Le Real FAQ

|

Le real de Minerve beginnt erst
mit der einbrechenden Dämmerung seinen Flug

Am I soliciting manuscripts?

No. I'll publish a few things by family and friends, but that's it. You can do it yourself easily enough.

How can I do it myself?

I have found www.lulu.com easy to work with, and I am also selling my books through my ABE Books account ($25 / month). I have only minimal to moderate internet / desktop publishing smarts, so most people should find this fairly easy. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, a word-processing program, and a credit or debit card. (You do need to be able to make jpegs or gifs for the cover). Some say that Lulu doesn't work well with Macs, but I don't know about that. I used a PC with Open Office Writer; there are many other possibilities.

Publicity will be the hard part. I am well known on the internet and plan to promote the book that way. Lulu seems to have done a good job of placing my title for web searches.

Am I looking for a legit publisher?

If they offer me a good deal, yes. I find editing and book design tedious and would be happy not to have to do it. I also would be glad to see my book effectively promoted.

On the other hand, I like having total artistic control, and I have high hopes for internet self-promotion. I'm not willing (and probably not able) to go on TV, and book tours sound tedious. Through Lulu I can sell a 300 page book for $17 and get a $3 royalty, and few legit publishers can match that.

I am emersonj at gmail dot com.

Original materials copyright John J Emerson

Return to Idiocentrism

jjmrsnx