Book Two: Publishing – Real Life Tips for: Writing, Publishing, and Promoting Your Own Books. (On a budget of almost
zero.)


By Michael Esser


Link: 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book-two-michael-esser/1108336821?ean=2940032973522


I was interested in Mr. Esser’s book because I am an aspiring  novelist. Also, because I want to know how self-published authors get from their  word processor to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the like. Mr. Esser did have  some interesting information.


He suggests proofreading and getting a professional editor for  the self-publisher. He is correct in that suggestion. As an editor for a small  publishing company, and as a reader, this is a very important step that should  not at any time be ignored. Good friends and family, even if they’re quite adept  at the English language, spelling, and punctuation, are sometimes too lenient on you. Hiring a professional means you’re probably going to find better editing, making your book a better seller. There’s little more upsetting than people talking about your book because the editing, or even the formatting, was horrible. The public expects more, even in the day of the self-publisher.


His tips on where and how to format seem appropriate without going forward and attempting it myself. He tells his readers where and how the ISBN is appropriated. He discusses marketing, but slightly misses the mark without more specific information. He tells how to figure out pricing of your published piece.


Mr. Esser, however, falls short in his own work by not following his own advice. Spelling is incorrect (“by” instead of “buy” for example), bad formatting in spots, etc. His sentence structure and wording are lacking in places, which is something a good, or even half-good, editor would have helped fix. Considering this is a how-to for self-publishers, I expect much more from him.


If you want some information in the self-publishing steps, go ahead and get it. This book as of today (May 30, 2012) is a free download for nook. As long as you remember he did not follow his own advice, there are some helpful tips here. Do not let this be your only resource, however. There are more appropriate books available for the self-publisher to become more prepared with their self-publishing journey.


Unfortunately, I hate to give bad reviews, but this can only get a 2 of 5 stars from me and that is for content.