Ditch the Publisher: 40 Indie Authors on Their Unique Self-Publishing Journeys

Thinking of self-publishing? Who better to advise you than 40 writers who have been there, done that and, well, written the book?

Once upon a dark age, self-publishing authors were those who couldn't get published, had huge bags of cash to hand over to the vanity sharks and enough space around their houses to store the hundreds of copies of their masterpiece, forever to remain unread. Back then, if you were a musician, dragging your little rock band around the pubs and clubs was the only way to get noticed, but for writers, going it alone was a badge of shame, a tattoo on the forehead saying 'Reject', a one-way ticket to obscurity.

But then came the Internet and the opportunities for new writers exploded. We could go indie too, develop a fan-base and even become a bestseller (heard of Fifty Shades of Grey?!) without ever having to jump through unpredictable, elitist, publishing hoops. It's a revolution and it's still changing. In fact, more and more traditionally published authors are looking over the fence at the colour of our grass, choosing the increased freedom and royalties over the perceived kudos and security of traditional routes.

These are exciting times, but to succeed on an ever-changing playing field, information is power and you've come to the right place. The contributors of this book occupy a sizable percentage of the space on the Kindle, Smashwords, Lulu and other indie-book providers, with experiences that span a wide range of genres, routes and success levels. We have bestsellers and newbies, all with something important to say on the subject, from writing the book, formatting it and finding it a home, to the all-important circus of marketing of which you must become the ringmaster.

Contributors include… Michael J. Sullivan, David Jay Ramsden, Beth Orsoff, Terri Reid, L.J Sellers, Diana Mylek, Lexi Revellian, Scott Nicholson, Joseph Lallo, C.S. Marks, Aliyah Burke, T.M. Nielsen, Gerard O'Keefe, Sybil Nelson, Lindsay Burouker, Dean Wesley Smith and Russell Blake. We are also treated to contributions by Arnold R. Beckhardt who published his first book at the age of 85 and German Alcala who published at just 13.