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  Xlibris - Self-Publisher - info?

  Hi -

  My husband and I are in the process of finishing a book and are looking into self-publishing options. We received some information from this company (www.xlibris.com) and just wanted to see if anyone has heard or used this company before? Any insight? Any help or knowledge would be appreciated.

  We're still new to this so I just want to make sure that we go with a legitimate and reputable company for our first book.

  Thanks for any information that anyone can provide.

  Monique~

  MoniLuce started this discussion 4 months ago. ( reply )

• 

  Krasna 

  Monique,
  For people considering publishing a book, you can't do better than to go to the Independent Booksellers Association (IBPA) at ibpa-online.org. They have a wealth of information available even for non-members, and much more for members. Depending on where you live, you can also join one of the local affiliates. There is no substitute for meeting with a group of people who have done what you are doing, and I've found that independent publishers are generous with their time and information. Another source of much information is Dan Poynter. You won't believe how much information is on his website at parapublishing.com. As for publishers and printers, there's a lot more to consider than just the price per copy, as you might imagine, and everyone has their own horror stories. If you do decide to get quotes from some independent publishers, the two issues you want to thoroughly understand before signing are distribution and marketing (you will end up doing most of it NO MATTER HOW you publish), and rights. The two sites I mention are great starting places for both of these issues.
  Regards,
  Krasna

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

  show 1 reply

  • 

    MoniLuce 

    Thank you for your help. I appreciate the links and information. We're off to a good start and should have something finalized within about a week or so.

    posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

• 

  J.D. Holiday (edited)

  Monique,

  I did not have a good experience with the company you named, though others did okay with them.
  This and many more of these companies are print services, which sometimes are called POD publishers,
  but you pay them they get the better deal by getting most of the money your book makes and you may
  not be happy with their work.

  Self publishing is when you manage and pay for everything. It is hard and there is a lot to do!
  Buy the ISBN's, hire the printer, book designer if you don't know how yourself and learn all you can
  about what makes a book look professional. It's not easy, but you call all the shots.
  Let me recommend a book if you really want to look into it besides the one Krasna mentioned above
  by Dan Poynter; The Publishing Game; Publish a Book in 30 days! By Fern Reiss.
  I wouldn’t recommend the 30 day thing, but it covers it all. You need to take your time and
  learn this if you do self publish.
  Also, two other books are Aiming At Amazon by Aaron Shepard and Print-on-Demand
  Book Publishing by Morris Rosenthal.
  I wish I had an easy answer for you.
  Sincerely Jan

  posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

• 

  Mary Korr 

  I just published a book with them. They did a nice job on my website, so take a look and see what you think.
  The illustrations are by an artist I hired myself.
  Since I am a journalist and editor and have worked for so many years on writing, layout and design, I was able to get through the process without too much trouble, but I cant imagine someone not knowing anything going forward without carefully investigating.

  The xlibris folks were responsive to any needs or questions I had, and also did a nice job designing the promotional material. I did have to correct some copy editing mistakes they made on the back cover jacket.

  A key to self publishing which I read somewhere was to have the book returnability option in any plan you select, or bookstores will not carry it. I called my local bookstore to set up a reading today, and that was the first thing they asked me.

  Xlibris and authorhouse, another publisher I worked with on a book I edited for another author, frequently run sales - 50 percent off etc, which is what I did.

  Hope this helps

  posted 2 weeks ago. ( reply )

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  MoniLuce 

  Thank you everyone for your insight. We ended up using Xlibris anyway and for the most part have done a great job. I appreciate everyone's comments and experiences. We did select the Bookstore Returnability option also so that's good. I am still waiting on a few more details before we start scheduling book readings or signings yet.

  www.DavidLuceroBooks.com

  Thanks,
  Monique~

  posted 12 days ago. ( reply )

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