Self-Publishing EBooks and PODs: One Step at a Time - Second Edition Review

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Self-Publishing EBooks and PODs: One Step at a Time - Second Edition ReviewWhile there is good information in this book, it failed to hold my interest. It read more like a technical manual than a how-to. In addition, there was a lot more in it about publishing a downloadable ebook than about Print-On-Demand (which happens to be what I was looking for). If you want a step-by-step about how to put a downloadable PDF book together, this would help.Self-Publishing EBooks and PODs: One Step at a Time - Second Edition Overview

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Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet Review

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Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet ReviewFINAL REVIEW 22 June 2008
This is not a technical book, it focuses more on the socio-political aspects of how knowledge is communicated among scholars. While it addresses fraud, it does not address the ideological war against science, high crimes and misdemeanors including deliberate lies to the public, or the nuances of "fog facts" and "lost history."
The author brings to this effort past experience in the Alexandria Digital Earth prototype project, and the National Research Council's signposts in cyberspace inquiry.
It would be good to have other reviews.
Overview comment: The author has done an extraordinary job in designing this book--writing it must have been easy once the seven page outline of detailed contents was created.
My notes:
+ National Science Foundation (NSF) did not begin investing in cyber-infrastructure until 2006 (my first web site was created in 1994).
+ Grab this lady for the project. She integrates informaiton science, information psychology, information sociology, information politics, and information culture in a manner so well presented I don't mind the headache.
+ Cites G. C. Bowker on data diversity, and ends the book with the observation that search and retrieval across specialized data sources is till very difficult (See Steve Arnold's chapter , URL in the comment.
+ Words and concepts covered by the author, with substantive citation, that I found particularly interesting:
- Data withholding
- Knowledge diffusion
- Consequences of misconduct
- Cultural memory
- Open standards
- Accidents
- History and sense-making
- Cultural boundaries of science (see Dick Klavans and Brad Ashfords' lovely Maps of Science web site)
- Knowledge lost
- Bibliometrics, data as capital
- Ecologies of knowledge
- Ethnography of infrastructure within communities
- Communities of learning, meaning, identity
- Internet Time and unreliability of search engines
- Geographies of the Internet (the project is mapping substnative knowledge)
- The end of isolated inquiry and isolated conclusions (far future)
- "outcomes" and "results" are not in this book--it is a survey
- book's major self-limitation is its exclusive focus on academia--the other seven tribes of intelligence (government, military, law enforcement, commerce, media, non-profits, and civil societies including religions and labor unions are not addresses at all)
- talk about data intensive science but unwitting of urgency of getting to real-time science (changes that used to take 10,000 years now take 3)
- no discussion of retrospective research
- dismissive of self-publishing
- pre-print lag times to publishing are worse than the government
- peer review is broken (as well as tedious)
- conferences not yet digital
- dissemination, diffusion, publicity, transparency, discourse
- search and dfiscovery very corrupt (see Arnold--less than 2% efficacy)
- publishers losing ground to online (greed is killing them as well)
- termporal patterns and pattern analysis of the aggregate knowledge
Heart of the book is the issue of open access combined with the immaturity of the content, tools, and architecture of the digital world of knowledge. Legal, cultural, and technical obstacles will not be settled soon.
I put this book down with two thoughts: it is a stellar piece of well-documented and well-conceived reflection--and it barely scratches the surface of what can and should be known about scholarship in the digital age, to include call centers in China and India able to teach their respective 1.5 billion poor populations one cell call at a time. Schools and universities are still in the industrial era, half advanced day care and half prison. Knowledge is no longer an academic domain--it is the world brain emergent, with eight tribes of knowledge ignoring one another in 183 languages we don't speak, with the cell phone, not the laptop, as the great equalizer and enabler of the wealth of networks.See also:
The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World
The Age of Missing Information
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth'
Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at PeaceScholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet Overview

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The Indie Author Guide: Self-Publishing Strategies Anyone Can Use Review

