Book Review: Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Self-Publishing

  Like so many people, reading is one of my favorite hobbies. In particular, I enjoy reading to children. There are so many amazing children’s books from my childhood and the present that make me smile, laugh, cry, or even all three in the same book! It has been a dream of mine to write a children’s book one day. However, when I hear about how difficult it is to be published, my dreams deflate a bit. I’ve considered self-publishing and I investigated options a little bit a few years ago. These websites make it look so easy! No sending off my book to numerous publishing companies and coping with rejection when the little letter comes in the mail to say, “No Thanks”? I’m sold! However, I have always wondered – Is it that easy? Do books really sell this way?

“Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing”, written by Michele DeFilippo, discusses self-publishing as an option for authors. Michele DeFilippo is the owner of 1106 Design, which is a company that works with authors to self-publish their books. DeFilippo provides background information about self-publishing and speaks to the fact that so many authors are drawn in by companies that do not produce a book of as high quality as it potentially could be. People who are not familiar with self-publishing can easily be taken in by the companies that proclaim it to be a simple and quick process. Authors can certainly develop a book through this avenue; however, they may be disappointed with the lack of sales as a result.

“Publish Like the Pros” discusses the six steps to creating a quality book that will sell:

Step 1: Cover Design
Step 2: Manuscript Editing
Step 3: Interior Layout (aka Typesetting)
Step 4: Proofreading
Step 5: Corrections and Final Review
Step 6: Digital File Prep

My thoughts about the book: As a total novice, this book provided a wealth of information. I liked the fact that the book is a quick read and provides education on the basics and the process of publishing a book. For example, I was not knowledgeable about “typesetting” and how important this is to the overall look of the book. The book does sound to me, at times, to be promotional of the 1106 Design company, but that was alright with me. Should I consider self-publishing in the future, I would love to hear a quote from them as to what it would cost me. I liked the straightforwardness of the book. I want to know what mistakes other people make so that I don’t make them myself. I found chapter 6, “Book Distribution, Pricing, and Marketing”, to be the most informative and helpful for me. In this chapter, DeFilippo provides numerous tips and strategies, including how to determine the cost of your book, how to promote the book, and where to distribute it.

More about the Author: Michele DeFilippo owns 1106 Design, a Phoenix-based company that works with authors, publishers, business pros, coaches, consultants, speakers…anyone who wants a beautiful book, meticulously prepared to industry standards.

If you would like to read more about the services that 1106 Design provides, please visit http://www.1106design.com.

Publish Like the Pros can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

*Disclaimer: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post.  I received a free copy of the book for the purpose of this review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.