Part of the reason for starting this blog was because I have a few author friends. Many of these friends ask me questions from time to time about police procedure. A few of them have asked me to help fill in plot holes related to crimes and investigations. Which more than once has lead an author to point out that I have a good imagination and should write a novel.
I have a few ideas for a novel but I know nothing about writing. So I have been reading up on publishing and the process of becoming an author. It is fascinating. especially now a days with ebooks and publishing directly to Kindle.
That is where the book APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur comes in. In APE, authors Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch explain why they have gone into self publishing their books. Both Guy and Shawn are well established authors who write about technology.
Some of you may know the name Guy Kawasaki from his time at Apple computers. He was the Apple spokesperson for many years. He has appeared on many TV shows and documentaries about Apple computers and technology.
After various issues with publishing via the standard publishing system. As in getting an agent and finding a big publishing house to print books. Guy started to look at self publishing to so he could maintain control.
In the past self publishing cost money. Today with Ebooks and Print-on-demand self publishing is easy and close to being free. Some think of it as free, but an author may still need to buy the right software (adobe indesign, scrivener, MS Office) and may also need to hire a proof reader.
The book is loaded with information. It covers the issues of if you should or should not look at self publishing. It also covers much of the process to go through to self publish. Chapters even included step by step instructions on final formatting and uploading a book to Amazon Kindle. It ends with ideas on promotion of a book and marketing it.
The companion web page for APE even has Word and Adobe InDesign templates to create a book. There are also some other resources on the companion web page also. Such as sample contracts and a test to give to potential proof readers before allowing them to suggest changes to your text.
The book clocks in at a solid 400 pages. It is a fast read. A good 1/3 of the book is step by step tutorials. These I skimmed more than read. The authors actually suggest skimming the book because there is so much information contained it in. Which is what I suggest also.
I am very happy I got this book. If I ever do sit down to write a novel, I will have some things to think about when it comes time to publish. I would think this is a must read for anyone who is writing or seriously thinking about writing a book.
The chapters on marketing a book were something I had never considered. In talking to author friends they got excited at things suggested in this book they had not tried. In the end APE shows that anyone can write a book and get it published. It also teaches that a writer also need to drive to be their own entrepreneur, acting as cheerleader for their own title.
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