A Self-Publisher’s Companion by Joel Friedlander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been a fan of Joel Friedlander for a long time. As a long-time reader of his blog, The Book Designer, I had read most of the articles in this book, which is a compilation of blog posts organized and edited into a cohesive whole. Even so, I found the re-reading worthwhile.
If you’re looking for nuts and bolts details on self-publishing, this is not the book for you. You won’t find advice on choosing the best font (something Joel is expert at and covers thoroughly on his blog) or on what software to use to layout the interior. What you will find is encouragement, information on what self-publishing is and how it and the perception of it have changed in recent years, advice on why self-publishing might be a good choice for you and your book, and suggestions on marketing your book.
While much of the book is primarily aimed at nonfiction authors, anyone considering self-publishing fiction or nonfiction would benefit from reading it. Anyone who is already self-publishing will likely find encouragement and words of wisdom that will help them become more effective as a self-publisher.
Disclosure: I purchased this book because I am a fan of the author and his blog. I have had some discussion with Joel regarding a guest post from him, and I hope that happens in the future, but that did not influence my review.