Howllo Fellow Hound and Children’s book writing lovers:

I receive about 5 e-mails a month with this question. I am writing this blog posting so I can copy it into an e-mail for my answers to those questions.
So, if you don’t give a hoot, you can skip this posting! LOL!

So you want to see your work published by a major publishing company?
This blog posting is not for you either.

I self published my book,

Lily, a basset hound’s tail of love.

It took me 6 years and a lot of money.

The best advise I ever received was from my brother in law. He told me,

“What you are doing is like an investment. Never be willing to invest more than you can lose.” (man o man was he right, but hope still springs eternal!)

So, how much can you lose? This is the first question you must ask yourself.

OK, you have the answer.

Go to this website and buy this book,
Dan Poynter’s Self Publishing Manual.

From this book I learned most everything. This guy is fantastic and helps you every step of the way.

This will give you a great understanding if you are up to the challenge of self publishing your own book.

I poured over his advise, read the book 10 times, and highlighted almost every line.
He is the master!

The writing and designing is the easy part, at least it was for me. The hard part starts when you have to get your book to the printer.
(The extremely hard part comes later!)

For me, this part was not so bad. I had been working with a graphic designer for the past 10 years. Keep this in mind. You absolutely need a graphic designer to help you in this phase. Mine helped me during the entire process. Most good, knowledgeable, graphic designers charge about 50.00 to 90.00 dollars per hour. They will set up your book for printing. Do not wait to consult one when you are done with your masterpiece. Work with a graphic designer from the start. Tell your GD what your printer wants and do design work from there. Guess what? There is a standard size along with a standard page length! (If you hope to market to brokers).

Market to brokers? They will not touch you without bar codes and ISBN numbers. You cannot get into libraries or book stores without them! You have to apply for them and pay for them.

Don’t forget to copyright. That is a huge step you do not want to miss.

The Library of Congress is also a number and place you want your book. They don’t accept shotty work! You have to be professional. The Lily book was accepted on my first try I am proud to say. I shed a few tears with that approved number.

OK, it is time to print. You have done all of your hours of research. Printing in the USA cost 5 times the amount of printing in China for a 4 color, hard back, dust jacket book.

You choose China.
Now you have to deal with China, Import, Taxes, and Shipping!

The Lily book is on it’s way from China on the Sofie Maersk!

Happy days! You are elated and cannot wait. But wait! You have to get the 5,000 books trucked from NY to your home. The Import guy asks, “Do you have a dock?” A DOCK! Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! “The books are on pallets and a fork lift will be needed” Double Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I’ve solved every other problem, this one will be no different!

The books were trucked to Cincinnati to a storage facility that unloaded them. Then I hired moving company to go get them, break the pallets, load the cases onto their truck, and deliver them to my home!
THIS IS FUN!

Want to see the video?

The extremely hard part has not even started yet! Selling them! LOL!

That’s an entirely different blog posting!

So there you have it fellow book writing lovers.

With passion and money! You can do it to! Or you can send your kid to Harvard for two years! I told Chaps and Emma they are going to stay home with their MOM! I spent their college educations on my previous hounds, Lily and Chloe! Slurp!

More Later….I am working on my next book. Cat, Chaps and Emma

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