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The Indie Author Guide: Self-Publishing Strategies Anyone Can Use Review
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is informative, well outlined, well written, and covers a topic close to my heart - self publishing. This book is divided into the following 12 chapters:
1. Indie authorship: An introduction
2. Publishing options
3. Getting organized
4. Creating your brand
5. DIY formatting for POD
6. Editing and revising
7. Designing your own book cover
8. Publishing through CreateSpace
9. Publishing for Kindle
10. Publishing for other eBook formats
11. Promotion
12. An HTML primer
At one point the author says that subsidy and vanity publishing don't offer any advantages over POD publishing these days. I'm not sure this is true. After reading Aaron Shepard's book entitled "Aiming at Amazon" (ISBN: 093849743X) last year I learned that small text does not print as well with POD. Nor do pictures in the book using POD technology. And if the book is going to be over 200 pages or so, then POD might get a little expensive as compared to traditional printing methods. But if you understand the ins and outs of POD publishing, then it is definitely the route to go in order to sell your writing on Amazon. A good, but slightly dated, book on POD is "Print-on-Demand Book Publishing" (ISBN: 0972380132).
Although I haven't read "The Frugal Book Promoter" (ISBN: 193299310X), it is my understanding that it goes into some depth about the importance of branding when promoting one's book. Chapter 4 in the instant book did a nice job explaining the importance of branding.
Although I haven't read "Perfect Pages" (ISBN: 0938497332), it is my understanding that it goes into some depth about how to create formatted Word documents for Print on Demand (POD). Chapter 5 in the instant book did a wonderful job explaining how to use Word to format your self published book copy for POD.
This afternoon at Barnes & Noble I read "The Frugal Editor" (ISBN: 0978515870) and found it to be a good book. But I liked the coverage of how to edit and revise (or get help in editing and revising) in Chapter 6 of the instant book. Well done!
Mr. Shepard in "Aiming at Amazon" explained how to go about designing your book's cover if you were going to use Lightning Source, Inc. as your POD printing service. In Chapter 7 of the instant book we are told how to design a cover if we are going to use Amazon's CreateSpace printing service. I think this coverage could have gone into a little more detail on how to use and customize graphic files. But it was certainly good coverage on the topic.
The material covered in chapters 8 and 9 I have not seen in print in other books yet. They were well done. And Chapter 10 was informative.
Chapter 11 covered promotion well. I liked it. Other books on the subject I like are: "Sell Your Book on Amazon" (ISBN: 1432701967), "Plug Your Book!" (ISBN: 0977240614), and "The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform" (ISBN: 1884956823). But consider getting another book ["The Web Savvy Writer" (ISBN: 0977830403)] sold as an ebook by its author, and an audio book entitled "Secrets of Successful Blogging System" (ISBN: 0978806018) which is kind of pricey, but really good. If you get all these resources, read them, and study them, then you should have an excellent idea about how to go about marketing your tome or tomes.
Chapter 12 was OK. But I think I would have liked the book better if it had been left out. It kind of felt as though it was not within the scope of the book's subject matter. All in all, this book is a gem. I think it is good as a stand-alone guide, but it will really shine if used in conjunction with other books I have referenced in this review. 5 stars!The Indie Author Guide: Self-Publishing Strategies Anyone Can Use Overview

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Publish Your First Magazine: A Practical Guide For Wannabe Publishers Review

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Publish Your First Magazine: A Practical Guide For Wannabe Publishers ReviewThis is a great book. Lorraine give really good advice for those wanting to step by step look at what it really takes to start up in the publishing industry. She alleviates the new publisher from having to do all the research. It's all done for you. She even gives leading industry contacts for associations, printers, distributers , you name it. She even tell you how you deal with them.
Again it's all done for you.
She gives the do's and don'ts for media kits and website design:All which is really helpful when trying to draw revenue from every stream imaginable.She breaks down every aspect of the the industry to a T. That way you know what you're getting into before you jump in the water.
I highly recommend this book to any new publisher, an existing publisher or one looking to learn to the industry before making a final decision.
Lorraine's website is great too as she response to your questions with answers.
For more information go to [']
Buy this book :-) or you'll be sorry
Publish Your First Magazine: A Practical Guide For Wannabe Publishers Overview

