Since 2014, publishing veteran Debra Englander has interviewed over a dozen authors about the decision to self-publish their work and their experiences with editing, designing, printing, publicizing, and the myriad other tasks that go along with being a self-published author. Following each interview, Englander talks with other publishing experts, including freelance editors, publicists, agents, and others, asking them for their opinions about how those self-published authors did in their efforts to share their work. The result is an invaluable collection of case studies in self-publishing that offers independent authors advice, warnings, encouragement, and inspiration.
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Nita Wiggins [1]
8.17.22
Nita Wiggins describes writing and self-publishing Civil Rights Baby: My Story of Race, Sports, and Breaking Barriers in American Journalism, and an agent and a publicist add their perspectives and offer self-publishing advice.
Nikki Peoples [3]
6.16.21
Nikki Peoples describes how she self-published her sci-fi novel, The Station. An editor and a publicist give their advice on reaching more readers, leveraging the power of social media, and finding the right team of publishing professionals.
Marlen Suyapa Bodden [5]
4.8.20
Marlen Suyapa Bodden describes self-publishing her historical novel Arrows of Fire and hiring editorial and publishing professionals during the process. A publisher and a marketer weigh in with additional advice for engaging with readers.
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Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard [7]
4.10.19
A historical novelist discusses her experiences in self-publishing; an editor and publicist weigh in.
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Ethan Senturia [9]
6.13.18
An entrepreneur self-publishes a book about the failure of his business. An editor and publicist weigh in.
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Vinnie Kinsella [11]
10.11.17
Vinnie Kinsella shares the process of self-publishing an essay anthology, Fashionably Late: Gay, Bi, and Trans Men Who Came Out Later in Life. An editor and a publicist weigh in.
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Lucetta Zaytoun [13]
2.3.17
Lucetta Zaytoun discusses the process of self-publishing her debut memoir, It’s Already Tomorrow Here, last year. A publicist and a publishing consultant offer their advice on design, distribution, and long-term marketing strategies to the author.
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Jonathan R. Miller [15]
9.17.16
In a continuing series, Deborah W. Englander consults an author and events manager, as well as a CEO of a book-marketing firm, to provide self-published author Jonathan R. Miller valuable book-industry advice on his novel The Two Levels.
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Vinnie Mirchandani [17]
2.10.16
Can the publishing industry’s traditional business model compete with today’s marketplace? The president of a technology advisory firm and self-published author tries to answer that question through an analyst’s lens. Literary agent Cynthia Zigmund and publicist Rob Nissen weigh in.
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William Hertling [19]
10.14.15
A successful self-published novelist talks about how he used his background in programing and knowledge of artificial intelligence to write and market his best-selling techno thriller series. Editor Jessica Page Morrell and publicist Jessica Glenn weigh in and give advice to burgeoning self-publishers.
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Clayton Smith [21]
6.17.15
Clayton Smith has self-published several books, including his latest novel, Apocalypticon, and used his experiences to cofound Dapper Press, a company that provides essential services like editing, design, and promotion to self-published authors. Editor Kim Bookless and publicist Lissy Peace weigh in on Smith’s process, and such self-publishing necessities.
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Beau Phillips [23]
4.15.15
A former radio executive writes about his behind-the-scenes experiences with rock stars, and puts his vast media expertise to work promoting the book. An editor and publicist weigh in.
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Keith Devlin [25]
12.16.14
When science author and NPR Math Guy Keith Devlin decided to cut a section from his soon-to-be published book on Fibonacci, he realized he had a unique opportunity—to self-publish the deleted content as an e-book alongside the hardcover book. We hear from Devlin, his agent Ted Weinstein, and publicist Amy Ferro on this uniquely challenging and exciting endeavor.
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Jeffrey Blount [27]
10.15.14
In the second installment of our new self-publishing column, indie author Jeffrey Blount discusses his book, Hating Heidi Foster, while publicist Anna Sproul-Latimer and bookseller Bradley Graham weigh in on how to grow a self-published book’s audience from family and friends to a wider community of readers.
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Robb Cadigan [29]
8.20.14
For the first installment of our new column on self-publishing, an indie author details the route he took to self-publishing his novel, while editor Paul Dinas and publicist Corinne Liccketto weigh in with post-publication comments and suggestions.