traffic. IIRC the key one thrust was to do with statistical issues arising from faster vehicles being more likely to pass a given point in a given time interval than slower ones. This was however augmented with various other issues even more pedantic & for everyday purposes, even more trivial. And then just to rub salt in the wounds, a whole load of algebra was required to make things even less clear (as is often the way in academia)
My Mum got as far as that Chapter then returned it to me, stating that despite having worked in the civil service for a few years in-between leaving school and moving overseas for a couple of year, Chapter Two of my Thesis was far-and-away the most boring thing she had ever read in her life!
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Alfs
8:55 Sun Mar 29
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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My brother has his PhD in music theory published. It costs £135. In the 15 years it's been available he's sold two, both to himself.
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hammerintheorient
7:01 Sun Mar 29
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Hey, thank you everyone, including those cunting me off - that usually tends to generate motivation in me, so thanks a lot. Congratulations, kips - that's grand news + I appreciate your pointers, along with the questions thrown up by FE Hammer. I'm not a failed teacher, Gank; at least I'm still in paid employment, which suggests I haven't failed (yet ...). 67, I appreciate your message and suggestion, too. The other thing I've been considering in relation to this project is a kind of academic study (at doctorate level) in tandem with the book (it is, in fact, possible to get a PhD 'by publication,' which might look something like this [feel free to correct me if that's wrong, though]). I appreciate that most PhD theses do not get read, perhaps by combining a touch of the 'tabloid' in the teasers, 'reflection' in the book chapters, and 'data' from the academic part, it could attract a bigger or perhaps broader audience? Who knows? It has certainly helped me to hear your idea. Much obliged, fellow WHOers!
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Aberdeen Iron
2:30 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Created enough images to choose from so the plan was to do a photobook, a season of awaydays of my local semi-pro team. However, the season has ceased early so three grounds short and the mood of fans seems to have been killed for now,
I've used Blurb in the past and was hoping to crowdfund some of the copies before ordering.
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yngwies Cat
12:55 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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I knocked out story when at Primmary school for the end of year magazine called the 'Run Away Train'
It was published, much to the delight of my mother,
however his soon turned into horror when my name
was misspelt.
I vowed after that should I ever pen another tome, it
Would be under that pseudonym.
D Grunt....
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White Pony
8:53 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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From the way you wrote ‘enlightening’, ‘controversial’ and ‘give it a go’, I can only surmise that your book would be absolutely unreadable and most readers would struggle to reach the end of the first paragraph.
Otherwise, good luck with it.
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kips
7:46 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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hammerintheorient
After I retired from work I thought about writing a book, They reckon there is a book in everyone.
My effort was published last month.
Like yours, mine is a non-fiction book which I started researching in 2016. By Early 2018 I had enough of it complete to approach publishers.
I must have tried about 20 publishers without any takers so I too thought about going down the self publishing route.
An unknown, first time publisher of non-fiction could only, in normal circumstances, expect to sell no more than about 500 copies through a publisher.
Self published books could well be half that as it would not get the exposure/publicity or in enough market places that a publisher would have access to.
In theory self published books are obviously a lot more profitable for the author on each one he/she sells but to make the setting up, printing and marketing costs viable you need to be selling in excess of 500 copies I would think.
I was fortunate enough to find a publisher that took it on and its been reasonably successful up until know. Unfortunately, now that all the countries book shops have closed down for the duration it is not so great but at least it is available on line.
Good luck if you go for it yourself but try to do as much market research as possible to see if the thing is viable otherwise you could end up seriously out of pocket.
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Far East Hammer
6:10 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Are you wanting to:
1) Publish a book for the sake of having an artefact in your hand?
If so it's basically a vanity project. Can be done but even if you get a "proper" publishing deal, you're unlikely to see much return (I know a couple of people who've done this)
2) Looking to turn a profit?
Then you might need to investigate e-publishing. I have an old friend who's been publishing fiction this way for a few years. Not sure how much he actually makes out of it. But maybe I could put you in touch?
3) Seeing this as a means of increasing your profile?
In other words this to make your key skills more saleable? This can overlap with (1) or with e-publishing. Or you could put it together, compile into a PDF and then email to those who might potentially hire you now or in the future.
(I believe that WHOer Coffee has gone down this path previously, albeit with an e-newsletter/ magazine for the industry he's in)
And if you do get your book released by one means or another, you might also wish to consider "salami slicing" it into a series of articles/ papers/ presentations to try and get those interested in individual themes to ask for a copy of your book. (Note you might need to be a bit careful if you have a commercial publishing deal, in terms of not simply doing a cut-and-paste on large tracts of your book as journal articles. And I presume you'd need clarifications on this when discussing the contract with a commercial publishing house (as opposed to book printer's))
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Alfs
3:58 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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I see that the literature element of this thread as nosedived.
Good old Gank.
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gank
3:10 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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No, I'm not the violent type. I'm like most people. I can't abide cunts.
*not you. You seem alright to me.
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lowermarshhammer
3:07 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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I'm just a charming gobshite
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lowermarshhammer
3:06 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Ha ha. You must be a violent type.
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gank
3:05 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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If the posters on here are exactly like they pose, in real life, I would want to beat fuck out of 80% of them.
Alternatively they can apologise to me.
Not sure meeting in a pub is a good idea!
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lowermarshhammer
3:03 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Gank good luck to you post pub.
I think there are many on here who cunt each off behind a keyboard but could get on perfectly well pissed up in a boozer.
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Peckham
2:59 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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What you need is a small desktop printer, a ream of paper and enough ink to print out two copies.
hahahaha
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gank
2:57 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Shut the doors yesterday lmh, he has plenty left but it all has shelf-life. We got through every bit of short-term perishable stock in that place.
He was moaning yesterday that he's coined it in but it will all be gone on his first order post-apocalypse. What a cunt, we kept him in poppadoms for 2 more weeks than all the other pub owners around here.
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Alfie
2:47 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Savage riposte there
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lowermarshhammer
2:46 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Your best work for a while GANK son.
Been down the pub recently?
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gank
2:45 Sat Mar 28
Re: Self-publishing - any experiences?
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Enough INK to print out two copies
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