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The Columbia Guide to Digital Publishing Review

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The Columbia Guide to Digital Publishing ReviewThe first sentence of this book says: 'Today, virtually all publishing is digital to some extent, whether content is delivered electronically or in print.' He is right, and this large (750 page) book covers virtually every aspect of the digital aspect of document production, manufacture, distribution and everything else. The book is produced by a group of people with experience in all aspects of the industry. They are consultants, analysts, professors, authors, printers, journalists, and come from industry, universities, consulting and publishing firms.
Most of the book is on the technical aspects, the hardware, software communications that allow the creation, management and distribution of digital documents.
The last part of the book is on marketing, copyrights and so on. I believe this area is a bigger problem than the authors admit. Yes, copyright law has been extended to cover electronic publishing, but how do you handle web sites in Nigeria or China that simply don't follow the rules? What is to keep them from selling your material on their web site?
An overall excellent book for someone new to the field. It is getting a bit dated, and a new edition would be nice to have.The Columbia Guide to Digital Publishing Overview

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Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications Review

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Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications ReviewWhen I picked up Claudia McCue's book on print production, it was with the intent of becoming a bit more knowledgeable about pre-flight requirements on my print designs. I had no idea that her book would be so in-depth and that I would be entertained along the way. McCue's writing style is completely readable. Believe me, I was prepared to prop my eyelids open in order to get through a book on print production requirements. So I was pleasantly surprised to find Claudia McCue's Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications such an enjoyable read.
The book begins with a history of printing, to help us understand current terminology and techniques (and to appreciate advances in modern printing technology!) then leads us into a tour of a contemporary print shop. McCue makes certain that we are well prepared for our journey into the printing world by starting us off with all the necessary printing jargon. She next explains what is needed in color versus black and white printing, complications that might arise with various print papers and how to deal with them, and design preparation for binding. She discusses the use of fonts, using pcs or macs and their communication limitations. A much appreciated chapter (for both printers and designers alike) is on planning for printing, or submitting the job to a printer. In this chapter she points out the necessity of planning ahead to increase productivity and limit avoidable aggravations.
A major key point to this book are the chapters specific to the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Applications-Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign. McCue refers to these chapters as "Production Tips" which really, truly are worth their weight in gold. In fact, this book could easily have been alternately named "How to be Smarter, Make Your Boss Smile More & Save Yourself Many Hours of Brain-Wrenching Headaches".
I can't remember the last time I crawled into bed with a warm cup of tea and a print production book to do a little late-night reading, and well, that's because it might have been never, until I opened this one. Just a few of her topic headings that have had me grinning include "Forensic Tools", found toward the end of the book, which discusses how to scope out mistakes in InDesign pre-print, "Watch Your Language", on naming files appropriately, and "Let it Bleed", explaining InDesign's bleed options.
Claudia McCue has more than twenty years of experience in pre-press, and it really does feel like she has packed all of it into "Real World's Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications". Twenty years flies by fast when you're having fun. Thanks to Claudia I won't be spending that much more time learning these lessons the hard way.Real World Print Production with Adobe Creative Suite Applications Overview

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The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition - Everything You Need to Know About the Costs, Contracts, and Process of Self-Publishing Review

