Self Publishing

Whatever you have heard about Self Publishing is probably true.  I published my book at CreateSpace.com, and a friend at work published his book at LuLu.com.  We both have things we like about the experience.  CreateSpace appears to be a more affordable route to take.  It is possible to publish a book there for free.  And the discount price for authors to buy their own works is fantastic.

You can drive yourself crazy watching the sales.  The tracking site says that they post sales within a few days, but I seem to see the sales reports as they happen.  I have gotten away from checking the sales report every hour, but it is still very addicting to log on and look at the progress.

I picked a very small market to write about.  But I picked something that I can do well, and I think that makes for a great book.  If I was wanting to make these projects, this is the book I would buy!

Amazon has priced my book, for the moment, at a significant discount.  My suggested price was high enough that it qualified for free shipping on its own.  So now if someone buys my book they will want to buy something else so they can get free shipping.  It is a win-win for everyone.  My commission stays the same even when Amazon puts it on sale.

I have been looking for hints and tips on increasing sales at Amazon.  It is a lot of work.  Now I know why people have publishers and agents.  I am spending just as many hours at the computer promoting the book and the website as I spent writing the book.

I am already formulating plans for the next book.  My ideas keep changing, but at the moment I like the idea of making a fancy wooden Stirling engine and using it to power some fancy wooden animated toys!