Savvy Solutions: When It’s A Good Idea to Self-Publish


I’ve been trying to print a children’s book. I don’t want to do the traditional method of going through a publishing company. I’m looking for companies that can print books in small quantities.

–K. B.
Baltimore

Self-publishing is a good idea. Contact the Small Publishers Association of North America, a nonprofit trade association supporting authors and independent publishers. Writers Write is devoted to offering resources and industry links not only in self-publishing but also in e-publishing, which allows customers to download a book to a computer. Read Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, 16th Edition: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Para Publishing; $19.95) and How to Succeed in the Publishing Game (Triple Crown Publications; $20) by Vickie M. Stringer and Mia McPherson. Also check out our February 2007 feature “The Write Way to Grow” on BlackEnterprise.com. Lastly, don’t forget to maintain a network in the children’s literature field. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators offers a variety of services to members who write, illustrate, or share a vital interest in the genre.

This article originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.


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