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The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition - Everything You Need to Know About the Costs, Contracts, and Process of Self-Publishing ReviewThe self-publishing industry is growing in leaps and bounds. As a book reviewer I've noticed a sharp increase in self-published, print-on-demand titles coming into the market. With major publishing houses reducing the number of contracts being signed due to recent economic difficulties, the allure of finally getting that novel in print is driving many to sign contracts to pay to have their books published. With the increase in consumer demand, new self-publishing companies are popping up all the time.
In The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Mark Levine -- an experienced self-published author and owner/investor into various e-commerce businesses -- analyzes 45 self-publishing companies. In previous editions Levin reviewed publishing contracts, customer service and other factors to assign publishers with a numeric ranking. In the third edition he has moved to more generalized categories: Outstanding, Pretty Good, Just OK, and To Avoid. Sadly 21 of the 45 companies analyzed fall into the To Avoid category - self-publishing contracts are often author-unfriendly, revealing the clear need for this title.
After introducing readers to the benefits of choosing to print their book with a self-publishing company, Levine discloses that his companies have investments in a self-publishing firm. However, he does not compare or evaluate its services within the book, he just wants to be up-front with that fact, which is commendable. He then guides readers through the main components of having a book published, what needs to be provided, the details they should look for from a publisher, all of the major key points to be aware of. In the chapter revealing the nine traits of a good self-publishing company, Levine clearly defines his author-friendly publishing standards (ones that his affiliated press attempts to live by). Though a relatively short section of the book, this information is in and of itself highly valuable for those just dipping their toes into the publishing arena. In fact after reading this section, readers may be empowered to skip looking for a publisher all together and take on the task of forming their own publishing company.
Levine puts his law degree to work as he breaks down and explains the usual set-up, clauses, and details of a publishing contract, allowing lay people to move into this territory with an additional level of confidence. While you can't depend upon him for legal advice, his analysis of each publishing contract (provided further on in the details for each publisher) that he was able to obtain is priceless. Levine also explains the general principles of various techniques of calculating author royalties and provides a theoretical breakdown for each publisher as well. There are some editing issues present (somewhat disappointing for a notable reference title relating to self-publishing), most of which occur in the numerical notation for these royalty calculations.
Each publisher receives its own chapter which details: publisher website, format of books, genres accepted, publishing fees and packages, additional services offered, return of digital files, retail pricing, author pricing, royalties, notes on the publishing agreement, and the author friendly rating - Levine's personal analysis of the publisher. The Fine Print deals mainly with publishers offering paperback printing services. Hardbacks are mentioned (though rarely offered by publishers) and children's picture book packages are noted, though not explored thoroughly. If you've written a children's book you'll be able to benefit from the general advice and through observing Levine's author-friendly analysis skills in action, but you won't find many helpful leads on potential publishing houses here.
After reading through The Fine Print in detail, it's easy to see why Levine has angered major self-publishing houses in past editions of this work. He is out to protect authors, their rights, and their pocketbooks, making no bones about a bad deal when he sees one. A few samples are sure to whet your appetite for more of his brass-tacks approach to analysis.
If you buy this service and make your money back from it, I will let you watch me rip out each page of this book and eat it.
...
If this is true and (publisher's name removed) can prove it, I'll fly to the publisher's offices and eat my book in front of all its employees.
...
If what you read here isn't enough to convince you to stay away, then P.T. Barnum was right - there really is a sucker born every minute.
It's obvious that Levine is passionate about doing his best to ensure that authors receive a fair deal. However, it's not all bad news - eight publishers are listed in the outstanding category, and nine are listed as pretty good. Levine does give praise where it is due when exceptionally fair terms and services are provided for authors.
An overwhelming number of facts, figures and packages are listed within the dense, information-packed pages of The Fine Print. A debut author striking out on his or her own would spend hundreds of hours seeking out these publishing companies and gathering this amount of information. With such a plethora of options available it would have been difficult to prepare a Consumer Reports-style comparison chart, and as such none is provided. You'll want to pull up a spreadsheet and hammer some details in under the categories most relevant to your project.
Reading The Fine Print is akin to taking a favourite uncle who's mechanically inclined car shopping with you. Levine walks with you through the services and legalese presented by these companies. If you plan on publishing with a publisher that you pay for its services, you cannot afford to skip reading The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. This is a required title in your stacks of research materials. Shell out the $12.21 at Amazon; you could potentially save thousands of dollars and a vicious, life-long loss of rights to your work that some authors have suffered from at the hands of unethical publishers.The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Fourth Edition - Everything You Need to Know About the Costs, Contracts, and Process of Self-Publishing Overview

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